Highlighting Heroes: The People Who Gave Kingsport City Hall a New Home
Successful projects are not achieved by happenstance. Successful projects happen because of successful project managers who build a team with the knowledge and skills necessary to get each project done right. Dawn Melton, the Senior Project Manager in the Engineering Department behind Kingsport’s new City Hall, knows the importance of building such a team. Dawn worked closely with Pamela Gilmer, city civil engineer, and Mike Hickman, city engineering coordinator, to make Kingsport’s City Hall a successful project from start to finish.
Dawn started with the city 4 years ago, Pamela started over 7 years ago, and Mike has been with the city over 24 years. Each team member is knowledgeable, and brings individual as well as collective value to city projects. Dawn manages vertical construction, working closely with architects, engineers and contractors.
“I like the collaborative relationship between design and construction,” said Dawn. “My role is to keep costs down, keep the project in line with design, and avoid unexpected changes to the project’s requirements.”
Renovating the former Regions Bank building is the most recent successful project for the team. This project consisted of renovating and modernizing a 40-year-old six-story building and turning it into Kingsport’s brand new City Hall. On top of modernization, the building also needed to become ADA compliant, which required expertise from Pamela, as well as review of water lines in and around the building.
“It’s important to me knowing I am contributing to facility functions and doing what’s best for the citizens and staff,” said Pamela.
There were two phases for this project. While employees were moving in on floors 3-6, construction was still in progress for floors 1-2. Mike coordinated the move and helped smooth out all the logistical challenges that came with the mass relocation. He is familiar with the liaison role, having worked with citizens, contractors, and staff coordinating key details to make the move go as easily as possible.
“You have to keep your eye on the prize,” said Mike. “The finished product is worth waiting on.”
This project management team has been involved in multiple large-scale projects prior to the City Hall renovations including the Kingsport Area Transit Service facility, library colonnade, Dobyns-Bennett High School additions, and the Lynn View Community Center.
It is Dawn, Pamela, and Mike’s philosophy that if city leaders have done the work to approve the various projects, it is the team’s part to follow through and ensure the best end result. For this project team, the values of patience, teamwork, and reliable work ethic are the tools they use to make every project they work on successful. The team is proud of the work they put in on the new City Hall building, and look forward to continuing to help our city grow with each new project.