Douglass alumni.. don't forget board meeting Saturday afternoon at 1 PM, in the Eastman Board Room in the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex non-profit tower.
We'll discuss the upcoming reunion next, plus a special surprise at the end of the meeting!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Sons and Daughters of Douglass Board Meeting Saturday
Please don't forget the Sons and Daughters of Douglass, Inc. Board of Directors and all interested alumni will meet on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at 1:00 p.m., in the Eastman Board Room on the 2nd floor of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex on Louis Street in Riverview.
The meeting is very important, we will be discussing details for the up coming Reunion for 2015.
All members are needed we will need imput and ideas from every one. Please try to attend and bring someone with you.
Douglas S. Releford
The meeting is very important, we will be discussing details for the up coming Reunion for 2015.
All members are needed we will need imput and ideas from every one. Please try to attend and bring someone with you.
Douglas S. Releford
Questions Arise about "17 Most Dangerous Cities in Tennessee"
THE FOLLOWING STORY IS MAKING THE ROUNDS OF THE NEWS OUTLETS ACROSS TENNESSEE.. IT INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL PICTURES EMAILED TO RADIO AND TV STATIONS, AND NEWSPAPERS IN THE STATE. PLEASE SEE THE REBUTTAL BELOW IT, AND THE ANALYSIS FROM YOUR DOUGLASS WEBSITE EDITOR BELOW THAT:
Home Security Shield News Report: 17 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN TENNESSEE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
What are the most dangerous cities in Tennessee? To get the lowdown on the cities in Tennessee that are the most dangerous with the highest crime rates, we consulted the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report. Our rankings are based solely on the data publicly released each year by the FBI. A crime is a crime, so we took both violent and property crimes into account when compiling our list of Tennessee’s most dangerous cities.*
We realize that this topic is inherently controversial in nature and hits close to home. We are aware that there are many different ways to present this data, but when compiling this list we chose to consider not just murder rate, but both violent and property crimes. Check each city listing to get a general idea of the city’s ranking in terms of just violent criminal offenses. Only cities with violent crime rates over 7.0 were included.
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Crossville, TN
Population: 10,993
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 14.83 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 101.79 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 116.62 per 1,000 residents
Crossville has a crime rate of about 117 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Crossville? One in 9.
Crossville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #2
These statistics make Crossville the most dangerous city in Tennessee.
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Athens, TN
Population: 13,632
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 12.47 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 86.41 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 98.88 per 1,000 residents
Athens has a crime rate of about 99 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Athens? One in 10.
Athens’ ranking when considering only violent crimes?
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Memphis, TN
Population: 657,436
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 17.50 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 63.13 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 80.63 per 1,000 residents
Memphis has a crime rate of about 81 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Memphis? One in 12.
Memphis’ ranking when considering only violent crimes? #1
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Dyersburg, TN
Population: 17,223
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 10.68 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 66.77 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 77.45 per 1,000 residents
Dyersburg has a crime rate of about 77 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Dyersburg? One in 13.
Dyersburg’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #7
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Knoxville, TN
Population: 182,254
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 9.73 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 66.77 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 76.50 per 1,000 residents
Knoxville has a crime rate of about 77 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Knoxville? One in 13.
Knoxville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #9 (correction)
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Greeneville, TN
Population: 15,295
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 7.58 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 66.17 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 73.75 per 1,000 residents
Greeneville has a crime rate of about 74 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Greeneville? One in 14.
Greeneville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #14
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Manchester, TN
Population: 10,226
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 8.02 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 59.46 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 67.48 per 1,000 residents
Manchester has a crime rate of about 67 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Manchester? One in 15.
Manchester’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #12
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Kingsport, TN
Population: 49,639
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 7.39 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 59.43 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 66.82 per 1,000 residents
Kingsport has a crime rate of about 67 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Kingsport? One in 15.
Kingsport’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #15
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Jackson, TN
Population: 65,725
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 14.79 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 49.39 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 64.18 per 1,000 residents
Jackson has a crime rate of about 64 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Jackson? One in 16.
