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3 City Parking Lots Temporarily Closed for Maintenance

The City of Kingsport will begin work on three city parking lots located at 102 Shelby Street, 420 Cherokee Street and all Renaissance Center lots at 1200 East Center Street on Friday, June 24 at 7 a.m. through Thursday June 30. 

Precision Pavement Markings, LLC will be the contractor performing the work for the city to sealcoat the parking lots and install all pavement markings.

The parking lots will be closed to the public during the project. All vehicles will need to be removed from the parking lots on Thursday, June 23 by 5 p.m. Any vehicles not removed will be towed at the owners’ expense.

Drivers are asked to use alternate parking areas located along Main Street, New Street, Cherokee Street, and Wateree Street during the project. Parking lot work at the Renaissance Center will be phased to ensure at least one lot is open for parking at any time during the project.

If you have any questions, please contact Pamela Gilmer with the City of Kingsport Engineering Division at 423-229-9387.

Section of Greenbelt Closed for Improvements

A section of the Kingsport Greenbelt will be closed beginning on Thursday, June 23, from Clinchfield Street to Cherokee Village Drive. Major sidewalk and Greenbelt resurfacing repairs will be completed during this time.

The estimated time of closure is weather dependent and may take up to 15 days (July 8). A detour for Greenbelt users will be established, utilizing the existing sidewalk along Clinchfield Street between the bridge over the creek and Cherokee Village Drive. Once completed, there will be a smoother and easier transition from the paved section of the Greenbelt onto the sidewalks along Cherokee Village Drive.

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Kingsport approves $280 million budget

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The budget is the guiding financial document for the city and is made up of many parts – the general fund (main operating and capital fund for the city), water and sewer systems, the school fund and several smaller funds for things like solid waste, Bays Mountain Park and MeadowView.

The BMA held a strategic planning session in February along with two budget workshops in May to review and discuss the budget. The budget has to be approved by the BMA on two readings, the second of which took place Tuesday night. The new budget goes into effect July 1 and runs through June 30, 2023.

The FY-23 budget allocates over $2.7 million for paving, $2.5 million for a 5% cost of living increase, as well as a step increase for employees and assumes the funding for school resource officers within Kingsport City Schools (previously split 50/50 with Kingsport City Schools). Additionally, the budget funds a new Building Inspector to assist with the continued housing boom the city is witnessing.

In addition to the operating budget the BMA also set the stage for the FY-23 capital budget which focuses funding towards school renovations, Justice Center renovations, Academic Village, facility maintenance, and bridge repair.  A formal vote on the FY-23 capital budget will occur later in the year.

“Fortunately, we have seen strong growth in sales tax and state shared revenues, which has helped cover the impact inflation had on this year’s budget,” said City Manager Chris McCartt.

A majority of general fund expenses (71.25%) saw an average increase of more than 13% in FY-23. Fuel costs have risen nearly 87% since last June and the city experienced higher costs with its retirement plans and health insurance.

These and other factors resulted in Kingsport seeing a $3.1 million increase to non-personnel expenditures last fiscal year.

While tackling inflation and supply chain challenges, Kingsport is also experiencing an all-time high turnover rate (20%) among employees with pay being the number one reason for leaving based on exit interviews.

“Due to the number of vacancies, an issue currently impacting both the public and private sector, we are at critical staffing levels to provide the level of service our citizens expect,” McCartt said. “The number of unfilled positions, including public safety jobs, will continue to grow if we do not remain competitive on salaries. We simply cannot sustain a skilled workforce and deliver the services our citizens expect with a 20% turnover rate.”

To help address both retention and attraction, Kingsport increased pay for nearly 400 positions, mostly entry level, allocating an additional $800,000 in salaries throughout the current fiscal year. The FY-23 budget allocates an additional $2.5 million for a 5% cost of living increase and step increase for employees, which is in line with what the public sector market is or has already considered for the coming fiscal year.

