Have you ever wondered about your water and the process it goes through to get to you?

Kingsport’s water treatment plant currently maintains 22 water storage tanks and treats around 15 to 16 million gallons daily. Keeping and treating all of that water is only possible due to the hard work of these Water Services Heroes: Wayne Case, Tim Gibson, Keith McGaha and Jody Winegar. Let’s take you through the process that your water goes through and see just how important our heroes are.

Water Plant Operators – Wayne Case & Tim Gibson

Wayne started with the city 29 years ago and Tim started 23 years ago. Both Wayne and Tim are certified plant operators with grade IV licensing. By obtaining the grade IV certification, each of these operators are qualified to run the water plant. “It’s important to know what you are doing,” said Wayne. “To be qualified and certified is important for this position.”

Water treatment plant operators manage all aspects of daily operations to meet customer demand: pumping, treatment and water quality. They must accurately perform bacteriological tests, keep records and prepare clear and concise reports of water operations as required by state and federal regulations.

Wayne and Tim both are very knowledgeable of the daily operations and understand the importance of providing quality drinking water to the public. “You have to care,” said Tim. “You care about the product and service you are providing. I care about my grandkids and the water they drink, now and in the future.”

First, our water is surface water, which comes from the South Fork Holston River. From the river your water flows through a tunnel under John B. Dennis Highway. This tunnel transports raw river water to the pump station located near the water treatment plant. The pumps move your water to the plant for the treating process.

 

Water Distribution – Jody Winegar

When you think of how water travels to your home or business, waterlines are involved. Whether a new water connection is installed or an existing line is repaired, Jody Winegar may have had a hand in this work.

Jody started with the city 27 years ago. As a water maintenance foreman, he knows the daily operations of the distribution system. “I take pride in providing quality service to our customers,” said Jody. “Public health is very important.”

Jody oversees four maintenance crews, and coordinates work to be performed. This may be scheduling new water connections, repairing existing lines, water valve prep work for paving projects or dress up work after tasks are completed.

Whether Jody is working with the crews or in the office, he is communicating the following – “Treat people like you want to be treated and earn their trust.”

Your treated or finished water is pumped into the distribution system for public use. Waterlines take the water to water tanks or towers where your water is stored until it reaches your tap.

 

Technical Services – Keith McGaha

Keith McGaha started with the city 6 years ago. As a technical service worker, he knows the importance of a water meter working properly and the accuracy involved. A typical day for Keith may be installing water meters, reading the meters, marking for potential leaks, and handling low pressure checks.

“I want to do the best I can,” said Keith. “I want to know the meters are reading accurately for both the customer and the city. This also helps with generating revenue, and water loss.”

Remember people like Keith, who are dedicated to the installation and maintenance of your water meter; that it’s reading and measuring accurately.

Your treated water flows through the lines and water meter for usage.

 

Our Water Service Heroes

Water is a precious resource needed by all living things. Kingsport is lucky to have such great Water Service workers and a great water source right here in our city. It’s our job to make sure it stays clean for years to come. One way our city is ensuring this is through the Raw Water Intake Project.

The purpose of the Raw Water Intake Project was to ensure a safe, reliable and continuous supply of drinking water to meet the needs of our current customers and for generations to come. It included construction of a new raw water tunnel and a new raw water pump station at the water treatment plant, eliminating the use of existing pumps and transmission lines.

Through the completion of this project and the continued efforts of our Water Service workers, safe drinking water is a resource available for all of our citizens. The next time you reach for a glass of water, think of our Water Service Heroes and their commitment to providing this important resource to you.

After all of this, your water has made its way to your home, school, or business, and is at your fingertips. Enjoy a glass of water. Kingsport’s water. Your water.

How many times in the past year have you attended a Kingsport event? Whether it was a parade, a Fun Fest event or an Evening at the Market—Kristie Leonard helped make it happen.

