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The Kingsport Senior Center will be hosting their annual Summer Artisan Fair later this month in the newly renovated first-floor atrium.
The fair will take place at the senior center (1200 E. Center Street) on July 28-29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
Come out to the senior center and enjoy browsing through the many baskets, greeting cards, woodworking items, hand sewn and crocheted items, and much more for sale. All of these handcrafted items were made by our wonderful Kingsport Senior Artisans.
Refreshments will be provided by Big As Biscuits & Burgers Food Truck and the Early Bird Coffee Company.
Musical performances will take place both days:
- Renaissance Strings: 10 to 11 a.m. on July 28
- Freda Karsnak on the piano: Noon to 2 p.m. on July 28
- Ronny Porter: 9 to 11 a.m. on July 29
- Crowe Hollerers: Noon to 1 p.m. on July 29
For more information, call (423) 765-9047.
Due to the recent issues with Kingsport’s water meters and the reading of water usage, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Friday voted to delay water and sewer rate increases by one month.
The BMA approved the fiscal year 2023 budget last month, which included a 7.5% rate increase for all water customers and a 13.5% rate increase for all sewer customers. Those new rates were to go into effect July 1, 2022.
However, the BMA voted on first reading Friday morning to delay those increases until Aug. 1, 2022. A second and final vote on the measure is scheduled for July 19.
Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds said the delay was recommended by city staff in an effort to be fair to the customers.
“In the interest of fairness and due to the billing issues, we’re pushing back the rate increases by one month,” McReynolds said. “We apologize for the disruption and we appreciate everyone’s patience during this time as we work to return billing back to normal.”
Please note – Your water meter is registering the correct water usage and you’re not being overbilled for your water. At this time, the City of Kingsport is not charging any late fees or performing any cutoffs of water service.
If you have any further questions about your water bill, please call 423-343-9860.
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In honor of National Dump the Pump Day, the Kingsport Area Transit Service is offering free rides during the week of Fun Fest, from July 18-22.
“With gas prices at an all-time high, there has never been a better time to try public transit,” said Transit Director Chris Campbell. “We’d like to encourage people who have never ridden KATS to take any route next week at no charge.”
As an added bonus, KATS will be giving out tote bags to all passengers on both the bus and Dial-a-Ride van service during this week. Just stop by the transit center (900 E. Main Street) to receive your tote bag (while supplies last).
For more information about KATS’ services, call 423-224-2613 or visit www.kingsporttransit.org.
The Rotary Club of Kingsport is seeking qualifications from artists or art teams for the commission of a sculpture at the traffic circle currently in the works for the Brickyard Village development.
Brickyard Village will be a 380-unit residential development located off Industry Drive adjacent to Brickyard Park. The neighborhood will include rental and for-sale units with a combination of apartments, duplexes, townhomes and single family homes. The new road system for this development will include a traffic circle.
The request for qualifications is open to all professional artists over the age of 18 with previous public sculpture experience. The deadline to apply is Aug. 8, 2022.
Up to three finalists will be selected to develop concept proposals for this project. Each finalist will be paid a $500 stipend for their proposal.
The final artist selection will take place Sept. 28, 2022 and the selected artist/art team will be paid up to $48,500 for the commissioned work. You can submit your application to kingsportartentry@gmail.com.
The project is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kingsport in honor of its centennial year. The theme of the sculpture is “Everyday Heroes,” which aims to reflect the Kingsport Spirit and Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”
To view the entire Request for Qualifications, visit arts.kingsporttn.gov. For more information about the project contact Deborah Mullins at debjdaugherty@gmail.com.
The request for qualifications is being done in collaboration with the Kingsport Public Art Committee, Edens Investment and Barge Design Solutions.
The Kingsport Fire Department responded to more than 8,300 incidents last year with the vast majority (6,461) being medical related calls. Kingsport saw an increase in the number of structure and vehicle fires in 2021, but no fire related deaths took place within the city last year.
Over the past five years, the KFD reports only one fire related death has occurred within the city.
“Any time someone loses a home or a vehicle to fire, we understand that’s a major hardship,” said KFD Chief Scott Boyd. “But thankfully, no one lost their lives to fire last year. That’s always a good statistic to report.”
The Kingsport Fire Department recently issued its annual report, which gives a breakdown on the types and number of incidents firefighters responded to last year and how those numbers have changed since 2020.
The report also gives a brief history of the department, the highlights and major accomplishments from the previous year along with the short term and long term goals of the department.
Major accomplishments by the KFD in 2021:
- Construction began on a new training facility in June 2021 and opened earlier this year.
- Two pumper trucks were also purchased last year and are expected to be in service by the fall of this year.
- Inspector Chris Vandergriff was promoted to Fire Marshall in November following the retirement of Robert Sluss in October after 26 years of service to the department.
- The department was reaccredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.
Statistical information:
- Firefighters responded to 8,363 incidents.
- Number of structure fires – 105 (estimated loss $1.76 million)
- Number of vehicle fires – 56 (estimated loss $2.16 million)
- Number of medical calls – 6,461
- Number of fire related deaths – 0
- Average response time – 8:36
- Total fire loss – nearly $4 million
Kingsport is one of 32 communities across the state that enjoys an ISO rating of 2. Only seven communities in Tennessee has an ISO rating of 1.
As of December 2021, the Kingsport Fire Department had 122 personnel working in eight fire stations, serving a population of more than 55,400 residents living within 54 square miles. Kingsport’s ISO rating is 2 and 2Y.
For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.
Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of athletic programs and events throughout the year to ensure the health and improve the quality of life for all citizens within the greater Kingsport area.
To help bring attention to the importance of these programs and events, Mayor Pat Shull has proclaimed July as Park and Recreation Month in the City of Kingsport. Shull read the proclamation during an event Wednesday afternoon at Ridgefields Park.
“We encourage citizens to recognize the benefits derived from parks and recreation resources and to support efforts to preserve and enhance our local parks and recreation services,” Shull said.
Park and Recreation Month is an initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) – the leading non-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation.
According to a study conducted by the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University and NRPA, local park and recreation agencies in the U.S. generated more than $166 billion in economic activity and supported more than 1 million jobs from their operations and capital spending alone in 2017.
The more than 10,000 local park and recreation agencies across the U.S. employ more than 165,000 full-time and hundreds of thousands part-time and seasonal park and recreation professionals.
For more information about Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation Department, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.
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