Jackson’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #3
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Cleveland, TN
Population: 42,068
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 8.82 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 52.89 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 61.71 per 1,000 residents
Cleveland has a crime rate of about 62 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Cleveland? One in 16.
Cleveland’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #10
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Springfield, TN
Population: 16,776
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 10.49 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 46.67 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 57.16 per 1,000 residents
Springfield has a crime rate of about 57 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Springfield? One in 17.
Springfield’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #8
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: East Ridge, TN
Population: 21,435
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 7.04 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 49.31 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 56.36 per 1,000 residents
East Ridge has a crime rate of about 56 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in East Ridge? One in 18.
East Ridge’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #17
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: McMinnville, TN
Population: 13,746
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 8.08 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 46.85 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 54.93 per 1,000 residents
McMinnville has a crime rate of about 55 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in McMinnville? One in 18.
McMinnville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #11
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Nashville, TN
Population: 620,886
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 12.16 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 41.96 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 54.12 per 1,000 residents
Nashville has a crime rate of about 54 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Nashville? One in 18.
Nashville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #5
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Brownsville, TN
Population: 10,201
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 10.88 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 41.47 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 52.35 per 1,000 residents
Brownsville has a crime rate of about 52 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Brownsville? One in 19.
Brownsville’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #6
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Lebanon, TN
Population: 26,991
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 7.30 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 42.13 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 49.42 per 1,000 residents
Lebanon has a crime rate of about 49 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Lebanon? One in 20.
Lebanon’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #16
Dangerous Cities in Tennessee: Columbia, TN
Population: 35,203
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 8.01 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 38.69 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 46.70 per 1,000 residents
Columbia has a crime rate of about 48 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Columbia? One in 21.
Columbia’s ranking when considering only violent crimes? #13
Other cities of interest: Chattanooga, TN was not included in the 2012 FBI Crime Report. Older crime statistics indicate that if it had it most likely would have been included in our rankings.
Note: We use a standard computational formula to calculate our crime rates. This same formula is used by various state government criminal justice departments to calculate crime rate.
VIOLENT CRIMES + PROPERTY CRIMES = TOTAL REPORTED CRIMES
TOTAL REPORTED CRIMES / POPULATION * 1000 = CRIME RATE
*Only cities included in the 2012 FBI UCR with populations of 10,000 or higher and violent crime rates over 7.00 were considered for our rankings.
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THIS POST WAS RECEIVED BY YOUR DOUGLASS WEBSITE FROM THE KINGSPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT, IN RESPONSE TO KINGSPORT'S ALLEGED "NUMBER 8" RANKING FROM HOME SECURITY SHIELD IN THE ABOVE ARTICLE. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BELOW ARE THOSE OF THE KINGSPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND IT PROMPTED OUR OWN REVIEW, SEPARATE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AT THE VERY BOTTOM:
DATE:September 19, 2014
Earlier this week, the Kingsport Police Department became aware of an Internet link that has been circulating across the State of Tennessee via e-mail and various social media applications. This link (the article above -- Editor) directs the user to an article entitled “17 Most Dangerous Cities in Tennessee.” In the article, the City of Kingsport is purported to be the eighth most dangerous city in the State of Tennessee. The same article also claims that Crossville, known as the “Golf Capital of Tennessee,” is the most dangerous city in the State of Tennessee, ranking even higher than Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis which is of course preposterous.
Anyone who receives this link can easily navigate back to the originating website’s homepage and learn that the article is actually nothing more than a shameless sales pitch by a private company with the goal of selling home security systems. The obvious intent of the article is to deliberately frighten citizens across the state of Tennessee into a false belief that they live in a dangerous community, and in turn drive them to purchase an alarm system. It is a marketing ploy, plain and simple.
