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Update on Downtown Construction; June 19, 2006
Relief is on the way from the “dust bowl” created by Jonesborough’s “Big Dig” flood control project. The re-installation of utilities will be completed by mid-week and Summers-Taylor, Inc. has informed Town officials that they are going to try to put a binder coat of asphalt down this week. The binder will fill up all of the areas in which asphalt was removed or damaged due to the installation of the large box culvert and sewer lines.
The binder will cover all graveled areas and eliminate the dust coming from the disturbed sections in the streets. Once the initial binder is in place, Town crews will immediately thoroughly clean associated streets and sidewalks. A final coat of asphalt will be placed over the entire intersection later in July when there is more assurance that all utilities are back in place and operating properly, and no further street work is necessary.
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Sign Ordinance; May 16, 2006
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen recently passed a total revision to the Jonesborough Sign Ordinance. This week’s update discusses some of the key sections of the ordinance and the major differences from the previous ordinance.
What is the need to regulate signage? Appropriate signage is an ongoing discussion in most communities. While a business needs to let people know where they are and what products they sell, large and over abundant signs are a primary negative components of urban sprawl. Too many signs side-by-side make it hard to see any one particular sign. You can go from one city to another down an arterial route and not know you’ve charged communities because of all the signage and massing of commercial business. Also, there have been many studies done throughout the years that indicate that certain types of signage can be a safety hazard to motorists because the signs are an unnecessary distraction. Most communities regulate signage in order to increase driver safety and decrease visual clutter.
Has Jonesborough’s ordinance addressed safety and visual clutter? From the safety standpoint, the following safeguards are incorporated within various sections of the ordinances:- Signs have to be a certain distance from the right-of-way and be a certain distance apart. Also, at highway or street intersections, signs cannot be located in the visual path necessary for a motorist to see on-coming traffic.
- Message board signs operated by computers are limited to presenting a message a certain way without all the starbursts and flashing that becomes a distraction to motorists and thus a safety issue.
- Sign construction must meet building code requirements so that they are safe electrically and structurally.
In an effort to prevent visual clutter, the following issues are addressed in the ordinance:- Temporary signs including political signs, real estate signs, garage sale signs, etc. are prohibited in the public right-of-way.
- Sign height is limited to 14 feet, where the previous ordinance allowed 26 feet in height.
- Sign space is limited to 100 square feet for a single business in a strip center. The old ordinance allowed different sizes of signs based on the total size of the business. A single business, if it were large enough, could have up to a 250 square foot sign. That is almost a billboard. A review of signage research was undertaken and it was determined that a 100 foot sign had plenty of room to properly advertise a single business along an arterial route with vehicles going 45 mph. There was no need to have a larger sign than is necessary to properly advertise a business.
- Commercial signs must be ground mounted or monument signs not on poles.
- Commercial signs must be permitted and approved by the Planning Commission. No sign intended to be a permanent placement can be erected without prior approval. This ensures better sign quality and proper design.
This is an election year, and there have been a bunch of political signs. Will the ordinance limit these? The ordinance cannot limit the number overall, but it does restrict where they can be placed and their size. As of now, political signs must be on private property. In residential zones (except R-4) they are limited to 6 square feet or 2 ft. x 3 ft. In the commercial zones (except B-2) and in the R-4 zone, political signs can be up to 32 square feet or 4 ft. x 8 ft, no larger. Real estate signs have the same limitations.
What will happen to signs placed in the right-of-way? What if someone puts a sign in your yard you don’t want? Signs in the right-of-way will be picked up and taken to the Jonesborough Police Department. They can be picked up there. The ordinance prohibits putting a sign on private property without the consent of the owner or lessee. The Police Department can pick it up if notified by the owner, or the property owner may remove the sign themselves.
What about billboards? Under the new ordinances, billboards are prohibited in all zones. This is the same regulation as Johnson City and many other communities. The big complaint about billboards is that they are almost 3 times as big as the largest sign a business is allowed, and they take up visual space very often at the expense of businesses that pay sales tax and substantial property tax. Very often, the billboard is taking up visual space amongst businesses and the billboard is advertising a restaurant or retailer in another town. This is fine on the interstate, but not in small towns where every business struggles to compete. The ordinance can only prohibit any new billboards.
