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Eagle Scout project creates new community food pantry

The Rock Springs community has a new food and clothing pantry thanks to the efforts of a local Eagle Scout candidate and the Kingsport Fire Department.

Located in a small park beside Fire Station 7 on Rock Springs Road, the new pantry replaces a smaller “blessing box” established by Christ Fellowship Church five years ago. The new pantry is much larger than the original and contains dry goods, canned food, cereals, diapers and clothes. People are free to drop off items or take them as needed.

Prior to retiring, Kingsport firefighter Shane Warren identified the need for a new food pantry at Fire Station 7 and discussed the matter with Captain Justin Waycaster. Waycaster then contacted Troop 250 about the idea and Matt Munsey used it as his Eagle Scout project.

“They had a smaller food pantry that needed to be rebuilt and they wanted one that was bigger and more stable,” Munsey said. “I saw a need and they needed it, so we got it done.”

Munsey and a number of firefighters from Fire Station 7 designed and built the pantry, which took about 15 hours to complete. Christ Fellowship Church funded the project

The new pantry bears Warren’s name and the door to the original “blessing box” has been incorporated into the building. It hangs inside the pantry and reads – “Give what you can, take what you need!”

“Every man and woman who has worked at this station helped with the project and I’m honored to have my name on (the pantry),” Warren said. “In today’s society to see a young man work that hard it’s very humbling…he did an excellent job.”

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City offices closed for Labor Day holiday

No changes to the garbage/trash routes next week.

City offices will be closed on Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day holiday. However, the city will not be adjusting garbage or trash routes next week.

All garbage and trash routes will run as normal during the week of September 5-9.

Kingsport’s demolition landfill will also be closed on September 5 and reopen September 6 on its regular schedule.

For more information about sanitation services, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.

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Fireworks demonstration at Hunter Wright Stadium

The National Fireworks Association is hosting its annual meeting and exhibition at the Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center next week (Sept 6-10). This marks the second time Kingsport has hosted the event and officials anticipate more than 700 people from around the world will attend.

As part of the event, the NFA plans to hold fireworks demonstrations at Hunter Wright Stadium each night of the meeting from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The fireworks being demonstrated are the small shell variety and not like those typically seen during Independence Day or Fun Fest displays.

“These are going to be wholesalers who sell to retailers, who will then sell them to the public,’ said Lara Potter, associate executive director of Visit Kingsport. “There’s not going to be large public displays like you would see at a commercial show.”

In light of the fireworks demonstrations, Dogwood Park – located adjacent to Hunter Wright Stadium – will close at 7 p.m. Sept. 6-10.

If you want to watch the fireworks demonstrations inside Hunter Wright Stadium, the NFA is offering two opportunities for the public to attend – on Friday and Saturday evening. Tickets are $5 per person per night and can only be purchased online at https://bit.ly/3Q4ffF4.

For more information about the event, contact Visit Kingsport at 392-8800.

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Purchase your Bays Mountain Park membership today

Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium is one of our nation’s largest city-owned parks with more than 200,000 visitors passing through its gates every year.

The 3,750-acre nature preserve is also one of Tennessee’s Top 50 Most Visited Attractions, offering 44 miles of hiking trails, a state-of-the-art planetarium, wildlife habitats, engaging exhibits, a 44-acre lake, ropes course with zip line and trails for mountain biking.

For these reasons alone, you should consider purchasing a membership to Bays Mountain Park.

When you become a member, you’ll not only enjoy the park and all it has to offer, you will also help the park continue a tradition of preservation, exhibition and educational programs that reach thousands of school children annually.

Membership grants you access to the park with no entrance fee, many of the public programs are available at no charge and free tickets for these events are available for your guests. You will also receive a quarterly newsletter about Bays Mountain Park.

Categories & Benefits

Individual Membership ($30 per year)

  • Complimentary entrance for your vehicle
  • Complimentary passes to our Nature, Planetarium, and Barge programs. Limit of 2 passes for the Nature, Planetarium, and Barge programs per visit.
  • Invitations to attend special events.
  • A one-year subscription to The Interpreter, our member’s quarterly newsletter.

Family Membership ($50.00 per year)

All of the benefits of an Individual Membership, plus:

  • The pass limit is increased to six (6) passes for the Nature, Planetarium, and Barge programs per visit.

Supporting Membership ($100 per year)

All of the benefits of Family Membership, plus:

  • Enrollment in our Animal Adoption Program.

Life Membership ($1,000)

Bestows all the benefits of Supporting Membership for life, plus:

  • The opportunity each summer to invite up to 35 friends for a private barge ride on the park’s lake.

For more information about Bays Mountain Park memberships, call 423-229-9447 or visit www.baysmountain.com.

August Under the Stars concludes tonight

Allandale Mansion’s August Under the Stars – a free summer concert series – concludes this evening. The four week event has showcased some of the best regional bands performing across the South.

Tonight’s performance will be by Big Daddy Love.

The concert will take place at the Allandale Amphitheater. Gates open at 5 p.m., craft beer and food will go on sale at 5:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the concerts visit www.augustunderthestars.com.

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Register now for Tribe Basketball Youth League

Registrations are now being accepted for the Tribe Basketball Youth League – a league open for 2nd – 5th grade boys who want to compete and improve their basketball skills through advanced training and engaging practices.

Students will also learn the offensive concepts of basketball and various defense schemes as they progress through the league.

Tribe Basketball will start October 17 and run through the week of February 20, 2023. Practices will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kingsport and will follow the Kingsport City Schools schedule. Games will be played at TNT Sportsplex and other venues in the immediate Tri-Cities area. Tournament games will be on Saturdays only.

