Ride

Saturdays are always a good day to view the city from a new perspective - today from a bicycle.  It's amazing how much more you can see – I mean really see. 

My route took me by the outdoor swimming pool and the Central Fire Station; then past the new dog park (opening soon), animal shelter, and Charlie Robinette Park. I entered Steele Creek Park at Rooster Front and followed the lakeside trail until it branched off on the arboretum trail.  One loop around the park (past the golf course and driving range, nature center, paddleboats, Steele Creek express train, and disc golf course); then towards downtown on the Officer Mark Vance Memorial greenway.  Once downtown, I checked out the State Street farmers market (big crowds again); then past City Hall.  My final leg of the journey took me on the Wes Davis greenway.  Along the way I passed Tennessee High, the Central Fire Station and pool again, and then home. 

The entire trip was about 15 miles and took about 90 minutes to complete.  Yes, I know, I shouldn’t plan to enter any bike road races soon……… 

But I still won – I was able to observe the condition of our streets, signs, parks, buildings, and facilities up-close and personal, I was able to chat with a few city employees that I came upon along the way, and I enjoyed a great ride. 

If you haven’t ridden a bicycle soon – dust it off and try it out again.  You’ll be amazed what you will see.   peace

Breakfast

Each month a group of 10 employees or so are randomly selected to join me for breakfast to discuss various matters of city business, share information, answer questions, and just touch-base.  Tuesday was the 47th monthly “breakfast with the city manager” which has become, without reservation, the single-most enjoyable meeting that I attend each month.  City Council meetings are a close second, mind you, but more on that later…...

Employees come to the breakfast, I suppose, because (1) they have to and (2) we feed them; but I think there is more to it than that.  I am convinced that the casual nature of the gatherings, coupled with the candidness of the discussions sprinkled-in with a bit of off-beat humor by all, just makes it a beneficial 75 minutes for all.

We always talk about city finances and the need to do more with less; we always talk about our mission and direction as an organization; and we always talk about our role in giving you a reason to be here.  But it goes beyond that - we had a good discussion this time on our favorite vacation trip of all time.  So its not all city business mind you – it’s much more than that.  It’s all about people, trust, relationships, and team.

In addition to Human Resources Director Belva Hale, who coordinates the monthly event and has the dubious distinction of having to hear me over and over again, the following folks shared their time and made this breakfast another success: 

Rickey Cheathem – Public Works

Mallory Cross – Parks & Recreation

Howard Greer – Public Works

Alan Howard – Fire Department

Heather Kunysz – Community Development

Marjorie McCoy - Finance

Joey Musser, Fire Department

Ross Peters – Public Works

Janet Ross, Public Works

Robin Stedman– Police Department

1918-19 School Year

Did you know that the City Council, at its meeting on April 30, 1918, determined that the maximum city funding that would be provided to the Bristol City Schools during the 1918-19 school year was $18,000.

Factoring in the effect of inflation over the past 93 years since, that $18,000 contribution is equivalent to $269,000 in 2011 dollars.

And because inquiring minds want to know, the current city budget provides a total of up to $4.4 million to our schools in operating and capital support this year; plus another $2 million for school-related debt.

ED Focus Group

The economic development planning process continued Tuesday night with a meeting of the 10-person citizen focus group to review the results of the community-wide economic development survey and to conduct a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of the Bristol community and economy.

It was impressive to observe the insight of the group and the dialogue in the room which brought to the table numerous thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to meld into the plan.  We heard some common themes repeated last night that reinforced information previously received and perhaps more importantly, novel thoughts that expanded our thought process in areas previously untapped.

As with our previous plan development meetings, it was clear that our community has a common interest in moving forward – the challenge is to distill all into an implementable plan…..which we will.

Our thanks go out to the focus group members for their service to the community.  So the next time you see Kim Blevins, Mark Byington, Tammy Henkel, Mimi Kind, Craig Kistner, Todd Peak, Nelson Pyle, Katy Sikorski, Wiley Webb, or Sherry Willinger, please thank them for sharing their time and talents in our collective efforts of making Bristol an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Next up in the planning process – hospitality and tourism.

Cheers

What is the single biggest challenge facing every city?  Water – yes, water - hands down.  What……..water?  Surely you jest you say.

No, for real.  A city either has too much or too little of it – and that will change from time to time. 

I know many of you were thinking crime, education, or poverty as the big problems.  And they are ......more so in some places than others. 