Final Comments: The new ordinance is now in effect and the town staff has been directed to do a better job of enforcement of the sign regulations. The ordinance revisions were drafted with the intent of creating the right balance of aesthetics and safety with the business owner’s need to advertise. When the balance is right, everybody wins.
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Jonesborough Shines at 9th Annual Pinnacle Awards; May 11, 2006
On an annual basis the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association (NETTA) honors area peak performers in the tourism industry. The 2006 awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 10, at the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport. In attendance was Commissioner Susan Whitaker, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, as well as approximately 200 tourism professionals from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Awards presented were based on events and projects that took place in 2005. Jonesborough and Jonesborough related businesses received a total of ten Pinnacles and Merit Awards.- Jonesborough Days 2005 - This event produced by the Town of Jonesborough along with the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia received a Pinnacle as a Special Event in the Municipalities Division.
- Storytelling Live! - This program sponsored by the International Storytelling Center received a Merit Award for a Special Event in the Cultural Arts Division.
- Garden Gala - The 10th annual garden tour and tea sponsored by the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, the Tuesday Garden Club, and the Schubert Club received a Merit Award for a Special Event in the Entertainment and Recreation Division.
- Music on the Square - The summer concert series held downtown on Friday evenings from May through September, sponsored by the Town of Jonesborough, won a Pinnacle for Special Projects in the Entertainment and Recreation Division
- 2006 Region of Heritage Calendar - This calendar that was compiled by the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center and the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia as a fund-raising project, won a Pinnacle for Special Projects in the Heritage Tourism Division.
- Wetlands Water Park Rack Card - This descriptive pamphlet submitted by Parks and Recreation Department was awarded a Pinnacle in the Advertising and Promotions-Print category in the Municipalities Division.
- 2005 National Storytelling Festival Campaign - The promotional materials designed by Hillhouse Graphics for the International Storytelling Center was awarded a Pinnacle in the Advertising and Promotions-Print category in the Business Division.
- Christmas in Jonesborough - A description of all the events that took place in Jonesborough during the holiday season received a Merit Award in the Advertising and Promotions-Print category in the Hospitality Organization Division.
- Mike Gallagher ”Surrounded by Idiots” Book Signing Tour Comes to Jonesborough, Tennessee - Jeff Gurley of The Lollipop Shop made arrangements with Citadel Broadcasting to bring nationally know syndicated talk show host Mike Gallagher to Jonesborough. This promotional project was awarded a Pinnacle in the Advertising and Promotions-Multi-Media category in the Business Division.
- ”Oprah, Come to My Small Town” Promotional Video - Jonesborough invited Oprah Winfrey to visit by sending her a video. The video has an opening and closing by Mayor Bledsoe plus shots and comments of and about almost everything in town. The video can be edited to be a generic invitation to all potential visitors. The video was a cooperative effort by the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, the International Storytelling Center, the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest
Virginia and various businesses in town. The videographer was Christine Cable of WJHL TV-11. This video was granted a Merit Award for Advertising and Promotions-Multi-Media in the Hospitality Organizations Division.
All in all, Jonesborough had a very good day. All recipients are enthusiastic about 2006 events and are already working on submissions for next year’s Pinnacle Awards.
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Waterline Construction; April 10, 2006
One of the projects currently under construction is a large 24-inch water transmission line that is being built from Forest View Drive all the way to W. Jackson Blvd. at Persimmon Ridge Road. This is a $1.9 million project that is critical to our ability to continue to provide good water service to town residents and our county water customers. The topic of this update is this water transmission line and its value to the Town.
Where is the new waterline being constructed? The new waterline will connect into our existing 12-inch water line running down Ben Gamble Road at its intersection with Jackson Blvd, and will go the length of Persimmon Ridge Road to W. Main Street. The line will then be constructed across W. Main Street at 3rd Ave and down 3rd Ave to Depot Street. It will go across Depot and over to 4th Ave where it will run along 4th Ave all the way to Forest View Drive. From there the line will turn east and connect into an existing 16-inch and a 12-inch water mains that come together at the intersection of S. Cherokee (Embreeville Road) and Forest View Drive.
What is the status of the construction?