In order to balance the budget, provide raises to all city employees, and maintain a strong level of service to the citizens, the BMA approved a 12-cent property tax increase in the FY-23 budget. This is the first property tax increase since 2014 and takes the tax rate for the City of Kingsport from $1.8783 to $1.9983 per $100 of assessed value.

“Anytime you are faced with having to increase revenues, whether through increased fees or taxes, it is something no one takes lightly,” said McCartt. “The city staff takes great care and consideration when presenting a budget with a tax increase as we know there will be an impact for all residents.”  

The initial budget presented to the BMA in May did not include a tax increase and as a result fell short of providing the necessary funding for employee pay, service delivery needs across multiple departments, as well as firmly positioning the city to manage present and future growth. “The BMA has been in step with city staff over the last ten months as we have battled a tight labor market and inflation. Their decision to raise taxes insures our ability to remain competitive on multiple fronts moving forward,” said McCartt.

The FY-23 budget also includes increases to the water rate (7.5%) and sewer rate (13.5%). The increases are due to a number of issues – flat revenues, federal regulations, inflation and an aging infrastructure.

“Over the past 10 years, revenue in water and sewer has been flat. People just don’t use as much water as they used to,” said Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds. “Kingsport is also trying to stay ahead of regulatory requirements.”

Even after the increases, Kingsport’s water and sewer rates will still be lower than our neighbors in Johnson City, Elizabethton and Morristown.

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Main Street Rebuild Project Community Meeting

The City of Kingsport will hold a public information meeting next week about the upcoming Main Street Rebuild project. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on June 28 at city hall (415 Broad Street) in Room 307 (BMA Board Room).

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about and an estimated timeline for the rebuilding of Main Street. City staff and representatives from the construction company and engineering firm will be on hand during the one-hour session to answer any questions about the project.

Conceptual drawings and maps of the project will be on display and informational material will be handed out. If you are interested in this project or will be impacted by the work, the city encourages you to attend.

“We understand this is a major project that will impact residents, business owners and others who work downtown for the next two years,” said Public Works Director Michael Thompson. “Therefore, we want to be as transparent as we can about the project and provide folks with as much information as possible.”

The Main Street Rebuild project is scheduled to begin later this summer and aims to improve and beautify one of the main gateways into downtown Kingsport.

Over the past century, the soils underneath Main Street have weakened and any new asphalt placed on the road simply fails within a few years. As a result, Kingsport has been committed to address this problem by completely rebuilding the road.

According to the plans, the contractor will dig down, remove the existing road structure and back fill it with stone to produce a good, stable base. The project also calls for placing telephone and cable lines underground, relocating power lines to the opposite side of the road and enhancing the roadway with landscaping, bulb outs, and stamped brick crosswalks.

The $20 million project will take approximately two years to complete with state and federal funding covering 80% of the work.

“As we move towards construction, we’ll be working specifically with the business owners and residents along Main Street to ease the burden of the project and communicate often with them,” Thompson said. “We want to fix the structural issues, make it better and more vibrant.”

To be in the know about the Main Street Rebuild project, check out www.kingsporttn.gov/mainstreet.

Learn and Skate with the Pros at the New Scott Adams Memorial Skatepark Opening & Dedication

The City of Kingsport will hold a grand opening celebration for the new Scott Adams Memorial Skatepark on June 24.

A park tour and skate clinic will begin at 4 p.m. with the dedication taking placing at 5:30 p.m. The event will also include professional skate demonstrations, a skate jam, music and prizes, and open skating times. The new skatepark is located in Brickyard Park (2017 Brickyard Park Drive).

To encourage new riders or riders that maybe need help learning a trick, professional skaters Kanten Russell and Brandon Turner will be attending the opening celebration. Russell, professional skateboarders for more than a decade, is a lead designer for New Line Skateparks and has lead the design process of over 300 skateparks across the country.

Turner became a local legend in the skateboard world as a kid and rose up the ranks, touring the globe and performing crazy and fearless stunts on the board. In 2019, he joined the coaching staff at Healthy Life Recovery where he meets with members and uses skateboarding and camaraderie as a resource for healthy living.

