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Beginning next week (April 25), the City of Kingsport and Pavewell Paving Company will begin street resurfacing work in the Lynn Garden neighborhood.
The paving work involves nine miles of streets on the eastern side of Lynn Garden Drive. Pavewell will resurface Virginia Street, Mullins Street, Kyle Street, Walker Street, Goal Street and Clark Circle through the use of $500,000 in America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. City work crews will resurface the remaining streets in that area.
Pavewell is scheduled to be complete by May 27. City crews will work through the summer.
Detour signs will be in place at various locations during construction. Motorists are asked to use caution when traveling near this area and use alternative routes to reach their destination.
Kingsport continues to make street resurfacing a high priority this year, all the while working under a sustainable program where city-owned streets are paved every 20 to 25 years.
For the past six years Kingsport has taken a data-driven approach to street resurfacing. Through the use of a specialized vehicle, all of Kingsport’s roads were scanned in 2016 and ranked from 0 to 100 based on condition.
This assessment found that the citywide average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) was 60.65. A second assessment done this past fall found the PCI to be 67.88. The ultimate goal is to reach a PCI of 70.
In recent years, Kingsport has budgeted $2 million to $3 million a year on street resurfacing, which amounts to 17 to 21 miles of city roads being repaved every year. In addition to city-funded paving, nearly $10 million in state funds was allocated last year for the repaving of 16 miles of state highways throughout the Model City.
Kingsport set a goal of increasing its PCI by five points from 2016 to 2021. According to the latest assessment, the PCI increased by more than seven points.
“We grew the percentage of roads in good shape and shrunk the percentage of roads in bad shape,” Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds said. “We’ve not corrected all of the roads in Kingsport, but we have good data that says we’re on the proper path.”
For more information on Kingsport’s paving schedule visit www.pavekingsport.com.
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Kingsport Police Department
Dale Phipps, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com |
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| NEWS RELEASE | |||
| SUBJECT: | Two Injured, Two Ejected and Killed, in I-81 Single Vehicle Crash | ||
| DATE: | April 16, 2022 | ||
| CASE #: | 22-006898 | ||
| GENERAL NARRATIVE | |||
| On April 16, 2022, just before 10:00 AM, Kingsport Police Patrol Officers responded to the interchange of Interstate 81 and State Route 126 in Kingsport in reference to a single motor vehicle collision. Due to the serious nature of the crash, the K.P.D. Traffic Unit was called to the scene to investigate. Their findings thus far are as follows:
A dark blue 2013 Hyundai Elantra 4-door sedan was northbound on Interstate 81 approaching exit 66 when for unknown reasons, the vehicle drifted to the left into the center grass median. The vehicle crashed through a guard rail, went airborne, dropped between the northbound and southbound overpasses, and came to rest on State Route 126 below. At the time of the crash, the vehicle was being driven by Eveline Janete Nunez Zavala, with front seat passenger, Ever Samuel Zavala. Ms. Zavala and Ever Samuel Zavala were both wearing their seatbelts and remained in the vehicle, but had to be extricated by first responders. Ms. Zavala sustained non-incapacitating injuries and was transported to an area hospital by Sullivan County EMS. Ever Samuel Zavala sustained suspected major injuries and was airlifted to an area hospital by Wings Air Rescue. Believed to have been riding in the back seat at the time of the crash were Lester E. Martinez Zavala and Kevin Alexander Ramirez Moncada. Neither were wearing their seatbelts, and both were ejected from the vehicle during the crash. Both sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. Interstate 81 traffic was not affected; however, State Route 126 remained closed for nearly 4 hours to allow for a safe and thorough investigation of the crash. The scene is now clear, and normal traffic patterns have resumed. This crash remains under open and active investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit. As such, no further information is available for release at this time. The Kingsport Police Department continues to stress the importance of all motor vehicle occupants, even those riding in the back seat, wearing their seatbelts. Doing so will significantly decrease the chances of you being ejected during a crash, and it might just save your life. |
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| COLLISION VEHICLE INFORMATION | ||
| Make | Hyundai | |
| Model | Elantra | |
| Year | 2013 | |
| Type | 4-door Sedan | |
| Color | Dark Blue | |
| Damage | Disabling Damage | |
| Driver | Name | Eveline Janete Nunez Zavala |
| Age | 44 Years of Age | |
| Gender/Race | Female/Hispanic | |
| Residency | Culpepper, VA | |
| Injuries | Non-Incapacitating Injury | |
| Front Seat
Passenger |
Name | Ever Samuel Zavala |
| Age | 35 Years of Age | |
| Gender/Race | Male/Hispanic | |
| Residency | Culpepper, VA | |
| Injuries | Suspected Major Injury | |
| Back Seat
Passenger |
Name | Lester E. Martinez Zavala |
| Age | 41 Years of Age | |
| Gender/Race | Male/Hispanic | |
| Residency | Ozone Park, NY | |
| Injuries | Fatal | |
| Back Seat
Passenger |
Name | Kevin Alexander Ramirez Moncada |
| Age | 18 Years of Age | |
| Gender/Race | Male/Hispanic | |
| Residency | Unknown | |
| Injuries | Fatal | |
| RELEASING OFFICER | ||
| Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX) ThomasMPatton |
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Kingsport Police Department
Dale Phipps, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com |
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| NEWS RELEASE | ||||
| SUBJECT: | Kingsport Police Attempting to Locate Missing Teenager | |||
| DATE: | April 13, 2022 | |||
| CASE #: | 22-005144 | |||
| GENERAL NARRATIVE | ||||
| On the evening of March 21, 2022 Jackson Walker (15 year old white male) was reported as a missing juvenile to the Kingsport Police Department. While investigators have no reason to suspect foul play at this time, due to his minor age, every possible effort is being made to locate him.
