Local heroes
offered free
tests that
could save
their lives

MJ soldier
returns home
just in time for
Veteran\u2019s Day

Cassie Wilson, dressed as a Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, helped stuffed stockings on Friday at Mt. Juliet Elementary School. The 368 stockings were mailed this week by members of the Blue Star Mothers, a local chapter of a national group of military family members. According to Reba Baltz, a Blue Star Mother, 230 of the stockings will be mailed to the USS Rentz, 110 to the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier stationed in the Persian Gulf, and 25 to various soldiers in Afghanistan, \u201cin the middle of nowhere.\u201d The children stuffing the stockings are in Miss Gay\u2019s Kindergarten and Miss

quarterback up for major honor

MJ of\ufb01cials
ask county for
$650K for its
share of
Reverse L

It\u2019s no surprise that being a\ufb01 re\ufb01 ghter or police of\ufb01 cer can be stressful, but what is surprising and dangerous is that those public servants are at a much higher risk for heart attacks. In an effort to relieve some of that stress, one local facility is offering free screenings for public servants and their spouses.

area communities are heroes in the eyes of the physicians at Premier Radiology and Hermitage Imaging Center,\u201d said Kristen Nicholson with Premier. \u201cTo honor their contributions,

The Heart of a Hero program offers coronary calcium CT screenings free of charge. A cardiac scoring exam can assess a person\u2019s risk of future heart attack. The test is quick, simple and allows radiologists to provide patients with the information that they need to keep their heart healthy and their mind at ease. Results will be provided to employees\u2019 personal physicians. For communities

interested in our health screening programs, educational\ufb02 iers and convenient scheduling is provided.

\u201cIt is not surprising to learn that many of our brave\ufb01 re\ufb01 ghters and police of\ufb01 cers lose their lives in the line of duty - but these men and women face more risks than exposure to\ufb01 re

\u201cOur public servants are also at increased risk for heart attacks, which can be triggered by exertion, stress, and

preventative screenings can help prevent these deaths and ensure healthier lives for those who protect and save the lives of others every day.\u201d

This CT exam is used as a screening tool in the evaluation of coronary artery disease. The Calcium Scoring CT scan quanti\ufb01 es the total load of calci\ufb01 ed (hardened) plaque in the coronary arteries. It then compares that score to a large reference population matched to the patient\u2019s age and sex. This study can be used as a valuable tool in conjunction with other clinical risk factors such as family history, cholesterol level, lipid pro\ufb01 le, etc. to help manage the care of patients at risk for coronary artery disease.

Health professionals believe this technique should be used for individuals considered to be at high risk for developing heart disease. The risk factors for heart disease include:

of
heart disease
-

The scan itself only takes 10 minutes. It does not involve any injections or medications.

Heroes can come in Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. \u2013 5 p.m. Call 615-773-7237 to set up an appointment time that is convenient for your schedule. Choose what time is best and be sure to bring your ID badge with you. There will be some paperwork to\ufb01 ll out upon arrival and the patient must provide a primary care physician for the results to be sent to following the test. Screening CT exams of the heart are not intended to replace your usual routine medical evaluations, but do give you and your doctor additional information to base lifestyle changes and treatment options.

may require follow up studies,\u201d Nicholson noted. \u201cThere is no need for alarm. These follow up studies should be arranged by their primary care physician.\u201d

Radiology is located at 5002 Crossing Circle, Suite 140, in Mt. Juliet.

Yoga and Pilates are now being offered at the Mt. Juliet Community Center. Yoga is offered Monday and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m. Pilates will be offered Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m., and there will be a Yoga/Pilates mix Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The MJ Community Center is located at Charlie Daniels Park. For more information call Kat Woodson

City of\ufb01 cials have crafted, signed, and sent a letter to Wilson County

$650,000 payment for the county\u2019s share of the \u201cReverse L\u201d road project, a letter which was read and signed at Monday night\u2019s scheduled city commission meeting.

letter to the members of the Wilson County Board of Commissioners was read by District 2 Commissioner and Vice Mayor Will Sellers, who led the meeting in the absence of Mayor Linda Elam. The purpose of the letter was to request the support an item on the county commission\u2019s agenda item for consideration of the $650,000 payment to the City of Mt. Juliet.