The new line has been connected to the 12-inch water main at Jackson Blvd and has been constructed up the hill on Persimmon Ridge Road to about Four Oaks Nursing Home. There is also a 24-inch line that has been constructed from the entrance to Persimmon Ridge Park through the park all the way to the top of the ridge near the cell towers where a new 3 million gallon reservoir has been constructed. This section of the new line has been activated, and we are now filling up the new water reservoir.
There has been a lot of work going on at the T-Ball field at Persimmon Ridge Park, is this the new waterline? There has been water and sewer work going on next to the T-Ball field. The big waterline was constructed up the road by the ballfield, and the Town Sewer Crew has been laying a new sewerline adjacent to the field. This sewerline will go under Jackson Boulevard and connect to the new homes now under construction at the new Meadows and Mill Creek subdivisions. Clean-up is going on now so the field will be ready for use when the ball season opens.
Why is the new line so important? Jonesborough has a water plant that was built to treat 4.2 million gallons of water per day. In the last year, we have been averaging about 3.2 million gallons, but we can’t pump much more than that because of small waterlines. There are two large water mains that carry the majority of the water from the plant to Jonesborough. There is a 16-inch line and 12-inch line and they join together at Forest View Drive and S. Cherokee Street. The problem is that there are six inch lines in between these two large water mains on the southside of town and the Stewarts Hill reservoir, which has been our main reservoir and is located on the northside of Jonesborough. We can only get so much water through this grid of six inch lines, and that limits what we can pump out of our treatment plant. If we turn the pumps up too high to move more water, the pressure builds up and we start blowing out waterlines. The new 24-inch transmission line will allow us to move a lot of water and pump another million gallons out of our plant. With the rapid growth in our system, we need that additional water treatment capacity.
Also, the new water reservoir on top of Persimmon Ridge is 30 feet higher than the Stewart’s Hill tank which has been used to control the pressure in our system. Stewart’s Hill is a 500,000 gallon tank that constantly goes up and down based in demand. This means the water pressure in our system constantly fluctuates. The new tank on Persimmon Ridge is not only higher, which will increase pressure, but it is 3 million gallons so it goes up and down very slowly. Therefore, the pressure is more stabilized and doesn’t fluctuate nearly as much. This is a grant improvement to our water system. The large tank also greatly improves our firefighting capability, because we have 6 times the water storage capacity right next to Jonesborough.
How will the waterline be constructed on narrow streets like 3rd and 4th avenues? There is very little right-of-way on both 3rd Ave and 4th Ave, so the line will be constructed out in the street. Because we’re installing a large line, a large ditch is required and this means that the section of the street in which the contractor, Summers-Taylor, Inc, is working will be closed during construction. People living on the street will have to come in from the side that allows them to get access to their house. Obviously, that access may change as the project progresses. While we regret the inconvenience, we have no choice but to lay the line in the pavement, and this eliminates through traffic.
When will Summers-Taylor, Inc. finish the line? The contract is based on the project being completed by September, 2006. Summers-Taylor Inc, however, hopes to be finished before that date, but the speed of the project is essentially based on how much rock they run into. They started in mid-January and are about halfway through.
What about clean-up? The contractor is required to repair all of the areas along the street that have been damaged. Persimmon Ridge Road is in bad shape anyway, and it will need to be repaved entirely after the waterline is constructed there. We don’t have anymore work to do on Persimmon Ridge after this line, so we’ll repave it as soon as possible.
Final Comments Most of us take good water for granted. We are very fortunate in Jonesborough to have a good supply of water and a great water department staff. Mike Jackson and Mike McCracken have over 50 years experience between them, and our water system receives some of the highest scores of any of the water systems in our area. Every year, federal and state regulations get more stringent, and it gets more and more expensive to meet these new requirements. Our commitment is to get the most important work done with what dollars we have available. The project is being funded with a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant and Rural Development Administration grant and low interest loan funds. The grant amount totals 35% of the costs. We have to be proactive to keep our system in good operating order. The problems never go away, and they only get more expensive to fix.
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Lost State Scenic Walkway; April 3, 2006
As the weather warms up, more people want to improve their health by walking or riding a bike. The Town of Jonesborough is trying to make it easier for residents to stay fit by developing a comprehensive trail system called the Lost State Scenic Walkway. The update this week is on the status of the development of the walkway.
