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Kingsport – The Kingsport Police Department received notification of a federal award today in the amount of $939,012 from the COPS grant program through the Department of Justice, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.‚  The grant provides funding for local governments to add and retain manpower with an emphasis on effective crime fighting through community policing strategies.‚  Positions awarded are fully funded for three years, with the organization providing funding for a fourth year.‚  Police agencies throughout the State of Tennessee will receive a total of $21,521,764.00.

We have been notified by Russ Deadrick, US Attorney, and the Department of Justice that our agency has received funding for six (6) full-time police officers. The amount awarded to the Kingsport Police Department is the fourth largest award in the state.‚  This award is the result of efforts of various organizations and agencies throughout Kingsport area.‚  We currently partner with a variety of non-profit and for profit community groups including: Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority (KHRA), South Central Kingsport Community Development Cooperation (SCKCDC non-profit), South Central Kingsport Weed and Seed (non-profit), Downtown Kingsport Association,‚  local law enforcement via the Second Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce.

The community policing program continually enhances relationships with citizens.‚  This funding will allow those efforts to expand department wide.‚  The Kingsport Police Department is currently working with the South Central Kingsport Community Development Corporation and the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority in a Weed and Seed area in the south central area of Kingsport.‚  The Weed and Seed Steering Committee is planning a second site; the new site includes 3 schools, and a much larger geographical area including the Highland, Borden Park and Cloud Apartments areas.‚  Through this funding the Kingsport Police Department will develop and integrate a department wide strategy of community policing; this will work hand in hand with new site development.

Gale Osborne, Chief of Police

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Kingsport – The Kingsport Greenbelt is highlighted in an article in the August edition of Southern Living.  This month Southern Living published a bonus section called Tennessee Living: People & Places, where The Greenbelt is featured in an article called, Hit the Trail in Kingsport.  The article highlights the beautiful scenery of the fitness trail, the many ways it is traveled.

The Greenbelt is a scenic, nine-mile paved fitness trail that stretches across Kingsport.  The trail is full of beautiful scenery, and travelers of the Greenbelt see an array of interesting sites and people.  Along the scenic Holston river route, one can see gorgeous historical buildings and houses that have been preserved and restored. 

The people of the Greenbelt come in all shapes and sizes and bring their own perspective to the trail.  Some may bicycle or roller-skate, while others may run or walk.  Some may just be there to help Keep Kingsport Beautiful by planting flowers and keeping brush clear.

Southern Living interviewed Kingsport Parks and Recreation Manager, Kitty Frazier, who was involved in the creation of the Greenbelt twenty years ago.  In the article she describes the Greenbelt as, Its a cross section of the community, and in a few miles they find flat land and hills, urban areas and forests, busy zones and quiet ones.  This used to be a wasteland, and now its a playground with something for everyone.

To read the entire Southern Living article, please purchase a copy of Southern Living from your favorite Kingsport market.

To learn more about the Greenbelt click here.

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Kingsport – The staff at the Kingsport Public Library have shuffled around some numbers and changed some schedules and have found time and money to open up shop on Sundays.  A new reference librarian position will allow for the change.  The library has not been open on Sundays since 2002.  Since then circulation, building attendance, internet use, the number of programs and number of people attending these programs have all substantially increased.  The City, however, has not had to increase library funding to enable this change.  Library administrators have normally held the facility open for 61 hours a week, but new hours of operation will total 62 hours per week.  Now the library will be open from 2:00pm to 5:30pm on Sundays, but will only be open until 5:30pm on Thursdays.  New hours at the library will be Sundays from 2:00pm – 5:30pm, Monday – Wednesday from 9:00am – 8:00pm and Thursday – Saturday from 9:00am – 5:30pm.  If you are returning books on a Thursday evening remember an after hours book drop is available.

To view a presentation on this proposed change click here.

