June 30

Saturday, June 30 - the last day of the fiscal year.


It was  a good year for the city - a lot of good things happened and are happening.


Next year will be even better for sure.


And the best news is next year starts tomorrow.

Green

Greg Booher was the first place winner for the 3rd Session of the Paper Windows photography contest - "Bristol Painted Green."

"Swimming in Green"

To see all the photographs that were entered, go to the city’s Facebook page or to our Flickr account which can be accessed at www.bristoltn.org 

100

What's better than Bristol city water on a 94 degree day?

Bristol city water on a 100 degree day - drink plenty Friday and Saturday.

Duty

This week ends the long and storied careers of two of our best - Police Lieutenant Jerry Smelser and Firefighter Ralph Callahan.

Ralph is retiring Thursday after 38 years of service with the city - Jerry with 27 years on Friday.

Left to right:  Ralph Callahan and Jerry Smelser

Thanks guys for your years of service to the community - you'll be missed.

Forensic academy

Executive Director Don Green
and Danielle

Police Investigator Danielle Eller graduated from the 30^th National Forensic Academy last week.

This 10-week long academy is sponsored through the University of Tennessee and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.  Danielle was one of 24 students - from Alaska to Kuwait - participating and is only the second officer from Bristol to ever attend this prestigious training academy.

And to top it off, Officer Eller won an award for her photography skills at the academy - way to go Danielle.

BriSox

Thursday night was City Employee's Night at the Bristol White Sox game.


We thank the BriSox for their hospitality and recognition of the dedicated service given to the Bristol community by city employees on both sides of the state line.


It was also an opportunity to recognize our local elected officials and thank them for their commitment and efforts in making Bristol such a great place.  Vice Mayor Joel Staton had the honor of throwing out the first pitch - a strike right down the center of the plate.


Thanks to President/General Manager Mahlon Luttrell for a great night at the ballpark.


For more BriSox information, visit their website at:  http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t557

Summer

Summer is officially here - and we're glad to have it.


Somehow things get a bit more relaxed - maybe even serene - on these hot sunny days.


Work still goes on mind you - but it doesn't seem so much like work.


More like a working holiday....... And when work is fun, more gets done.

Lunch

Today the city hosted the Sullivan County Commission with a picnic lunch in their honor at the courthouse in Blountville.


And the reason?  To thank them for their $168,817 contribution to purchase Quint 3 - Bristol's newest fire truck that was on display. 


The commission has a long-standing practice to provide capital funds to paid and volunteer fire departments in Sullivan County on a rotating basis to be used for the purchase of fire apparatus.  Our turn came up last year.


Thank you Sullivan County Commission for this and all that you do - we hope you enjoyed the meal too.

Rain

Several key recreational projects are really taking shape these days.


Significant progress is evident at the new softball complex at Rotary Field, Vance Middle School recreational fields, and the Beaver Creek Plaza downtown.


With warm sunny days and nights, a little rain will go a long way in nurturing the plantings now and soon to be made.


And just to be sure - the Beaver Creek Plaza has an automatic watering system to guarantee green-thumb success from the start.

Haynesfield

It's always nice to help our school system when we can - in this case upgrading the parking lot at Haynesfield Elementary School.

Public Works employees Jeff Worley
and Billy Rhymer
take a break and pose for the camera

Public Works crews are in the process of making base repairs to the parking lot which will be followed by a new surface course.

A new driveway exit will also be constructed  to separate school traffic from the adjacent Central Fire Station making it a much safer and functional area for users of both facilities.

Success

Keep in focus the small things and the big things will fall in line.

Eagle

Thanks to Trevor Roark and approximately 30 volunteers, the police firing range was the recipient of 50 new wood fence posts that were installed as part of his Eagle Scout project this weekend.

Trevor is a member of Boy Scout Troop 3 located at First Presbyterian Church.

Thanks Trevor - and congratulations to you.

Trevor (foreground) with Scout Master Karen Haaser

Reset

If a computer goes wrong, a nice thing about it is you can reset it to a previous date when it was right.


Wouldn't it be nice if there was a reset for everything else that goes wrong?

Responsibility

I'll Have Another was pulled from the 144th running of the Belmont Stakes due to a swollen left front tendon and was retired.

The winner of the first two legs of the Triple Crown set aside his quest to be the first horse to successfully complete this trifecta in 34 years.

Trainer Doug O'Neill and owner J. Paul Reddam made the tough decision to pull the colt in the best interest of the horse.

Never take lightly your responsibility to do what is best for others when put in a position to do so.

Caterpillar

Have you been on the caterpillar crawl in downtown Bristol yet?

Based on the book the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, this Bristol Junior League sponsored public art project leads participants in search of permanent bronze sculptures of caterpillars in various stages of life hidden along State Street.  It is a part of the league's ongoing commitment to reading and literacy.

Here's clue 1 to get you started:  
Now our hunt has just begun, find caterpillar number 1.  At the farmer's market is where you'll look.  See him perched upon a book.

Here's a link to the map and clues: http://www.jlbristol.org/caterpillar/catcrawl_map_brochure.pdf

Budget

The City Council adopted the fiscal 2013 budget last night calling for $109,091,607 in spending for the year commencing on July 1.  Of this total, $70 million will be spent to provide municipal services and $39 million is needed to operate the city school system.

The tax rate will remain unchanged at $2.19 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation.  Accordingly, a home with a market value of $100,000 will pay $547.50 in city property taxes this year which is an excellent value for the fine municipal and school services being provided in return.

The adopted budget continues all city programs and services as in the past while making strategic capital investments to meet the future needs of the community.

The City Council is to be commended for its vision and leadership in allocating resources and prioritizing spending needs to meet the current and long-term goals and objectives of the city.

Friends

I've spoken often about the great things happening in Steele Creek Park.


Did you know that the park has a non-profit support group?  Yep - and aptly named Friends of Steele Creek Nature Center and Park.


The friends have a great website to learn more about the park, and them.  Check it out - and come back to the park soon.

www.friendsofsteelecreek.org

Lighting

Today another set of decorative streetlights were installed and energized to light-up the downtown - this time on Bank Street.

Bank Street - whose narrow width serves primarily as a pedestrian walkway between State Street alongside the Paramount Center for the Arts and the parking lots behind - is the newest location for 3 wall-mounted units.

They are identical in look to all the others installed downtown - but due to the narrowness of Bank Street - are attached to the adjacent building instead of poles.