NEWPORT-The Cocke County Regional Planning Commission held their monthly meeting just outside the Blue Smoke BBQ and Grill, in the cold, after enjoying a meal together inside the restaurant, on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Cocke County Mayor Iliff McMahan joined the board members for lunch, which was paid privately by each person, at no cost to the county.

Bettye Carter, the administrative secretary for the planning commission, informed commissioners she had sent a letter to QE2, an engineering firm, requesting their assistance in getting into a digital format a Hydraulics and Hydrology (H&H) study the firm did for the Rivercrest development. Carter asked that they submit the digitalized information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for their flood plain maps.

Carter also said that Joe Matalucci called her and was directed to contact John Mayer, one of the FEMA representatives. Mayer said at an August meeting of the planning commission he would work with any of the companies or developers that need information digitalized for the flood plain maps.

In other business, the planning commission did not approve the subdividing of 11 acres of property owned by Larry Watren, called the Cherokee Mountain development, into six lots. Carter said Watren had unfortunately been lead to believe when he bought the property about three years ago that it could be subdivided.

The commissioners granted final approval to developer Don Norwood's plat, the Pearl Meadows Estates subdivision of 10.17 acres, or 10 lots, in the 1st Civil District.

The planning commission also decided it had no jurisdiction over the Robin Ballard property in Cosby.

Finally, the commissioners were told they are the Title VI board for Cocke County.