Many more factors than just crime statistics play a role in the overall safety of any given city. Under the leadership of the Kingsport Area Safety Council and its member agencies, hospitals, businesses, and industries, the City of Kingsport and Sullivan County, TN hold the designation of being an internationally recognized “Safe Community” by the National Safety Council and the World Health Organization. Had Kingsport been the eighth most dangerous city in the state, it would not have been considered for this esteemed award.
The Kingsport Police Department wishes to assert that Kingsport has always been, is now, and will continue to be a safe place to live, work, and play. Make no mistake…Kingsport is not the fictitious “Mayberry” of the Andy Griffith Show fame. Crime does happen in Kingsport; however, the Kingsport Police Department makes every effort to predict it, prevent it, and when it does happen, swiftly bring those criminals who commit it to justice. Citizens are encouraged to refer to legitimate sources of information, such as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s annual Crimes in Tennessee Report, for crime statistics rather than believing urban legends circulated by e-mail and social media.
Does the Kingsport Police Department recommend home security systems to its residents? Absolutely! However, a home security system is only one element of a much larger plan. Good lighting, deadbolts, keeping valuables out of plain sight, Neighborhood Watch, and many other factors all play into an overall crime prevention strategy. And these are techniques that any law enforcement officer in any city in the world, regardless of the crime rate, would recommend. While the Kingsport Police Department cannot endorse any one particular home security company, we certainly would not recommend one that attempts to dupe citizens into buying from their company by using sensationalism to instill them with a false sense of fear.
The Kingsport Police Department makes every effort to maintain a transparent relationship with the Citizens of Kingsport. As such, the following narrative was issued in an official K.P.D. news release this past May and deserves repeating:
When comparing the 2013 data to that of the previous year, the Kingsport Police Department saw a 17.45% decrease in the more serious crimes known as Group A Offenses, which include some of the most violent crimes such as Murder, Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Robbery. There was also a 26.4% decrease in domestic violence incidents and a 27.96% decrease in simple assaults. The vast majority of property crimes, such as Arson, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Vandalism, showed significant reductions as well.
Two additional improvements pertaining to violent crime are noteworthy. Regarding the crime of murder, there were zero incidents reported in the City of Kingsport during 2013 as opposed to a total of two in 2012. And, there was a 30.43% reduction in weapon law violations from 2012 to 2013.
Not only are less crimes being reported to the Kingsport Police Department, the department is also doing an even better job at solving these crimes. The Kingsport Police Department’s 2013 overall clearance rate was 41.49% which is not only an improvement over K.P.D.’s 2012 clearance rate of 37.04% but also exceeds the 2013 State of Tennessee overall clearance rate of 39.92%.
One likely contributing factor in this recent crime downtrend is K.P.D.’s participation in the State of Tennessee’s Targeted Community Crime Reduction (TCCR) Grant. This grant has funded hundreds of additional law enforcement man-hours strategically placed in the traditionally higher crime areas of the city. There can be little doubt that increased police visibility is a significant deterrent to criminal activity.
To view the 2013 Crimes in Tennessee Report, visit the following link:
http://www.tbi.state.tn.us/tn_crime_stats/publications/2013%20Crime%20in%20Tennessee%20%28SECURE%29.pdf
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DOUGLASS WEBSITE EDITOR'S NOTE ON THE HOME SECURITY SHIELD REPORT:
UPON FURTHER REVIEW BY THE DOUGLASS WEBSITE EDITOR, the 2013 Crime Figures quoted from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in the Kingsport PD's story, are the latest figures, and therefore more accurate than the FBI's 2012 figures quoted in the Home Security Shield story. Those figures are two years old.
ALSO, the pictures for Manchester, TN and East Ridge, TN ARE INCORRECT.. Manchester, TN does not have buildings that tall; and the East Ridge picture is actually downtown Chattanooga, TN. Note, too, that in the picture of downtown Brownsville, TN, downtown Brownsville only consists of 2 buildings; and Dyersburg, TN has no identifying landmarks in its picture.
FURTHER... Home Security Shield apparently does not have a readily-accessible report history, either under its own name or a dba (doing business as), from the Better Business Bureau.