What is the Lost State Scenic Walkway? The LSSW is intended to connect one side of town to the other, allowing residents to walk in a safe and comfortable setting away from vehicular traffic, to the extent possible. Since Little Limestone Creek flows from the eastside of town to the west side, the plans for the walkway utilize the creekway for a major portion of the walkway. The LSSW is intended to connect all of the town’s parks and major open space areas, so that someone could walk from Persimmon ridge Park to Stage Road Park. The walkway will run through downtown, and people will be able to walk or ride a bike to Music-on-the-Square on Friday night, or eat, etc.
What has been completed? The Town has just completed the construction of a mile section of the walkway from Persimmon Ridge Park to West Main Street. The walkway is eight (8) feet wide and connects into the trail system within Persimmon Ridge Park. There is over a mile of low-aerobic walkway already in the park including a boardwalk section going over a natural wetlands area by the Water Park. In addition to internal walkway system, there are hiking trails on all the ridges of the 130 acre park. With the completion of the section along Persimmon Ridge Road, we have over two miles of the walkway completed.
Can we use the walkway now along Persimmon Ridge Road?
Yes, the walkway is available for walking, running and bicycling. No motorized vehicles are allowed. However, we still have a lot of work to do, backfilling the walkway edges with dirt, landscaping, and adding sitting areas with benches. However, if someone wants to walk to Persimmon Ridge on the walkway, it is available. We’ve contracted to have a 24 inch water line constructed all the way up Persimmon Ridge Road and work is going on now. Even though this new water line will be somewhat away from the new walkway, we still encourage residents to be aware of the construction for the next 30 days or so.
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Sewer Line; March 20, 2006
Let’s talk about the new sewerline up Little Limestone Creek this week. Last update, we talked about the Flood Control Project that is currently being constructed from Mill Spring Park to Sabin Ave. near the Exxon station downtown. The project also involves a 15” sewerline that is being constructed along with the 6 ft. X 8 ft. culvert. This 15” sewerline will connect into the new sewer interceptor line that we have constructed all the way up Little Limestone Creek to Spring Street. This sewer interceptor line is an extremely important project in preparing for future growth in Jonesborough and correcting some very serious problems. The timing has also been very important because the new line up Limestone Creek had to be in place at Mill Spring Park in order to connect the new sewerline being constructed with the Flood Project. Sounds complicated? Well, it hasn’t been easy and we are very fortunate that the timing of all this construction has worked out so everything is in place when it is needed.
What does this project involve? We have been constructing a new sewer interceptor line from the Wastewater Plant in the westend of town all the way up Little Limestone Creek through Mill Spring Park to Spring Street. The first phase was an 18” sewerline from the WWTP to 3rd Ave, and the second phase is a 15” sewerline from 3rd Ave up to Spring Street.
Why is this project needed? Much of the old sewer interceptor line is 40-50 year old clay pipe that is only 8-inches is diameter and in very bad shape. With all of the growth going on in Jonesborough, the main interceptor sewerline was just not big enough to handle the flows. Also, there was a lot of ground water getting into the pipe and our daily flows at the Wastewater Treatment Plant have been over twice the average volume of water we provide in town each day through our water system. The lines were too old and too small and had to be replaced.
How was it funded? We were able to obtain a combination of grant and low interest loan funds from the Rural Development Administration. The two phases combined cost $1,003,820.48 and 35% of that amount was grant funds. The loan funds were through a 38 year note at 4.4% interest.
What is the status of the project? The line has been constructed and activated from the WWTP to Mill Spring Park. Frizzell Construction has the contract for the second phase and has done a great job of getting through the Courthouse parking lot with a minimal amount of inconvenience to the general public. Frizzell has just put in the last new manhole at Mill Spring Park and has constructed the 15” line under the creek to connect into the existing Spring Street sewerline. They will be going back to S. Washington Drive and reworking a new sewerline under the creek there. That will be the end of the construction with Frizzell, and they will work on clean-up. Since the sewerline being constructed with the Flood Project connects into the manhole recently set at Mill Spring Park, both contractors, Summers-Taylor, Inc. and Frizzle Construction, have been working in Mill Spring Park at the same time.
