The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 16

4B Wednwday. M.y 12 1999 THE TENNESSEAN LOCAL NEWS eather putting ifTv Volunteers sweat to meet deadline Playground project ends Sunday animal shelter behind schedule Dog days The Humane Society of Dickson County relies heavily on fund-raisers for its shelter upkeep expenses. A dog dip Is scheduled for a.m. Saturday at the Farmers Co-op on Henslee Drive in Dickson. Volunteers will bathe and dip dogs for a donation.

The Humane Society's main fund-raiser, a golf scramble at Montgomery Bell State Park, is scheduled for May 29. For information call 446-7387. 1 i By WARREN DUZAK Staff Writer MT. JULIET Prisoners and politicians worked side by side with students and homemakers here yesterday on a project that may outlive them all. They sweated without complaining in the hot sun, setting posts, smoothing 2-by-4s, pouring concrete and hauling lumber that by the end of this week should be transformed into Planet Playground, a playground for west Wilson County's children.

"We can see what we accomplish," said Michael Shoemake, dressed in a bright orange shirt indicating he is an inmate of the Wilson County Jail. Shoemake was a member of a jail work crew helping with the project going up at the city's Charlie Daniels Recreation Area. "It's not like picking up the roads," he said, reaching for a tamper to pack the dirt around one of more than 200 halved telephone poles that will serve as the playground's foundation. Shoemake worked next to ML Juliet Mayor David Waynick, who started before 8 a.m. to begin a week of work to erect the playground with all-volunteer labor.

"Make sure you get some water," Waynick told the prisoners on Monday. "You can get dehydrated out here." Despite the hot weather, hundreds of volunteers worked through the first of six days set aside to build the playground that will include bridges, swings, tunnels and dozens of specialized playground equipment for children of all ages. Joining the work crews were high school building trade students and members of the Modified Academic Program School, or MAPS, the alternative school for youngsters who have run afoul of school guidelines. Marcus Reynolds is a MAPS student who pitched in helping to line up and set the posts. "It's better outside than inside," Reynolds said with a smile.

While Shoemake, Waynick, Reynolds and dozens of men and boys struggled with the poles, Diane Estes and Karen Davis took turns with routers to take the edges off 2-by-4s. Estes sees her work as an in- WARREN DUZAK Mt. Juliet Mayor David Waynick asks for some help as he and Wilson County Jail inmate Michael Shoemake set posts for the playground project. Monday they had made some headway, but there were still hundreds to go. Kids Play organizer Richard Miller wishes he had more workers like Davis and Estes, willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Miller estimates 2,000 volunteers will be needed to complete the job by Sunday. If you'd like to join them, the work begins again today at 7 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. vestment in and for her children. "I've got twins that are in kindergarten, and I take them to the Lebanon park to play," she said.

"But this will be a lot closer." Karen Davis said she has a junior and a senior in high school, but she can remember when they came to the park to play. Davis and Estes lifted 12-foot 2-by-4s, two at a time, and took turns running the router that rounded the board's edges. By midmorning By DEBORAH HIGHLAND Staff Writer DICKSON Rain may bring some howling during the dog days of summer at the Humane Society of Dickson County animal shelter. A shelter expansion of 18 enclosed, climate-controlled dog runs is months behind schedule because of rain. "I've got a hole in the ground.

We havent been able to get it dried out and graded," executive director Lee Robbins said. As soon as the weather remains hot and dry enough to dry out the hole, the area can be graded, leveled and prepared for the cement to be poured. Until then, Robbins cant estimate when the new 8- by 6-foot runs will be completed. Robbins originally also wanted to expand the front of the building to include an enlarged holding area for cats. But the $102,000 price tag for both additions has forced the Humane Society to cut its plan for the building expansion.

"There's just no way we can come up with that kind of money," Robbins said. That's why the dog runs are being built with mostly donated materials and volunteer labor, she said. The shelter now has 11 indoor dog runs and six outdoor dog runs that can be converted to seven if needed. One advantage to having additional climate-controlled runs is to keep the animals comfortable during weather extremes. The additional runs will also allow the shelter to make room for more dogs.

But the main reason for building the runs is it will allow the shelter to keep the more adoptable dogs for a longer period of time. The shelter tries to keep dogs for at least three days before the animals are euthanized. That time limit depends on the animal's health, dispo- sition and the number of dogs at the shelter. As of the end of April the shelter had already taken in 1,136 animals. Last year at this time, the shelter had taken in 1,042.