His description and other identifying information, as well as his photograph, have been included in this release. Anyone who sees him, or may know his current whereabouts, is asked to contact Detectives in the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division at 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111. Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link: https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-police |
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| MISSING JUVENILE INFORMATION | |
| Name | Jackson Walker |
| Age | 15 Years of Age |
| Gender/Race | Male/White |
| Height/
Weight |
5 feet 5 inches
180 pounds |
| Hair/Eyes | Brown hair
Blue Eyes |
| Other Description | Clock tattoo on left hand |
| Residency | Kingsport, TN |
| Possible Clothing | Blue t-shirt
Faded blue jeans Black socks |
| Last Known Location | Intersection of Gibson Mill Road at Robertson Street
Kingsport, TN |
| RELEASING OFFICER | ||
| Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX) ThomasMPatton |
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Kingsport Police Department
Dale Phipps, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com |
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| NEWS RELEASE | ||||
| SUBJECT: | Kingsport Detectives Investigating Shooting Incident | |||
| DATE: | April 13, 2022 | |||
| CASE #: | 22-006648 | |||
| GENERAL NARRATIVE | ||||
| On the morning of April 13, 2022 the Kingsport Police Department was notified that an adult male was being treated at an area hospital for what appeared to be a gunshot wound.
The individual had originally arrived by private vehicle at a hospital in Kingsport and had then been transferred to another hospital in a neighboring jurisdiction. His injuries, while serious, do not initially appear to be life-threatening. This matter is currently under investigation by the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division. At this time, Detectives are still attempting to determine where the incident actually occurred. As this remains an active investigation with many questions still unanswered, no additional information is currently available. |
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| RELEASING OFFICER | ||
| Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX) ThomasMPatton |
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Last year was one of the most active years for cyberattacks, with businesses experiencing 50% more attacks per week in 2021 compared to 2020.
Experts say 30,000 websites are hacked every day and that every 39 seconds a company falls victim to a cyberattack. The average cost of a data breach rose in 2021, from $3.86 million to $4.24 million.
Unfortunately, cyberattacks are happening more often and with greater sophistication.
“I take this kind of stuff very seriously,” said Mark Woomer, the IT director for the City of Kingsport. “I don’t want anything to happen here on my watch if I can help it.”
Kingsport’s IT department is responsible for installing and maintaining the city’s computers, servers, printers, and email and phone systems. In addition, the seven-member department is responsible for protecting and securing the city’s data and making sure it’s available to the right people at the right time.
Like most other cities across the country, Kingsport gets hit with a variety of cyberattacks on a fairly regular basis, including malware, ransomware, denial of service attacks and viruses. Woomer’s IT department works hard every day to ensure the city’s systems, computers and data are safe and secure.
Now, through the use of $140,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Kingsport is planning to strengthen its cybersecurity measures. The department is planning to do this through the purchase of new software and a couple of hardware solutions, all of which should be fully implemented in six to 12 months.
In addition, Woomer hopes to use a portion of these funds to hold quarterly training sessions with city employees on cybersecurity – reminding employees what to do and what not to do while working on a computer.
“Just to increase awareness and keep people on their toes,” Woomer explained of the training sessions. “Employees have been doing pretty well, but we don’t want to lose that awareness.”