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City of Kingsport Seeks Resident Opinions

The City of Kingsport is asking residents to participate in its upcoming community survey. The survey is designed to provide a baseline of how the Kingsport government is serving residents, to gauge perceptions of the city, and to make comparisons with peer communities.

Kingsport contracted with Polco/National Research Center, Inc., an impartial third-party firm that provides municipal governments with a low-cost, high-quality method to conduct community research. The survey centers on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in the community, local policies, demographics, rating of local government services, the emergency services departments and questions about how residents are getting city information.

“We’re excited to engage with our residents and hear their feedback on the services the city provides and any additional wants or needs we could work on for our community,” said Jessica Harmon, assistant to the city manager. “From this survey, we’ll have the ability to see where Kingsport stacks up by benchmarking ourselves against over 600 communities across the county that have administered the National Community Survey.”

A random and scientific sample of 2,700 households will receive invitations to participate in the mail and their confidential responses will be weighted and analyzed. Kingsport strongly encourages all households who receive the survey to respond, since the more responses received, the more accurate the results will be.

In addition to the survey of randomly selected households, the city will also provide an online survey that all Kingsport residents will have the option to respond. The online survey will be posted on the city website and promoted across social media channels beginning about six weeks from now.

For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov or call 423-229-9381.

New Amphitheater Planned for Bays Mountain Park

A new amphitheater is coming to Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium next year. Eastman has given a lead gift for this project in honor of its centennial celebration in 2020, and the City of Kingsport has matched that donation.

The Bays Mountain Park Amphitheater has been home to many events and programs over the years, whether it’s a night at Cinema Under the Stars, a summer day camp activity or live storytelling at Campfire Tales. This venue has been an important part of BMP’s programs since the park’s early foundational days.

“In celebration of Eastman’s 100th anniversary, we proudly support this project at one of Kingsport’s most iconic attractions, Bays Mountain Park,” said Perry Stuckey, Eastman Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. “For more than 100 years, Eastman has proudly called Kingsport our home, and parks like Bays Mountain and its beautiful green spaces are one of the many contributors to our city’s quality of life. We are proud to invest in ensuring that Kingsport remains a sustainable community and a desirable and attractive place to live and work.”

The new amphitheater will be roughly the same size as the current one, but located at a more central area in the park, closer to the Nature Center. It will have a lower level with restrooms and changing rooms, outdoor seating for 341 occupants and ADA parking. Guests will be able to access the new amphitheater more easily, allowing BMP to expand the programs it offers there and furthering its mission of educating the region about the natural area that surrounds us.

The deer habitat and fox habitat will receive updates as part of this project as well, due to their proximity to the new amphitheater site. These projects come at the end of a momentous year for Bays Mountain Park as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. Other improvements announced this year include the Fox Den Playground and a 3.75 mile legacy trail, currently under construction.

“The announcement of this amphitheater is a great way for Bays Mountain to finish a fantastic 50th year,” said Kingsport Mayor Pat Shull. “I’m happy to see the city come together with Eastman to support the future of one of Kingsport’s greatest natural resources.”

Dineen West and GRC Construction are also partners on this project. The bidding process will begin on Bays Mountain Park’s new amphitheater in early 2022, and construction is expected to be complete that same year. The project will cost an estimated $1 million.

To learn more about Bays Mountain Park, go to baysmountain.com or call 423-229-9447.

Fall Archery Classes

Do you want to learn to shoot an arrow at a target and hit the bullseye? Kingsport Parks and Recreation is offering a fall archery class at the Lynn View Community Center!

A certified instructor will teach classes run from October 19 through November 16 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The program is open to ages 7 and up and all equipment is provided.

For more information or to register for this class, please visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org or call 423-224-2489.

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Creepy Carrots in Glen Bruce Park?

The Kingsport Public Library is excited to announce the book in the StoryWalk®* in Glen Bruce Park has been updated for Haunted Happenings month.

Just in time for October, the new StoryWalk® book is the Caldecott Honor award winning Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds. Jasper Rabbit loves carrots and eats them all the time until the carrots start following him. Help Jasper figure out if the carrots are really following him as you walk around Glen Bruce Park. The StoryWalk® consists of 20 displays placed around the park. Each display contains a page of a picture book along with questions or activities for families to enjoy together. Visit all 20 displays to read the entire story.

At the end of the story, there is an opportunity for visitors to share their thoughts and vote for the next book. Visitors are encouraged to tag the library in their StoryWalk® visit Social Media posts.

*The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson

For more information about events at the Library, please visit www.kingsportlibrary.org or call 423-229-9489.

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Haunted Happenings at the Library

October is full of Haunted Happenings at Kingsport Public Library! Throughout the month, there will be a variety of virtual programs, competitions, and activities.

