Our district is enhanced by the beauty and marvelous recreational value of the surrounding lakes.  However, we also have to take the responsibility to teach our children about water safety, particularly as it concerns boating safety. 

I have been partnering with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and state and local officials to bring boater safety awareness to our local teens. State and local partners will work together to help deter future boating accidents among our young people.

State law requires that young people age 12 to 17 must pass a TWRA boating safety course to operate a boat without an adult on board.  The courses, taught by TWRA-trained volunteer instructors,will be offered to students and families by the Sumner County School System.

Partners include Hendersonville Mayor Scott Foster, the late County Executive Hank Thompson, Hendersonville Fire Chief Jaime Steele, Sumner County Deputy Sheriff Bob Barker, COMPASS Director Mike Fussell, TWRA Boating Education Director Betsy Woods, Assistant Chief of Boating Darren Woods, and many other local officials.  We held our first organizational meeting in July 2006, and laid plans to schedule the first instructor training session.  We  attended the Sumner County School Board to present the project.

I am hopeful that the school board members will also be supportive of this effort. We are moving in the right direction to provide the kind of boater education we need to make our local waters safer.