Robbins would like to have the runs completed as soon as possible. Anyone who would like to donate materials or labor should call Robbins at 446-7387. TVA refueling breaks record SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (AP) -The Tennessee Valley Authority said a reactor at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant returned to service yesterday in record time after refueling. The Unit 2 reactor was reconnected to TVA's seven-state power system at 4:31 a.m.

yesterday, 23 days after going off-line to reload fuel. That was six days faster than the world record for plants of similar design set during the previous refueling outage by Sequoyah Unit 1. TVA is the nation's largest public power producer, providing electricity to 159 distributors. Speedway developers to address details at meeting By WARREN DUZAK authority member John Gwin said. "We thought it was just going to be basic housekeeping, but it is going to be substantive." Dover Downs has proposed spending a minimum of $47 million to build the speedway near Glade-ville in southeast Wilson County.

The race track, which could eventually include a drag strip and dirt track, will also likely be used for other outdoor activities such as concerts. Gwin said a development spokesman will discuss contracts for wa ter and sewer services as well as details about some changes in the layout and exact location of the facility. He said they are also expected to announce when construction will begin. "They are exercising their options and closing on their tracts (of land)," Gwin said. The state Department of Transportation recently announced that it will spend $16 million to build a diamond-shaped interchange about a mile north of Mona Road in Rutherford County and a five-lane road to reach the auto racing complex expected to open in 2001.

The board is also expected to swear in a new member, Cassie Spickard. Spickard lives near Gladeville and is active in a family construction business, Gwin said. She will replace W.A. Wright Elementary School Principal Veronica Bender who resigned before the first board's first meeting. As a county employee, Bender said it was improper for her to serve on the authority.

Staff Writer LEBANON Details about groundbreaking and infrastructure improvements for the proposed Nashville Superspeedway racing complex will be discussed by the Wilson County Sports Authority today. The speedway developers, Dover Downs Entertainment will make a presentation to the Sports Authority at 7 p.m. at the county courthouse, 230 E. Main St. is going to be quite a bit," Hispanic member leaving Metro group zzZMome Equity Loans Fast! Ramos to take one of the seats.

Bill Consolidation Loans Mayor faces challenge in filling post illl! Loans Jor Self Employed Homf Improvement Loans Refinancing Slow Credit OK No Application Fee Past Bankruptcy OK Deed oj Trust Payojjs Vp to 125 of Home Value In-Home App. Available YOU PAY $210 00 $349.00 $48900 $559 00 $629.00 YOU GET S30.0U0 $50,000 $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 fTMF TfcnneMee Mortgage 'VoluUem Helping Vabatttrt' thing on an individual basis. There are people who are qualified to take on a lot of posts." Like other ethnic groups in the county, the Hispanic population is impatient to see more of its own on Metro boards and commissions. Their numbers can no longer be ignored, said Human Relations Commissioner the Rev. James Thomas, an outspoken civil rights leader.

Early last year, Thomas resigned from the commission, reconsidered, and rejoined his colleagues in a dispute over two open commission seats. Seats vacated by an African-American member and a white member should have been filled by at least one African-American, he said at the time. Another commissioner wanted immigration lawyer and American-born Hispanic Mario There is no dissension this time around, said the commission's executive director, Rosalyn Carpenter-Feagins, who said she expected a Hispanic replacement. Drury, whose office will release a nomination next week, said the lead candidate is "not in the circle of the usual suspects." Luis said he hopes his replacement will represent Hispanics and the greater community. The Vanderbilt University professor said he has several professional projects in the works and has been asked to chair a search committee that must find a director for the school's African-American studies department.

When that work is finished, he said, he would like to apply for another seat on the Metro commission. By MONICA WHITAKER Staff Writer The Metro Human Relation Commission's only Hispanic member has resigned at the end of his term, leaving a ethnic gap in the commission lineup and a challenge for Mayor Phil Bredesen's office. William Luis will probably be replaced by another Hispanic resident on the 17-member group, mayoral spokesman Mark Drury said. The commission was designed to advise the mayor's office on ways to promote diversity and fight racism throughout the county. But just who the mayor recommends for appointment will send a signal to Hispanics in the area, several Hispanic leaders say.

The pool of candidates should include more than the handful of people known as de facto Hispanic leaders among Metro officials, Latino advocates say. "If you're going just for the fact that he's Hispanic, that's racism," said Eloy Guerra, honorary Mexican consular in Nashville. "It should be one that understands Latinos and can do something for them." Davidson County's estimated 40,000 Hispanics are diverse enough that no one leader can claim to speak for all of them, Hispanic advocate Luis Bustillo said. The city needs to look for aptitude and interest, he said, not just a well-known Hispanic voice. "Right now, it should be some Toll Free 1-888-775-4343 615-399-3595 1321 Murfreesboro Pike Suite 310 Nashville, TN 37217 6wd oott rate far 360 month tenn, at 75 loan-to-value on first mortpre We know the meaning of the word value.

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