Registration is $100 per player and the fee covers the cost of insurance, practice rental fees, and tournament registration. Financial assistance may be available. Uniforms will be a separate cost.

To register online, go to https://secure.rec1.com/TN/kingsport-tn/catalog.

In person sign-up and try-out schedule

  • 2nd graders: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on September 25
  • 3rd graders: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on September 25
  • 4th graders: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on September 28
  • 5th graders: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on September 28

Due to construction, try-outs will be held in the small gym at Dobyns-Bennett High School. You can enter the gym through the double doors across from the football/baseball fields at the bottom of the ramp.

The league is a cooperative partnership between the Dobyns-Bennett High School Basketball program and the City of Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“As we watch our future players grow and develop through our Tribe Basketball Youth League, it’s so exciting because we know that’s the future of Dobyns Bennett basketball,” said Chris Poore, head basketball coach at Dobyns-Bennett.

For more information, contact Coach Matt Baker at jbaker@k12k.com or 423-276-8302.

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Winners announced in Storm Drain Art Contest

The City of Kingsport’s Stormwater Department is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Storm Drain Art Contest.

The winners are:

  • Trista Demoranville
  • Rebecca Monroe
  • Juanita Mitchell
  • Desiree Feyers
  • Brenda Salcido

To follow the progress of each artist, please check out the Kingsport Public Works Facebook page.

Each artist will receive a $150 prize and the paint and materials to start their work the first week of September. Drains to be painted are located on Cedar Street, Dobyns-Bennett High School, the Palmer Early Learning Center, the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and the Kingsport Center for Higher Education.

The contest – now in its fifth year – is a partnership with the city’s stormwater department, the Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport. The goal of the contest is to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our rivers, stream habitat, and aquatic wildlife.

This year’s contest is sponsored by Barge Designs, Bishop & Co., Gresham Smith and Now or Never Tattoo.

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Kingsport seeing strong growth in variety of sectors

The City of Kingsport is continuing to see growth in virtually every sector of the market, including residential, commercial, industrial, small business and professional services.

As a result, Kingsport has seen its revenues grow by nearly $4.5 million during the 2022 fiscal year – an increase of 4% over the previous year. During that time, property tax collections grew by $750,000 and local option sales tax collections rose by $2.25 million.

Nearly 2,000 families have moved to Kingsport from outside the region since March 2020, according to the Move to Kingsport initiative. Top reasons for relocating have been job opportunities, retirement and the ability to work remotely.

Currently, Kingsport has more than 2,500 housing units in some stage of development, from the planning phase to the construction phase. Notable developments include Field Crest (1,000 units), Groceclose (600 units), Brickyard (386 units) and Magnolia Ridge (95 units).

On the commercial front, the owners of the Kingsport Pavilion, the Fort Henry Mall and the Greenacres shopping center are all talking with brokers about new tenants locating to their properties. In downtown Kingsport, construction has started at the Citizens Supply building and on the adjacent lots construction drawings are being produced, where 32 townhomes are being planned.

A new industrial park is in the works on the western end of town – a 160-acre site owned by the Holston Army Ammunition Plant. Kingsport and Hawkins County are working on a partnership in the venture and the park could accommodate warehousing, light industry and transportation businesses.

“Kingsport is experiencing growth and progress in not just one or two sectors of the economy, but multiple ones,” said John Rose, economic development director for the city. “We expect to see this growth continue this year and hopefully some major announcements will be coming soon.”

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Civic Auditorium adjusting hours of availability

The Kingsport Civic Auditorium is temporarily adjusting its hours of availability in order to accommodate the physical education classes at Dobyns-Bennett High School.

The classes are typically held in the Buck Van Huss Dome. However, the dome was closed earlier this month following an inspection for a campus-wide roofing project. Inspectors had concerns about the dome’s structure and in response school officials closed dome until further notice.

Starting this week, physical education classes and activities will be held at the civic auditorium Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. During these hours, the civic auditorium will not be open to the public.

The facility will open to the public after 4 p.m. each day and remain open until 8 p.m.

“After the kids are gone from the school, we’ll open the civic back up to the public,” said Robin DiMona, assistant manager of parks and recreation. “So if you need to meet in a side room or in the main auditorium at night, we’ll have it open until 8 p.m.”

If you need to make a reservation, you can call 423-229-9457 or come to the civic auditorium and call the number posted on the front doors. A staff member will come out and escort you to the office.

For more information visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

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Best practices when setting out garbage and trash

To ensure your garbage and trash is collected every week, the City of Kingsport is offering the following suggestions to residents when setting your cart and items on the curb for collection.

Garbage (or household refuse) is collected on a weekly basis Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Trash (yard waste, furniture, appliances) is collected every other week.

Carts can be placed curbside 24 hours before your pickup day and must be removed 24 hours after your pickup day. All items should be out by 7 a.m. on the pickup day.

“To make sure your garbage and trash is collected every time, your best bet would be to place it on the curb by 7 a.m.,” said Sanitation Manager Rodney Deel. “You could even get in the habit of setting it out the night before just to be safe.”

Here are a few other things to remember when setting your cart by the curb:

  • No items outside the cart(s) will be collected.
  • If you have multiple carts, please place them at least 3 feet apart.
  • Place cart(s) 4 feet from all objects like mailboxes, cars, trees and utility poles.

To find out when your garbage and trash pick-up days are, visit www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “My City Services” icon and enter your address.

Link to: City of Kingsport
City of Kingsport, Tennessee