Reading Challenge

Open to readers of all ages. Join a spooky team when you sign up for the Haunted Happenings Reading Challenge. Log your reading minutes and participate in challenges to earn points for your team. Last year, 45,000 minutes were read in the challenge. Can we read more this year?

Events
All events can be found at www.kingsportlibrary.org in the Events tab.

Thursday, October 7 @ 4:00 p.m. – Creepy Crafts

Teens, Grades 6-12, are invited to join us to make Creepy Crafts in the Park.

Tuesday, October 12 @ 5:30 p.m. – Haunted Tri-Cities

Join Paranormal Technology Investigations on Google Meet to hear spooky stories about haunted places in our region.

Tuesday, October 19 @ 6:00 p.m. – Beetlejuice Trivia

Can you answer the questions via Kahoot before Beetlejuice is said 3 times?

Thursday, October 21 @ 4:00 p.m. – Haunted Gingerbread Houses

Teens, Grades 6-12, are invited to decorate a haunted gingerbread house in Glen Bruce Park.

Monday, October 25 @ 4:00 p.m. – Outdoor STEM Club Spooky Slime

Make spooky glow in the dark slime in Glen Bruce Park. Open to grades K-5.

 

Competitions

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
All ages are welcome to show off their pumpkin decorating skills. Submit a picture of your pumpkin between October 1 and October 18 to programs@kingsportlibrary.org. Voting will take place via Google Forms between October 25 and October 29.

To Go (while supplies last)

Available October 14 – Halloween Cards

Pick up a card making kit to create a spooky card to send to family or friends.

 

Available October 18 – Murder After Dark Mystery packs

No matter the town, your neighbors aren’t always what they seem. Can you figure out which of your neighbors is a cold-blooded killer?

For more information about events at the Library, please visit www.kingsportlibrary.org or call 423-229-9489.

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Behind the Book Series: David Hrivnak

Join Kingsport Public Library and the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library for the next in the Behind the Book series on October 7 at 7:00 p.m. Behind the Book will feature discussions with regional authors and illustrators to find out more about their books. The discussion will be held virtually via Google Meet (link available at www.kingsportlibrary.org).

David Hrivnak is the next author in the series. We will be discussing his book Driving to Net 0. Scientists say we need to reduce our use of fossil fuels by 80% or more to avert the most dangerous effects of global warming. But is such a drastic cut possible without totally disrupting our lifestyle? The short answer is yes as the contributors of this book have shown.

Upcoming Behind the Book discussions will feature David Hoover.

Visit the Library website, www.kingsportpubliclibrary.org for more information or contact the Kingsport Public Library at 423-224-2539.

KPD e-News Release: Applications Being Accepted for the Position of Kingsport Police Officer from September 18 through October 3, 2021 (Final Notice)

,

Kingsport Police Department

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

NEWS RELEASE
SUBJECT: Applications Being Accepted for the Position of Kingsport Police Officer from September 18 through October 3, 2021 (Final Notice)
DATE: October 1, 2021
GENERAL NARRATIVE
Only a couple of days remain to apply to become a Kingsport Police Officer.

As previously released:

The City of Kingsport Human Resources Department will be accepting applications for the position of Police Officer from September 18 through October 3, 2021. The Kingsport Police Department is hoping to hire several new officers out of this application process to fill any existing and upcoming vacancies. Those interested must submit a new application regardless of whether or not they have applied or tested with K.P.D. in the past.

Individuals who are interested in a career in law enforcement are encouraged to apply. All applicants must be a United States citizen and either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than April 19, 2022. Applicants are asked to only submit their application once, as weeding out duplicate applications hampers efficiency. All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

Following the October 3rd deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming Police Applicant Testing procedures, as well as the exact date, time, and location that they are to report for testing.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A WRITTEN EXAMINATION AS PART OF THIS TESTING PROCESS.

All applicants will begin the testing process with a physical agility evaluation. The physical agility evaluation will be administered on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. This session will be conducted at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport.

The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, endurance, and perseverance as related to the duties of a Police Officer. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver of liability in order to be eligible to participate.

The applications of those candidates who successfully pass the physical agility evaluation will be reviewed for eligibility and suitability to move forward to the interview panel phase which will be conducted during the following week of October 25-29, 2021. General criteria to be considered for selection for an interview will be outlined in the confirmation email and letter each applicant will receive.

Those applicants with the highest combined scores on the physical agility evaluation and interview panel will then be interviewed by the Chief of Police to determine the final selections. Those ultimately selected will also be subject to a medical examination, psychological evaluation, and a thorough background investigation prior to actual hiring.

The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $16.98 per hour or $35,318.40 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for a salary adjustment to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific residency requirements.

City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; education tuition and fitness membership reimbursements, Mission Square 401 retirement; and optional Mission Square 457 retirement.

For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call the K.P.D. Professional Standards Unit at 423-229-9433.
RELEASING OFFICER
Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton
Link to: City of Kingsport
City of Kingsport, Tennessee