AS A RESULT OF THESE FINDINGS, please consider the recent figures from the TBI, and the advice above from the Kingsport Police Department, when making your home security decisions. Do not be impressed by statements, figures and pictures that could be designed to scare you into making quick decisions about protecting your home, without investigating the claims FIRST. Do not be pressured into signing a home security contract, without checking out the company FIRST.
-- DOUGLASS WEBSITE EDITOR
Saturday, September 13, 2014
"Lost in Riverview" - Traffic Jam Has Visitors Looking for a Bypass
As he crossed the Holston River at Eastman, he saw that the road was blocked ahead at the Industry Drive stop light.
"It was kinda like, a surprise stop," he says. "I saw the cop standing outside his car there, and he was like 'you gotta get off this road."
The first road he came to and turned right on, was Wheatley Street. "Everybody else was turning onto Wheatley, so I just followed them."
"It seemed like the best option."
And he wasn't the only one lost that Saturday.
They all had to come back through and exit the neighborhood at the same place they came into it....
....and that was right back to Wheatley and Industry, where others 'following the leader' were also coming into the neighborhood. They also met traffic going TO the road race coming in on Wheatley to park in Eastman's parking lot.
"So far, I've counted about 300 cars, running up and down Louis Street, and also going on down Dunbar," she said. "Pretty soon, here they come right back out, when they can't get out on MLK."
"I'd been sorta laughing at 'em, but then you feel sorry for 'em," Hodges said. "I know how I would feel if I was stuck driving around in a strange place. They don't want to be here, but they're stuck and the only way out is the way you came in, that's now bogged down in traffic."
"They don't know what we know," she says. "Riverview only has two ways in and out, and one of those is blocked."
"There 'ya go."
Would more 'detour' signs have helped? Everybody the Douglass website reporter talked to, responded with a resounding 'yes.' "Maybe even a 'no through traffic' sign would help," says Hodges. Abernathy says the only signs he saw, was one 'detour' sign on Wilcox pointing which way to go. "There was no sign at Industry and Wheatley at all," he noted.
Elsea promised to look into the situation.
"It is definitely something that we'll sit down and look at," he says. "We'll look at this race and other events to make sure that the folks in Riverview don't get boxed in, because it can be an inconvenience."
"400 cars? Through this neighborhood? You gotta be kidding me," he said. "This is preventable with three or four more signs. Keep the one 'detour' sign at Wilcox/Industry, that leads right down to another one at Industry/Wheatley, and still more signs further down Industry. That way, folks like me wanted to get around everything can go on down Industry to Netherland Inn and come in the back way."
"If I visit, I don't want it to be the result of a detour."
"Nobody ever talks to us whenever they plan these things," lamented Jack Pierce.
"I don't know of a funeral that would have this many cars up and down the street like this," noted Jeannie Hodges.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Happy Grandparents Day!
Kingsport's New Vision Youth always bring the grandparents of the community together on the Saturday just before the big day, to treat them to lunch, fun and games.
"The Grandparents Day celebration started at the old Riverview Boys and Girls Club," says New Vision Youth director Johnnie Mae Swagerty. "At the time, the club was located in the Riverview Apartments. We commemorate our grandparents, because our history comes from them. They are our past and the legacies they pass on to us are our future."
"We should always look up to our grandparents."
Delores Delaney made the spaghetti, and members of the New Vision Youth served the seniors present.
Door prizes were also given out to the seniors in attendance.
Kingsport's Grandparents' Day was sponsored by New Vision Youth, in partnership with the South Central Kingsport Community Development Corporation, and Kingsport Parks and Recreation.
After the slide show of the celebration below, please go on for the special event that highlighted this year's occasion: The New Vision Youth Ice Bucket Challenge!
New Vision Youth Ice Bucket Challenge: A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!
The New Vision Youth took time out from celebrating their ancestors on National Grandparents Day, September 7th, to help raise money to fight a disease that everybody's talking about.It's Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Lou Gehring's Disease.