How did they get under Fox Street without tearing it up again? When the Fox Street bridge was replaced, last year, the Jonesborough Sewer Crew placed a 36 inch casing, or large metal pipe, in the ground about 15 feet under Fox Street. Our crew placed the steel casing at the elevation we knew, at least on paper, the sewer would eventually need to be constructed. The intent was to run the new sewerline through the casing. There was some risk in putting this pipe in place because the second phase of the sewerline had to be constructed starting at 3rd Ave, and if the grade was off by the time Frizzell got to Fox Street they would have had to dig up the street again anyway. “Fortunately our sewer crew did a great job on installing the casing in the right spot”, said Mayor Bledsoe, ‘and the sewerline went through on-grade without any problems. That was a great relief, and I offer my congratulations to Wayne Campbell and our sewer staff. We’re so glad we didn’t have to tear up Fox Street again,” Mayor Bledsoe said.
What about clean-up? As soon as the new sewerline is connected to Spring Street, Frizzell Construction will work on relandscaping and repaving the areas disturbed. They will re-grade and sow grass and fix any driveways, streets and parking areas impacted. We also have some existing sewer collection lines to connect to the new line. We expect the project to be totally completed in April. If there is a problem with any individual property after the completion, Frizzell will be asked to come back and fix the problem. If we have trouble with getting the contractor back in a timely manner, we will correct any problem with our own Town crew.
Have we seen any benefit yet at our Wastewater Plant? We have! Our daily flows into the Wastewater Plant were reduced by well over 100,000 gallons per day. When we get everything tied in, we hope we will have cut another 100,000 gallons of creek water out of our system. This is so important because this infiltration/inflow takes up capacity that needs to go towards actual sewer service. It allows us to serve more customers without the expense of expanding the size of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Final Comments. “This is another project that has taken us years to accomplish, Mayor Bledsoe said. I was on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in 1984 when we got the grant to build the current Wastewater Treatment Plant, and we had serious infiltration problems then. We have solved some serious problems by constructing a new interceptor line. As with everything, however, we still have more work to do. We have purchased sewerline TV inspection equipment that can look at line conditions from inside the pipe. We will be continuing our efforts to locate and fix sewer collection line problems in our subdivisions and other major collection trunk lines. We have to work continuously to inspect, locate and correct problems. It’s important for growth and it’s important for our pocketbooks because the alternative is new facilities and they are always expensive,” the Mayor said.
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Flood Control Project; March 6, 2006
Jonesborough has a lot going on right now, and Board members and staff get asked a lot of questions about when a certain project is going to get started or when another is going to finish, and how are people going to be impacted? In order to “get the word out”, the Town is going to provide a weekly update for the next few months in an effort to keep residents of Jonesborough better informed. This week we want to talk about the Flood Control Project. Hopefully, the updates will provide residents with the information you need to know. If you have any questions, however, please call us at Town Hall.
FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
What does this project involve? The Flood Control Project is a difficult and complicated project. This is because of the underground utilities in the intersection of Main and Boone streets, the fact that a new sewerline must also be constructed from Spring Street to the Exxon at Boone Street, and because the project involves constructing a large 6 foot by 8 foot box culvert from Sabin Avenue by the Exxon to Mill Spring Park. The large concrete culvert will be installed using precast sections, 6’ x 8’, that are made off-site and brought to the job site. We insisted on precast in order to speed up the job, because to pour concrete “in place” requires months of curing time and extended time periods of open ditches.
Why is this project needed? The only way to stop the flooding of buildings on the east end of downtown is to have an alternate route for the flood waters to go. The existing culvert system will handle water flows from a 10-year storm event or less, but larger stormwater flows go over Sabin Ave and through the buildings including Whites Auto and a number of the historic Main Street buildings. We are still using the existing culvert system. The new large box culvert will take the overflow stormwater, up to a 50 year storm event, and carry it to Mill Spring Park. This means, if the engineering is correct, flooding of the same buildings should only occur once in every fifty years, and if flooding does ever occur it will be with much less water.
Also, the project involves constructing a 15” sewerline from Sabin Avenue to Spring Street. Constructing the sewerline and culvert at the same time saves the town money. We are digging only one ditch, and the streets are only messed up once. Although there will be inconvenience, by combining the projects we’ll have half the aggravation and only one clean-up! The section of the new 15” sewerline will take sewer flows from Boone Street and Main Street and carry them to Mill Spring Park to the new sewer interceptor line that is just being completed.