Kingsport’s original skatepark opened in November 2005 and was named after Scott Adams – a 13-year-old who was struck by a car while retrieving his skateboard on Stone Drive. The Adams family, in coordination with the city’s parks and recreation department, created the skatepark at Cloud Park in his honor.

To help accommodate Domtar’s $300 million renovation and expansion project, Kingsport agreed to relocate the skatepark to Brickyard Park. Construction on the $1.86 million skatepark began last fall and wrapped up earlier this spring.

Designed by Russell, the new skatepark is roughly the same size as the original one, but with modern features and made from more durable materials while offering better flow for skaters and bikers.

The skatepark includes two bowls (backyard bowl and a flow bowl), a four-stair set with up-down rails, two quarter pipes, an up-down hubba ledge, a five-stair with a down rail and a pyramid, among other features.

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Create your own Ocarina in three-part course

The ocarina is a truly modern instrument with ties to the ancient past. Music lovers of any age or skill level can enjoy this wonderful flute-type instrument with minimal effort. If you are looking for a unique instrument that will bring a lifetime of joy, then look no further, for the ocarina is pure musical magic.

Now you have the chance to make one of your own and learn how to play.

Local artisan Russell Lawson is offering a three-part class next month to help you create your own one-of-a-kind ocarina. Over the course of these classes, you will learn the mechanics and fundamentals of flute making and leave with the knowledge of how to play your own ocarina.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:

  • July 2 (Noon to 4 p.m.): Crafting the basic shape of the clay instrument and making the sound box and mouth piece.
  • July 3 (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.): Filing the dried clay shape, drilling the musical holes and adding your own personal artistic engravings to the clay, prior to the instrument being fired and glazed.
  • July 30 (10 a.m. to noon): Pick up and learn how to play the ocarina.

The classes are for adults and children ages 12 and up (with adult supervision).

All three classes will be held in Room 228 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center (1200 E. Center Street). To register visit https://bit.ly/3NXA3xJ or click the “Buy Tickets” link at www.engagekingsport.com.

For more information or to register over the phone call the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414 or 392-8415.

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New kiosk at Kingsport Veterans Memorial

The Kingsport Veterans Memorial has a new feature thanks to the efforts of the Rotary Club of Kingsport – a piece of technology that will make finding a particular veteran’s paver much easier for visitors.

A kiosk now stands on the eastern side of the memorial near the handicapped parking spaces. This touchscreen kiosk allows visitors to search for a veteran’s paver either by name or branch of service, while displaying a map of where the paver is located in the memorial.

Visitors can submit photos and information about a particular veteran and the kiosk has links to stories about the history of and the expansions made to the Kingsport Veterans Memorial. You can also submit photos and information by going to www.kingsportveteransmemorial.org.

The Rotary Club of Kingsport announced on Veterans Day 2021 its signature project for the year would be the kiosk. It was unveiled last month on Memorial Day.

“We wanted to provide an easy way to find each family member with a mapping system on this new kiosk,” said Brian Trent, president of the Rotary Club of Kingsport. “It’s in a central location for those with physical disabilities, visual impairments, or limited access to technology to easily search and navigate the memorial site. It will also provide a great educational opportunity by presenting more detailed information about the wars, engagements, battles and other features within the memorial.”

The kiosk project was made possible by the following sponsors:

Patriot – Rotary Club of Kingsport/Rotary District 7570; Barge Design Solutions, Inc.; City of Kingsport/Kingsport Parks & Recreation; Horizon Credit Union/TCMAC; Move to Kingsport.

Gold – Commander Frank & Deborah Adams; The Coffey Family Foundation; Signature Properties.

Silver – Integrity Capital Management; GRC Construction.

Bronze – Lafe & Heather Cook.

Dedicated in 2008, the Kingsport Veterans Memorial features six granite tablets with the names of more than 370 fallen Kingsport soldiers from World War I to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The memorial also includes 2,120 granite pavers (many bearing the names of veterans), a Gold Star Families monument and a small plaza with a bronze sentinel statue.