Kristie, who started with the city 12 years ago, plays a crucial role in a streamlined event process that makes submitting event applications easier than ever. She is the key contact for anyone who wants to host an event in Kingsport. Instead of fumbling through contacts and clicking through websites to find information on hosting an event, organizers can contact Kristie for anything from small-scale gatherings to Fun Fest-sized events.

“I may be the first person that someone connects with in our city,” Kristie said. “I may be what they judge our city on. So I’m very careful about how we deal with different organizers, making sure that we give good customer service, answer their questions and be as helpful as we can for them.”

Kristie partners with many city departments from Police to Public Works to ensure every event goes off without a hitch. This departmental teamwork is something unique to Kingsport.

When she isn’t organizing events, Kristie is running the Kingsport Farmers Market. She is in charge of receiving and sifting through vendor applications to make sure that the market gets a large variety of high-quality goods. She also helps bring programs to the market, like Saturdays with the Chef and Market Jams.

Kristie strives to bring a “front porch feel” to the market and make it a place where people know and trust their neighbors and come out to visit with them. Her hard work is paying off: For the second year in a row, the Kingsport Farmers Market has been voted the Best Farmers Market in East Tennessee by Tennessee Magazine.

“Our vendors are amazing,” Kristie said. “What I do is bring people to the vendors so they can sell their goods.”

Kristie’s top priority is the safety and happiness of Kingsport’s citizens. Whether she’s coordinating events or running the farmers market, Kristie enjoys the roots of her job.

“It’s always fascinated me how governments work,” Kristie, who majored in political science, said. “At the same time, I also get to enjoy the creative side. I don’t have a boring day.”

People like Kristie, who are dedicated to seeing Kingsport grow into the best it can be, are what make Kingsport such a great place to live. Next time you take a stroll through a Kingsport event or prepare some produce from the market, remember people like Kristie who are dedicated to bringing what’s best to the city.

Want to hear more from Kristie? Visit http://bit.ly/city_desk to listen to her conversation with City Manager Chris McCartt on Kingsport’s podcast “From the City Desk.”

 

Tony Dingus – Sign Technician for City of Kingsport

Throughout Kingsport, Joel, known to most as Tony or “Doc,” has a special role in keeping the city running smoothly. Doc is a Sign Technician in the Traffic Department, and has worked for the city for nearly 30 years. Not only is Doc a dedicated employee, but he also has a hidden musical talent that makes him a true treasure for the city.

Introduced to music at the age of 13, Doc quickly grew and developed his musical talents into what they are today. He started out playing the bass guitar, which eventually evolved into him learning how to play the mandolin and the dobro. By the time he was 16 years old, he was playing the steel guitar.

Although he knows how to play many instruments, his true passion lies in the dobro. The dobro is a wood-bodied acoustic guitar with a metal resonator built into the body. In recent years, Doc’s skill has evolved into teaching students how to play. He teaches classes at East Tennessee State University when he is not working for the city. He’s been presented with many opportunities to work with professional musicians and travel to play his music, but he continues to stay in Kingsport.

“I love the city I work for,” said Doc. “I place a high value on the job I do and the wonderful people I work with.”

Doc’s city job entails striping the roads, helping with traffic patterns during events, and keeping signs throughout the city up-to-date. He has witnessed a lot of change over the course of time he has worked with the City of Kingsport. The equipment he uses every day to paint the roads, for example, has been consistently upgraded and improved. The equipment upgrades for his department have made painting the roads an easy and convenient process, for both motorists and equipment operators alike.  The newer painting equipment also allows the distribution of hot plastic to be used in place of regular paint, preventing the lines from fading and having to be repainted as often.

According to Doc, the biggest change he has seen with the city has been growth. Doc is constantly impressed and loves to think back to what the city used to be like compared to its impressive size today.

“When I first started working here, Lynn Garden wasn’t even a part of Kingsport. The city has just grown so much over the years, and it’s pretty amazing to be a part of that growth.”