But water is tough for all of us.  Think about the many towns that have too little supply which is aggravated during drought conditions leading to water rationing.  Think about flooding that regularly occurs across the county – that’s too much water in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And let’s not forget that we have to purify potable water so you can drink it and then treat it after it’s used so the next town downstream can use it too.  And of course, when you turn on the faucet you expect that it will be there in sufficient pressure and volume to meet your daily household and business needs – yes, water is the toughest…..by far.

We are fortunate to have a great water supply (South Holston Reservoir), a water plant meeting all water quality standards with sufficient capacity for growth (5.5 million gallons per day average demand with a 10 million gallon per day capacity), a strong distribution and reservoir system (2 days worth of storage), and a wastewater plant operating at high levels (10 million gallons per day average demand with 15 million per day capacity).

So the next time you take a drink – of water from the tap that is – enjoy and know that your city is working hard to keep it in the right place, at the right time, for the right purpose, for you.   Cheers.

Strategic ED Steering Committee Meeting

Thursday night the steering committee working on the development of a Strategic Economic Development Plan met to hear presentations on the key focus areas of retail and manufacturing.  Presenting to the committee were Steve Johnson, Johnson & Associates; Kelly Graham, Graham & Associates; Jim Street, J.A. Street; Art Ramey, Royal Mouldings; and Raj Venkataraman, Seaman Corporation.  The session was extremely informative and generated a great amount of discussion about opportunities in the retail, dining, entertainment, and manufacturing areas.  Our thanks are extended to the presenters who thoughtfully presented information of great value to the committee.
The committee will meet again in two weeks to hear presentations on the hospitality and tourism industries. 

The planning process is now at the half-way point with several meetings with the steering committee yet to take place; interviews with members of City Council to solicit their thoughts, ideas, and vision; and a meeting with a 10-person citizen focus group to garner their thoughts and perceptions, including analysis of a community survey with over 400 respondents.

I think it's fair to say that the process, information, and energy at each of the meeting is exceeding expectations which portends great things to come in the development and implementation of the plan.

Sales Tax

Every month the city receives information from the Tennessee Department of Revenue regarding the collection and allocation of the local option sales tax.  This is of great importance to us as local sales taxes are the second largest source of funding that we have to pay for traditional governmental services such as police, fire, parks and recreation, and others.

For the month of June, a total of $3.9 million in net sales taxes were collected in Sullivan County.  The amount collected in Bristol was $735,000, or approximately 19% of the county total.

The tax is distributed with the first 50% going to schools within the county on a formula using average daily attendance, with the remaining 50% payable to the government in which the sale occurred.  So for the month, $367,000 went to support education and $367,000 came to us.

The good news with this latest monthly report is that collections are up 9% in Bristol over the same month last year.  The bad news is that we are still below last year collections in total by approximately 1% over the first eleven months of the fiscal year.

Keep your fingers crossed that local sales tax collections will grow in the future.  We are.

Maroon

What’s your favorite color?  Red?  How about blue?  Do green, yellow or purple suit your fancy?  According to some research, the color most favored is blue (up to 40% of respondents), followed by green and then red.  In Bristol, I suspect our favorite color is maroon – Tennessee High maroon.  And white is the blending of all colors – a super color in fact!  So we’ve got the best of all – a super color matched with a color typically associated with healing – mother earth if you will.  And we all know how important mothers are.

Did you know that Bristol is one of about only 35 cities in Tennessee that has its own school system?  That puts us in an elite group of communities that truly recognize the importance of education with a concomitant focus on educational advancement and student success.

So the next time you don your maroon and white shirt know that you are supporting a special institution in a special place - Bristol.

Go Vikings!

Downtown

When traveling to a city, often time what is the first place you want to see? The downtown of course.  Downtown is a special place in most every city because it is unique (no two are the same) and it belongs to everyone - it's everybody’s neighborhood. The heart of a city starts in the downtown and emanates out to the rest of the community making it a special and important place.

Because it's everybody's neighborhood, special emphasis is placed downtown. We've made remarkable strides over the past years in making our downtown an attractive and desirable place with new decorative street lights, decorative signage, seasonal banners, public art, and street furniture. Our public investment no doubt encouraged private owners to invest too - and their commitment is obvious and the most important part of the transformation that has occurred.

The latest phase of new decorative street lights were just installed on Shelby Street between Volunteer Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as well as in the Shelby Street municipal parking lot. The next phase of lighting will place decorative lights on 6th Street, 7th Street, and 8th Street between Shelby Street and Anderson Street. Be watching for that improvement in the next few months.

State Street - The birthplace of country music.