Note: All pavers have been claimed and there are no plans at this time for an expansion of the memorial.

For more information about the memorial visit www.kingsportveteransmemorial.org.

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Grand opening celebration for new atrium

The Kingsport Senior Center is hosting a grand opening celebration for their newly renovated atrium on June 17 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Be ready to hit the dance floor, enjoy some music and snack on some heavy hors d’oeuvres as we unveil our new atrium to the public.

“The new atrium looks fantastic and our seniors are anxious to start using the space for games, dancing, yoga and other activities,” said Shirley Buchanan, the director of the Kingsport Senior Center.

Earlier this year, Comsa Construction of Kingsport removed the four large plant boxes in the first floor atrium of the senior center and put down vinyl wood-style flooring. The stationary boxes took up approximately 80% of the space in the atrium and restricted the types of activities that could be held in the room.

The $67,500 project resulted in 2,000 square feet of new space in the senior center, which can now be used for a variety of activities, including weddings, receptions, movies, lectures, dances and exercise classes.

The Kingsport Senior Center is located at 1200 E. Center Street on the first floor and has several branch sites across town. For more information about the Kingsport Senior Center call (423) 392-8400 or visit seniors.kingsporttn.gov.

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Kingsport Aquatic Center Hosts ‘World’s Largest Swim Lesson’

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Join the Kingsport Aquatic Center on Thursday, June 23 for a fun afternoon dedicated to safe swimming. The KAC is participating in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson – an event created by the World Waterpark Association to promote the importance of swim safety worldwide.

“Water safety is very important to the KAC,” said Program Coordinator Madison Gump, “so we’re excited to participate in this global event again this year.”

Swimming is a life-saving skill for children and a vital tool to prevent drowning, which is the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for U.S. children ages 1-14. Research shows the risk of drowning can be reduced by 88% if children participate in formal swimming lessons between the ages of 1-4.

Yet, a survey conducted by the American Red Cross in 2014 found that more than half of Americans (54%) either can’t swim or don’t have all of the basic swimming skills.

Which is why the Kingsport Aquatic Center is hosting a free swim lesson for all ages at 2 p.m. on June 23. Come out and learn the important skills that will keep you and your kids safe in and around the water this summer. Register today at https://bit.ly/wlsl-kac.

Swim lessons save lives, and the KAC offers American Red Cross-certified swim lessons year-round for all ages and abilities. To learn more about swim lessons at the KAC, visit www.swimkingsport.com or call 423-343-9758.

The World’s Largest Swim Lesson is free with KAC daily admission. Visit wlsl.org for more information about the WWA’s effort to promote swim safety.

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Improvements coming to Stone/Clinchfield intersection

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The City of Kingsport has awarded the bid for a signal reconstruction project at one of the busiest intersections in town.

Work is scheduled to begin later this summer at the intersection of Stone Drive and Clinchfield Street. Currently, traffic signals hang on cables that are stretched across all four approaches of the intersection. The signals are more than 30 years old and are at the end of their lifecycle.

The project calls for the removal of the wires and poles and in their place will go two mast arms with new traffic signals attached. One signal pole will be located on the southeast corner of the intersection and the other on the northwest corner.

The intersection will look similar to the recently upgraded one at Memorial Boulevard and Fort Henry Drive, said Jim Hensley, traffic manager for the City of Kingsport.

“The mast arms will go diagonally across the intersection, the wires will be removed and everything going out to the signals will be going underground,” Hensley said. “It’ll be a much cleaner intersection and should look really good.”

Kingsport recently awarded the $288,000 project to Stansell Electric. In addition to new signals and mast arms, the project calls for a camera detection system instead of loops in the roadway, and pedestrian push buttons and crosswalks across Bloomingdale Pike on the north and Stone Drive on the west.

“This project connects all of the sidewalks together for safe passage from Clinchfield across Stone to Bloomingdale,” Hensley said.

Work is expected to begin this summer and take approximately 120 days to complete. The project is fully funded by the City of Kingsport.

Link to: City of Kingsport
City of Kingsport, Tennessee