ALS.
Ice bucket challenges have cropped up all over the place, where folks raise money for ALS research and programs by getting buckets of ice water dumped on their heads.
"Angel Pruett challenged me to do the Ice Bucket Challenge," says New Vision Youth director Johnnie Mae Swagerty. "I called Calvin Sneed with the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, and between us, we started calling folks, getting them to commit to raise money, and also to get ice water dumped on their heads. We thought it would be good to do it at our Grandparents Day celebration, because it might be entertaining to the seniors attending."
"I knew a couple of people who struggled with ALS on a daily basis," Jeff says. "I have never really understood what they went through with the disease, until the awareness was raised through these ice bucket challenges. I'm convinced that anything we can do to help raise funds and also raise the knowledge about this hideous disease is worth the time and the money."
"As far as the ice water," he noted, "it's a pretty warm day, so I'm not dreaded that part at all."
They just cannot express themselves.
During this same time last year, the ALS Association had raised on $2.8 million dollars for research and program services. This year, through no advance preparation of its own, the association is astonished to have over $110 million dollars in its coffers. And it's all because of one little stunt.
The Ice Bucket Challenge.
The New Vision Youth event netted more than $200 dollars for ALS research and programs.
"I must admit, I didn't know too much about ice bucket challenges," admits Jane Luethke, the East Tennessee program coordinator for the ALS Association. "I thought 'oh, ice bucket challenge.. that's kinda novel.. it might make a difference.' Boy, was I wrong! That's what's so amazing to us who deal with ALS support programs every day.. the association didn't really do anything to get the Ice Bucket Challenges and the flow of so much money started."
"In fact.. most of us are still in shock."
"Our national chapter has been graciously overwhelmed by the financial support," she says. "To see the faces of patients after we tell them how much money has been raised, and to be able to tell them that ordinary strangers have been donating money to find a cure has really lifted their spirits more than folks will ever know."
"As the awareness grows, people will hopefully continue to understand how devastating this disease is."
"And that would be a good thing."
"The whole thing makes me happy to see all the people coming out and joining in, to do a good work," she said. "When you see people giving of themselves like that, you know God's into it. People need to think about helping one another. We'd all be a whole lot better because we'd know the Lord would have His Plan upon us, when we try to help one another."
"It was good fun for a great cause, even though the cold water kinda took my breath away," he said. "Just seeing all these people out here doing something really positive, just gives you a good feeling."
"I was happy just to be a part of it."
IF THE SLIDESHOW ON THE GRANDPARENTS DAY - ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE DOESN'T START AUTOMATICALLY, JUST CLICK THE ALBUM TITLE BELOW
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Lincoln Street Repaving Project to Affect Traffic in Riverview
THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS
by Matthew Lane
KINGSPORT — The summer of paving is not quite over yet.
Michael Thompson, assistant public works director, said the repaving of Lincoln Street from the John B. Dennis Highway to Sullivan Street has begun.
The $1.1 million project will include milling, paving, some curb replacement and handicap ramp upgrades — some of the ramps are not up to current standards. Thompson said there will also be some spot repairs along the stretch of road.
"It's pretty much a straightforward paving job," Thompson said.
The number of travel lanes will stay the same on the 1.7 mile stretch of road and the caution light at the railroad crossing will remain. No bikes lanes will be added and no road diet imposed.
"Nothing new. Just replacing what was there," Thompson said.
The project is funded 80 percent by federal money and 20 percent by local match from Kingsport. Summers-Taylor Inc. is performing the work.
Thompson said the contract for the project is for 60 days, ending Nov. 7, with most of the major work taking place between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
"They're planning on doing some up front work, like signs and the curb and handicapped ramp work during the day, but are planning on doing the major work, the milling and paving, at night when there's less traffic," Thompson said.
But there is one thing the city would like the public to understand about the Lincoln Street paving project.
It is not going all the way to Wilcox Drive.