Be There

I am continually reminded about what a great group of employees we have and what a great place this is to live and work.  The continued dedication and commitment of employees to serve our community is refreshing at a time when it is so easy to tune-out and be numbed by the challenges facing our neighbors, city, state, and nation.
No organization is perfect, of course, and we must strive to continually innovate and improve our processes and practices so that we can meet the challenges of tomorrow with the resources of today.  This is no easy task – but this is no ordinary group.
Without question the staff are good problem solvers; they are equally good at handling extraordinary events – race week being the best example of that.  I am especially proud of how they come together as a team and perform so exceptionally well at those times.  It is equally as important for them to come to work each day in full mind and body and focus on the task – our citizens and customers deserve no less.
Our objective is to give our residents and businesses a reason to be here – to choose our city over others.  We have to give you a return – both financially and in life-style – for picking Bristol Tennessee. 
So for you to be here – we realize we must be there for you - be there for our customers, be there for our community, be there for each other, and be there for the future. 
We just have to be there.

Central Elementary School

Has anybody driven past Central Elementary School lately and wondered what was happening to the old building?   The preliminary work leading to the razing of the former school is underway with the removal of the structure to take place in the very near future - perhaps starting this week.  This is the latest in a multi-year improvement project for our schools.  The first project completed under the 20-year facilities plan was the construction of the new Fairmount Elementary School which opened in January 2010 and was the first new school building constructed in the city since Holston View Elementary opened in 1971.  That project was followed by an $8.5 million energy efficiency initiative that is currently underway and will greatly enhance the educational environment for our students while reducing energy costs for the schools.  The Central site will be transformed into recreational fields for use of Vance Middle School and city recreation programs and will meet programmatic needs of both BTCS and the city. 


 

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning in the office catching up from a long week...well actually it was a short one with the Independence Day holiday on Monday and our administrative offices being closed.  It was a pretty busy week starting with the City Council meeting on Tuesday including the seating of new members Michelle Dolan and Ben Zandi and the appointment of David Shumaker as Mayor and Joel Staton as Vice Mayor for the coming year (and lets not forget Margaret Feierabend who ended her year as Mayor and did an outstanding job), participating in the Pick Tennessee event at the Farmers Market and a photo shoot for the ASD fund-raiser on Wednesday, another evening event with the strategic economic development plan steering committee on Thursday, and numerous meeting to close the week out on Friday.  Of course the days were filled with other stuff too.

Speaking of the July 4th holiday, I'd like to thank our employees who worked that day including police, fire, dispatch, water plant, and others that maintain a presence in serving you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Please keep in mind that while you and I are at home tucked away for the night our folks are up and about and working for you.  Peace.

Strategic ED Plan

The Strategic Economic Development Plan steering committee held its second in a series of meetings Thursday night with presentations made in the key segment areas of healthcare and education.  Among the presenters were Denny DeNarvaez, President and CEO of Wellmont Health System; Bart Hove, President of Bristol Regional Medical Center; Keith Wilson representing the education committee of Networks Sullivan Partnership; and Dr. Gary Lilly, Director of the Bristol Tennessee City Schools.  The committee has been tasked by the City Council to evaluate and understand where our future growth opportunities lay and to develop a strategy to successfully advance those areas.  Included int he outcomes are to target our efforts more effectively, develop wide public and private support, and align key resources.  A survey has also been developed to provide feedback on the job market, economy, and other relevant matters which will be used in the development of the plan.  If you haven't taken the survey yet, we encourage you to do so at  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LD3DSR3 .  It takes just minutes to complete.



I want to encourage everyone to come to downtown Bristol this weekend for several events of interest including Art D'Vine, a gallery hop from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday and the Farmers Market on Saturday morning where the best in locally grown produce and handmade crafts can be found.  And speaking of locally grown produce, place on your calendar the "From Farm to Fork" event that is being hosted by Appalachian Sustainable Development at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 27.

And finally, the good folks who provide technology support linked this blog with my Facebook page last night - City Manager Jeff Broughton.  So now what I post links up there.  I suspect that most everybody knew that anyway...but me.

Enjoy the weekend.  peace to you.

Welcome

Welcome to the city manager's blog - city manager of Bristol Tennessee that is.  Hope you find my commentary and musings of interest as we go forward in time.  Please bear with me over the next week or so as I get familiar with this social media communication tool.  By the way, I will see all of your postings which will give me a starting point (no doubt) for future blogs - so post away.  And my objective is to post regularly - so please stay tuned.

It's a busy day in a busy week so I'm signing off for now.  peace.  j

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