Re-zoning recommended for property

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
By John I. Carney

Beekeeper Edwin Holcombe tells members of Bedford County Board of Commissioners' rules and legislative committee about a trip he plans to take to Bermuda, the United Kingdom and Croatia to research issues related to bees and honey production. Committee members said there was no money in the county budget to help with the trip but that they would give their colleagues on the county commission the chance to donate personally.
(T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Order this photo]

Bedford County Board of Commissioners' rules and legislative committee recommended a re-zoning at 3164 U.S. 231 North from A-1 (agriculture) to C-1 (commercial). William Ty Irby Sr. is requesting the rezoning; the rules committee agenda stated that Irby wants to put a real estate services office at the site.

The site is four parcels south of the intersection with State Route 82 (Webb Road); there are several commercial businesses at or near the intersection already. The re-zoning had been unanimously recommended by Bedford County Planning Commission.

The full commission will make the final decision on the rezoning; a public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on the night of the May 12 commission meeting.

In other discussion:

* The committee recommended approval of updates to the economic development strategic plan submitted by Shelbyville & Bedford County Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Economic Development Board.

* Rules committee chairman P.T. "Biff" Farrar noted that review of the commission's rules is continuing and urged commissioners to submit their input on the rules.

* County Mayor Eugene Ray said that an appointment to the Emergency Communications District (E-911) board will be automatically placed on the May 12 agenda after commissioners deadlocked earlier this month. Ray placed one name, Rick Overcast, in nomination at the April 14 commission meeting but then accepted a second nomination, Commissioner Mark Thomas, from the floor, something he later said he should not have done. Commission rules call for Ray to make the nomination and the commission to either confirm or deny it. Neither candidate received a 10-vote majority at the April meeting. Ray said he will have a single nomination at the May meeting for an up-or-down vote by the commission.

* Beekeeper Edwin Holcombe asked for assistance with a fact-finding trip he will make this summer to Bermuda, the United Kingdom, and Croatia, to investigate several problems faced by area beekeepers.

Holcombe said he will investigate bee swarming in Bermuda, will visit the pre-eminent library on bee-related information in the U.K. and will study at the university in Zagreb, Croatia, for 20 days, seeking information about a supplement derived from oak tree bark and about American fowl brood disease, an incurable disease which strikes bee colonies.

Holcombe said that local accountant Bob Garner is keeping the books for donations received in support of the trip to ensure that they are properly spent. He said the trip should cost less than $5,000 in total.

Ray, along with committee members, said the tight county budget does not have any money to spare for such a trip, but that some commissioners might want to give personally. The trip will be mentioned in announcements at the May commission meeting.

Comments

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I'm planning a trip to Mexico this summer to study the effects tequila has on the body. Reckon Mr. Garner would mind setting up an account for me as well?? ;^)

-- Posted by bedfordcounty on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 12:02 PM

So beekeeping is a thriving business in Shelbyville?

-- Posted by sameoldstory on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 1:14 PM

Response by John Carney:

I didn't get a chance to work this into the story, but Mr. Holcombe said in response to a question from one of the commissioners that there were about a dozen beekeepers in Bedford County with more than one colony -- and, again according to him, probably a number of others who only have one colony. Beekeepers are supposed to register with the state, he said, but many small operators don't. The local beekeepers have a club that meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Farm Bureau, and a recent school they sponsored on how to get involved with beekeeping drew a strong attendance.

You'd be surprised at how much money you can raise in Shelbyville wearing a sports coat and overalls. Especially under the disguise of educational assistance.......LOL

-- Posted by bedfordcounty on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 1:50 PM

Well, we all really need to be more concerned about the bees. Without them, crops don't get pollinated and we don't eat.

Bee hives are being decimated across the US. Some studies cite a suffocating trachea mite as being the main cause. I worked with Mr. Holcombe several years ago for a little while (I quickly saw I didn't have enough time to devote) and his research into the trachea mite. He is passionate about saving our honey bees and well educated in this area despite his appearance. Much more research needs to be done to determine each region's most likely cause of colony collapse and ways to help it.

If you haven't learned how to not to judge based on appearance, I suggest you google Susan Boyle.

While I agree with the county not giving money, maybe our agricultural extension agency could help.

-- Posted by Jacks4me on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 2:18 PM

bedfordcounty, I guess it's a joke to you, but have you given any thought of how our gardens and fruit trees produce? with out bees you could not conduct your study on tequila. There would'nt be any corn to produce it I personally don't think you could survive on a liquid diet of fermented corn

-- Posted by tn.moonshiner on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 4:57 PM

FYI tn.moonshiner,

"Blue agave, the tequila agave of the Agave tequilana species, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco state in Mexico due to its role as the base ingredient of tequila, a popular alcoholic drink."

-- Posted by Brett Favre on Wed, Apr 22, 2009, at 5:53 PM