A former Tennessee Titans football player has been named the new Mt. Juliet fire chief.

The announcement of Erron Kinney as the new chief was made Monday night by Public Safety Director Andy Garrett during the Mt. Juliet City Commission meeting.

It is expected that Kinney will assume his duties as Fire Chief within the coming weeks.

“I know that Erron Kinney’s exceptional qualifications and experience make him the best fit for our City,” Garrett said. “Chief Kinney brings with him well over 20 years of exemplary service in all aspects of fire department management, coupled with his deep roots within the Middle Tennessee community.”

Kinney brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Interested in fire safety since childhood, firefighting and saving lives is in his heart. Currently, Kinney serves as Fire and Rescue Services Coordinator with the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency in Franklin. He previously served as a Captain for the St. Andrews Fire Department in Charleston, S.C., and as a firefighter in Brentwood.

In 2004, the Tennessee Governor appointed him to a seven-year term with the Tennessee State Firefighting Commission, which is an organization that tests and certifies firefighters in the state.

A former NFL player with the Tennessee Titans, Kinney is well-known throughout Tennessee and well-involved in the community. Prior to his NFL career, Kinney attended the University of Florida where he majored in elementary education.

“It’s is very humbling, an honor, and a privilege to be appointed as Mt. Juliet’s Fire Chief. I am excited about working in one of Middle Tennessee’s best cities. I am extremely excited about the opportunities that are ahead for the city’s new fire department,” Kinney said.

At the Mt. Juliet Fire Department, Kinney will be responsible for building the department from the ground up. Starting with one fire station that is currently under construction, Kinney will command Mt. Juliet’s new fire department that will be responsible for fire suppression and rescue. Staffing, training, equipment specification and procurement will also be significant issues in the beginning of his new appointment.

In addition, Mt. Juliet City Manager Kenny Martin felt it was best to select the fire department’s second-in-command during this process, and in that regard, Garrett also announced that James Luffman was selected as Captain. Luffman is currently a firefighter with Wilson County Emergency Management Agency and is a resident of Mt. Juliet. Luffman’s start date is pending final budget approvals.

A Walkathon to raise money for a local woman has been scheduled for Sunday, March 10.

The walk is scheduled to begin at Sports Village in Lebanon at 1 p.m. Organizer Ralph Lorenzo has asked that participants pledge $1 for every mile that he walks in recipient Della William’s behalf.

Della, a longtime secretary at Discount Motors had a heart attack in February and after testing, doctors also found a fungal disease in her lungs and stage four cancer in her liver.

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Starbucks will open its distribution center on July 1 in the Park 840 industrial development where it is now under construction.

That was the word Thursday at the Joint Economic & Community Development Board of Wilson County meeting.

JECDB Executive Director G.C. Hixson reiterated that the six-year tax abatement for the company, provided that they create 150 new jobs over a three-year period, was approved by both the Lebanon City Council and the Wilson County Commission.

“We will get more than our money back with jobs,” he said.

Besides the guaranteed 150 new jobs, there is also the possibility of temporary and seasonal jobs. However, for tax abatement purposes they stuck to conservative numbers.

Hixson said that there is a pad ready on-site and that they will soon begin pouring concrete walls for the 688,000-square-foot warehouse development. “The company is hoping to be up and running between the end of June and July 1.”

The JECDB is also working with the company to get a Tennessee Department of Transportation Industrial Access Grant which aids with funds to facilitate industrial highways to provide access to and expansion of industrial areas.

From Post Staff Reports

Willie Robertson and Si Robertson, his uncle, were in Watertown on Tuesday shooting video with country entertainer Darius Rucker. 

The Robertson’s TV show on A&E, “Duck Dynasty,” had 8.6 million viewers for its season three premiere on Feb. 27. Those on hand said the Robertsons were very friendly folks, just like the show, and “Uncle Si” signed a couple of autographs and took photos with kids.

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

The Jewelers of Lebanon Owner Shaun Smith has a message to relay to other area business owners and individuals: Be local and be involved.

Although Smith has always had a passion for supporting community businesses, projects and non-profits, his interest has magnified since being inducted into the 2013 class of Leadership Wilson. “One of our project days was to visit Brooks House and it was just a really moving day for me. We don’t realize what the needs are in the community,” he said of the organization, which offers a “hand up, not a hand out” to women hoping to rebuild their lives.

“At the time we were doing a Facebook contest to get 1,000 likes. Once we reached that I said, ‘For every person over 1,000 that ‘likes’ us by the end of the day I am going to donate $10 to Brooks House,’’” he said. By the end of the day, The Jewelers had 1,075 “likes.”

On Thursday, Smith followed up on his promise by donating a check for $750 to Brooks House Executive Director Liz Reese.

Reese was honored by the donation and stressed that the high amount is not what is important. “It is about the thought behind it,” she said. “It doesn’t take much to make a difference.”

Reese said that she would be thrilled if others in Wilson County would donate a lump sum or volunteer to be a monthly donor.

“It takes $6,000 to operate Brooks House and keep our doors open – and that entire amount comes from donations. We have three churches who give $100 to $500 monthly and a lot of people who pledge 10 percent of their paycheck to Brooks House on a consistent basis,” she said.

Money is used for Brooks House bills, as well as supporting the women when transitioning out of Brooks House into their own apartments or continuing their education. “We want them to learn to love themselves, build self-esteem and work on teaching them how to ask for help when they need it,” Reese said.

Brooks House residents are required by Reese to go to church, and be employed actively in search of a job or be in school. The facility is currently home to six Wilson County women, but with an upcoming addition to their building it could house many more.

“We are getting ready to add-on about 1,500 square feet,” Reese said. The addition will include new bathrooms, a laundry facility and five new bedrooms – bringing the total of bedrooms to 13.

“We currently have eight rooms and some are family rooms for women who have children. We can hold up to 20,” she said of the current facility Brooks House moved into in 2007.

Reese said she is honored to do the work that she does and “wouldn’t give a thing for the journey that God has me on. It is not a job – it is a ministry.”

For more information on Brooks House, go to brookshouse.org.