\u201cSince the Reverse L was initially proposed several years

considerable discussion, speculation and debate has taken place,\u201d the letter states. \u201cNot wishing to replay history, quite simply the project was done for one primary reason . . . to provide the students, faculty and staff of Mt. Juliet High School, a school residing within Wilson County and outside of the city, with a safe, easily accessible route serving that facility. We are con\ufb01 dent each of you is fully aware of the deplorable conditions

of Curd Road. A dangerously narrow, curvy road with a 90 degree turn, the Reverse L improves the only access to the school. It is within that cooperative spirit that Mt. Juliet, at its own expense improved

northerly section of Curd/Benders Ferry Roads and installed signals at Lebanon Road.

\u201cWhen the initial city/county burden sharing effort

in early 2007, several County of\ufb01 cials embraced a $950k contribution. This\ufb01 gure was derived based on the projected

guess\u201d costs of the time. Two years later the project was formally bided out and the actual

Another signi\ufb01 cant factor reducing the County\u2019s share was Mt. Juliet\u2019s successfully securing

50% Local Interstate Connector Grant.

combined effects of those reduced the project\u2019s cost and lowered the requested contribution from

of Wilson County\u2019s portion of the Reverse L includes approximately one-half of a 200\u2019 bridge at Cedar Creek, costing

$230k for water line relocation work lying

completely within the County; and approximately 1600 linear feet of road pavement outside the City of Mt. Juliet.

of Commissioners were not consulted during the process of choosing the location of the new Mt. Juliet High School, they have

Wilson County, its citizens and their children by thus far fully\ufb01 nancing every construction expense of the Reverse L. For the safety of our children a delay was unacceptable. At this time, barring any unforeseen challenges, the road should be open on or about 15 December.

Considering the above, we the Board of Commissioners of the City of Mt. Juliet, respectfully request all Wilson County

those representing the citizens of Mt. Juliet, to contribute their fair share towards this project.\u201d

discussed the possibility of speed bumps or \u201crumble strips\u201d in Mt. Juliet. Mt. Juliet Police Chief Andy Garrett and Public Works Director Marlin Keel, after studying reports and suggestions from MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, found that speed bumps \u201cmake more people mad than happy.\u201d

Keel noted that, from an engineering and traf\ufb01 c control standpoint, traf\ufb01 c calming \u201cis a broad issue\u201d that would require more in-depth work than current City staff can provide.

\u201cIf we want to get involved we need to develop a comprehensive traf\ufb01 c control plan, which is out of the range of anyone on staff,\u201d Keel said. \u201cWe will need a consultant or a team, and I\u2019m estimating the cost at around $20,000 to $30,000.\u201d

City Manager Randy Robertson noted that the request for speed bumps was the result of complaints from only \u201ca few\u201d citizens, mainly in the Mari Court area, which is a connector from South Greenhill to Devonshire,

Willoughby Station and Hickory Hills subdivisions.

\u201cIt\u2019s less than\ufb01 ve people complaining about a few places,\u201d Robertson said, adding that the police responded and that area

planned on meeting with their homeowners association and would update city of\ufb01 cials at a later date.

1 Commissioner Ted Floyd, a former Mt. Juliet police chief, remarked that he would \u201cnever support speed bumps and would go with signage and (police) enforcement.\u201d

In new business, commissioners (excluding Elam

3 Commissioner Ed Hagerty, who were both absent) voted 2 \u2013 1 to amend the budget to purchase $75.00 gift cards as a Christmas bonus for City employees. District 4 Commissioner Jim Bradshaw voted against the ordinance on\ufb01 rst reading.

ordinance to annex, rezone, and approve the preliminary master development plan for Ellenwood farms, to be located on S. Rutland Road, was unanimously approved with amendments on\ufb01 rst reading. An ordinance to abandon/vacate a portion of Providence Parkway and revert the ownership of the land to the adjacent property

owners was unanimously approved on\ufb01 rst reading with amendments.

on November 23 and December 28, since they are close to the holidays.

un\ufb01 nished business, a fee schedule for the building department was passed on\ufb01 rst reading by a 2 \u2013 1 vote, with Bradshaw voting against. A resolution to approve

and authorize the mayor to sign the agreement with Piedmont Natural Gas, an easement for construction, was unanimously approved.

to authorize the city\ufb01 nance director

approve adjustments to sewer bills, to increase the Sewer Capacity Fee by $35.00, and to amend the budget to accept and expend $4,000 in donations for Halloween in the Park were unanimously approved on second reading.