Tony is a one-of-a-kind hero for Kingsport. The City of Kingsport is his home, and there is nowhere else he’d rather be.

 

Nancy Fender – First Responder in Kingsport

Nancy Fender is the communications supervisor for the City of Kingsport. She leads the team of 18 dispatchers that respond to all 911 calls. Nancy makes sure emergency responders and residents get critical information during an emergency.

Nancy oversees the department that encourages the citizens of Kingsport to feel safe and protected, but her job entails much more than that. Her responsibilities include training operators, troubleshooting technology and keeping detailed operator call records. She works as city liaison to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, informing them of statewide issues and concerns. Nancy is always working to make the city a safer place.

Over 29 years with this department, Nancy has witnessed a lot of changes take place. She could recall one change in particular that lead to the most memorable moment in her career.

“In 1991, dispatch decided to start training responders on what to do during basic medical emergency situations,” explained Nancy. “This new training gave us the ability to help callers with CPR or emergency first aid instructions until paramedics got onto the scene.”

Two weeks after completing her training, Nancy took a call that would put her training into action – a woman was giving birth and needed help.

“After asking a few questions it became clear that the birth was happening immediately,” recalled Nancy. She stayed on the phone with the woman, gave her instructions and helped ensure her daughter and new grandson made it safely through the birth.

“I’ll never forget that experience. I helped bring a new life into the world, and probably saved the mother’s life in the process.”

To everyone she works with, Nancy’s pride and commitment to her position in the city is obvious. Her leadership, dedication, and compassion have earned her statewide recognition. Her outstanding work has earned her the award for the Telecommunications Supervisor of the Year for the state of Tennessee. Nancy goes ‘above and beyond’ her duties to help the people of Kingsport whenever she can.

Nancy Fender is one of many emergency dispatchers all over the country who work tirelessly to help people around them. In recognition of their efforts, April 9 – 15 is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

This weeklong period is a time to celebrate and thank people who dedicate their lives to serving the public, like Nancy. To find out more about National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, please visit www.npstw.org.

Anne Adamson understands the importance of a first impression for our city. She’s our city’s ‘Information Queen’ and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Anne uses her experience and wealth of knowledge to provide residents a correct answer to any question they might have. With the city for over 11 years, she gained familiarity with all departments and offices. Anne can recall almost any phone number you may need or the address of a city building.

On average, she fields 60 to 100 calls a day with questions about court, vehicle tags, water bills and more. Over 50 residents come through City Hall in a day and she’s able to direct them to the correct department or give them an accurate phone number to resolve their issue.

“I work really hard to listen and understand the problems or concerns people within my community are having,” said Adamson. “I know it’s my job to help them get correct, accurate information.”

Anne has been all over the world, but if you ask her what her favorite place is, she’ll say Kingsport. While passing through East Tennessee to visit family in California, Anne said she was immediately taken with Kingsport. After relocating here, her love for Kingsport has continued to grow. She attributes this love to the sense of community and closeness felt by herself and all the city residents.

“I started working for the city when I moved here,” said Adamson. “Because of the people I have met and the great community atmosphere, my love for the city continues to grow.”

Anne’s job is to connect people with the information they need, but she does so much more. Anne befriends the citizens of Kingsport on a personal level and has built relationships with many of them. According to Anne, people even bring their animals in to see her, and always seem to recognize her wherever she goes.

“I know everyone in Kingsport, just about,” said Adamson. “When they see me out somewhere, they always ask me what I’m doing and why I’m not down at City Hall!”

Some residents have been so impacted by the help Anne has given them, that they come in to City Hall just to pay her a visit.

“I’ve got regulars that come in just to see me all the time too, and it’s really wonderful.”

Anne Adamson is a city employee who helps hold this community together. She is an everyday hero who puts her all into her job. Her dedication to the city and her position is very apparent to anyone she meets. We’re very thankful to have someone like Anne welcoming people to our city!