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Kingsport, TN– Kingsport Fire Department received a boost in their smoke alarm drive as the Kingsport Area Safety Council donates 50 Smoke Alarms.

The KFD drive is going well and todays donation from the Kingsport Area Safety Council advances us toward our goal of collecting at least 500 Smoke Alarms between now and Fire Prevention Month. The KFD has a great partnership history with the Kingsport Area Safety Council, this is an excellent example of one of the ways they continue to promote safety in our city and our region. said Barry Brickey KFDs Public Education Officer.‚ 

Organizations such as the Kingsport Area Safety Council, businesses like the A Team Real Estate Professionals, and private citizens have been showing great support in this effort to keep the people of Kingsport safe.

New unopened Smoke Alarms can be dropped off at KFD Station 1 at 130 Island Street, Kingsport, any Kingsport Fire Department Station and the A Team Real Estate office at 1938 Brookside Drive. The goal is to collect at least 500 smoke alarms from now until Fire Prevention Month in October.‚ 

Since 2006 the Kingsport Fire Department has distributed over 18,000 smoke alarms free to the public and installed many in the homes of Kingsport residents.

The Kingsport Area Safety Council was established in 1944 by several local businesses in an effort to promote a safer community in Kingsport and the region. The KASC is made of Safety Professionals from local Business and Industry. For more information about the Kingsport Area Safety Council go to: www.kptasc.org

Other than a Home Sprinkler, System Smoke Alarms are your best defense in a Home Fire. Follow these important smoke alarm safety measures:

• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. This means testing smoke alarms monthly, replacing batteries once a year or when a low-battery alarm chirps.‚  Replace the whole unit after 10 years.

• It is important to have not just one smoke alarm but one on each level of your home, outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. Tens of millions of U.S. homes are estimated to have smoke alarms but not enough smoke alarms to meet the standards and protect their homes.

• Interconnect your smoke alarms so that a fire detected by any smoke alarm will sound an alarm at every location where a smoke alarm is installed. Interconnection can be hard-wired or wireless. Interconnected smoke alarms provide early warning of fires that are located on the other side of a door or wall that may block sound.

• Develop and practice an escape plan so that everyone in the home knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. That includes planning a second way out from every room in your home. Every household that develops and practices an escape plan with two ways out from every location improves its time to escape in every type of fire.

There Are Different Types of Smoke Alarm Technologies‚¬â€Ionization and Photoelectric

The two most recognized smoke detection technologies are ionization smoke detection and photoelectric smoke detection. Ionization smoke detection is generally more responsive to flaming fires and photoelectric smoke detection is generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering.

For The Best Smoke Alarm Protection Use Both Types of Alarm Technologies

It is recommended both (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.

For more information contact Barry Brickey at the Kingsport Fire Department 423-224-2820 or brickey@ci.kingsport.tn.us

Thank You,

Barry J Brickey
Public Education Officer
Kingsport Fire Department
130 Island Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
Ph: 423-229-9440 or 423-224-2820
www.kingsportfire.com

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KINGSPORT –‚  A number of different road projects kick-off Wednesday in and around Kingsport, with city officials asking motorists to use extra caution in all work zones. Over the next week or so, resurfacing in the Harbor Chapel Road area of Fall Creek will impact specifically on Harbor Drive, June Drive, Rustic Way and Briarwood Road, in that order. The Briarwood resurfacing also will include the application of skid resistant surfacing that is not currently in place. Flag men will in place while road surfacing is underway.

Meanwhile, spray injection pavement rejuvenation, which restores oils to the asphalt, will take place on Charlemont Avenue, East Sevier Avenue from Broad Street to Center Street, Willow Street, Pine Street, Federal Street, Bays Cove Trail and Wateree Street on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. After the rejuvenator is applied, a coating of sand is spread over the roadway to ensure traction and keep the material from getting on vehicles. The contractor will come back the next day and remove the sand. Again, motorists are asked to use extra caution of avoid these areas when possible this week.

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