"We're going to stop where the Sullivan Street extension comes out, because (the Tennessee Department of Transportation's) project is going to pave the rest of that," Thompson said. "We didn't want to waste the taxpayers money by paving it and then having to tear it up and redo it."
TDOT plans to reconfigure the intersection of Lincoln Street and Sullivan Street in connection to Eastman Chemical Co.'s "Project Inspire" reinvestment plan. Essentially, the intersection will open up a new entrance to Eastman's new corporate business center currently under construction.
Thompson said the repaving of this section of Lincoln Street will be one of the last parts of the intersection redesign and as such will not be repaved until next year.
The Lincoln Street project was originally planned for repaving two years ago (along with a section of Cooks Valley Road), but due to higher than expected bids, the work was stymied. The Cooks Valley work was then pulled out and done earlier this year.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Kingsport's City Manager: "Retirement is Only the Beginning"
For Kingsport's former city manager, retirement day is the first day of the rest of his life.
"It was OK for about the first five days," says John Campbell. "I still have a lot of work to do to finish sorting out things. Most all of the unfinished business, is either finished or just about finished. I don't think you can ever really put everything away.. there'll always be an interest, and sometimes, it's difficult to completely walk away."
"But I did."
He does say the city of Kingsport is in very good hands.
"We've got some outstanding young people," he says. "I really feel strongly that our core leadership is sthe strongest in the area for the next 15 to 20 years. All they need is some core members to help 'em out."
Campbell, a native of Kingsport, served as city manager from 2008 until last month. Before that, he was city manager of Johnson City for 17 years, a job from which he also retired. He was twice named Tennessee City Manager of the year in 1992 and 1999. His retirement from the Model City's second-highest post, surprised several on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen when he announced his leaving.
"I have always believed in leaving a community better than you found it," he says, "and the best way to do that is to surround yourself with good people.. people who are either more qualified than usual for their positions, or people who show tremendous potential in the positions they are in. In Johnson City when I was there, I think it was the staff we built there. Most of those people are still there, although most are ready to retire, like me. I also feel strongly about the staff that we have here in Kingsport. When you're at this size of a city, the city manager is more or less, a liason between the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the staff. Your inter-leadership role with the staff is important.. you really gotta have great staff underneath the position.'
"The guys here have been great colaborators, and we're very fortunate to have them."
KINGSPORT WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT, INDUSTRY DRIVE
Ask any city official their number one accomplishment. Usually, they'll name several.
Campbell cites one huge goal that was achieved, without a lot of residents being able to see it physically.
"Improvements to the waste water treatment plant," he says.. "that was really big thing. Things that are ready to go on schedule with the water intake at the water plant. We've also put in a lot of sewer lines.. for some people, that was a big thing, because it's key to protecting the environment."
He also cites one accomplishment during his term, that residents can see.
"Now, you see 2500 college students downtown, going to four or five college extentions... that's impressive."
Campbell says the only advice he can offer his successor and the staff he has, is to keep thinking forward.
"They are very well trained in their jobs," he says. "I think they just need to continually try and get better and look for ways to be more efficient. They should always look towards the future.. try to be forward-thinking. I think the worst thing a city could do is really get bogged down on not moving forward. There are lots of ways to get things done in a creative, financial way, that can still be done well without spending a lot of money. Things can be done not at the risk that some people think is there."
"Creativity is the key. Think beyond the box of limited price tags."
"Try and be as knowledgeable as you can about your government," Campbell says. "It's frustrating at times to see how many citizens don't really understand the type of government that we have, and how it operates.. the framework of it. I remember my civics class in 8th grade.. you spend four days on local government and then several weeks on state and federal government. Turns out, local government is where it's at.. that's what affects you every day. Just try and be more knowledgeable and if you have questions, don't hesitate to call the staff down at city hall. Part of their job is answering questions.. that's what they're expected to do. I never minded being questioned about things at social events, at lunch, the gas station. Ask questions."
"It's better for people to know something, than have them think something differently because they didn't ask about it."
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