How was the project funded? We have been working with the Corps of Engineers for many years. We are receiving a 65% grant from the Corps, and we used the sewer money from the Rural Development Administration to provide the 35% match.
What is the status of the project? Summers-Taylor Inc. has been awarded the contract to construct the sewerline and box culvert. They started the sewerline last week. Spring Street from Franklin to Main Street has been closed, and it will be closed until both the sewer and culvert are constructed past Main Street. This could be through March, because the contractor wants to start on the box culvert construction within two weeks. People living in the area will be able to get to and from their homes from the Franklin Avenue side. During January and February, we have been waiting to get all of the underground utilities out of the way. The Johnson City Power Board did a great job of moving their lines and getting temporary services established until the culvert has been installed. The gas company and Jonesborough Water System have finished their preparations. The contractor is waiting on Sprint to put their fiber-optic lines in the intersection in new conduit. This work is still on-going. Once the culvert construction starts, the contractor will be filling the ditchline behind them with stone similar to the way we went through the Courthouse lot with a new sewerline. So when they cross Main Street with the culvert, Spring Street will be opened back up. The contractor is supposed to try to keep at least one lane of traffic open all the time on Boone and Main streets, but when they cross Main Street it will have to be closed in front of the Baptist Church for a couple of days. Our Police Department will be working with the contractor everyday to minimize the impact on traffic flow through the intersections.
Will this project negatively impact business downtown? We hope it won’t hurt business much, but we can’t say there won’t be some impact. We are certainly doing everything we can do to minimize the inconvenience. We have had three meetings with the contractor just to discuss the proper signage. We made the contractor take down the “Street Closed Ahead” signs on Boone because the intersection will only be closed a couple of days, if at all. We are even making some of our own signs saying “Visitor Center Open” that will go up at Jackson Blvd and Boone. The people shopping and tourists visiting will be able to get downtown. We want the pass through traffic to use Second Ave and Washington Drive so there won’t be as much congestion at Boone and Main. We’re trying to get the two turn lanes on Jackson Blvd at Second and Washington paved as soon as the asphalt plant opens back up. That will make it easier for the pass through traffic to get around downtown. We will do everything to keep congestion down and to provide good access to the Courthouse and downtown. Also, people can use Lincoln Ave to get down to Spring Street.
When will the project be completed? Once Sprint is out of the way, Summers-Taylor Inc. will start working a 24-hour schedule. It is remotely possible that they could have the culvert constructed in 30 days or less on this schedule. There are a lot of “ifs” including rock, bad weather, etc. that can slow the construction down. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that everything goes well and Summers-Taylor is substantially thru by the end of April.
What about clean-up? The area of Spring Street torn up by the project will be completely repaved, and all the other pavement disturbed by construction will be repaved as soon as possible after the sewer and box culvert are installed. The Mill Spring Park area disturbed by the project will be re-landscaped using grass blocks which allow grass to go up through them, but they are resistant to scouring and erosion when the culvert carries stormwater. We will be responsible for a lot of the replanting of Mill Spring Park, so we will be working with the Tree and Townscape Board to come up with a great landscape plan.
The Traffic Advisory Committee will also be looking at some potential changes to the Boone and Main streets intersection that might make it safer for motorists and pedestrians. These changes will be implemented, if possible, when the intersection is restored.
Will Mill Spring Park suffer with additional stormwater? Actually, not much. We started the Flood Control Program in 1980. TVA was in charge of Flood Prevention in the Tennessee Valley at that time, and we worked with TVA to create a 3-phase plan. We implemented the first two phases and part of that work was the installation of overflow culverts under Fox Street. There are four culverts that will allow flood waters to go under Fox Street into the Courthouse parking lot if the bridge carrying Little Limestone Creek under Fox Street gets completely full in a storm and water starts backing up. These four overflow culverts are one foot below the first floor level of the Slemons House at Mill Spring Park, and thus will prevent this historic house from flooding.
Also, when Fox Street was recently rebuilt, we got the Corps of Engineers with TDOT and the new bridge design allows more water to go under Fox Street in the same area. The new design will carry quite a bit more water so between the new bridge and the 4 large overflow culverts, Mill Spring Park can carry the re-directed water flows coming down from Boone Street.
Final Comments. The finish of this culvert project completes the 3-phase plan that was initiated 25 years ago, when Mayor Tobie Bledsoe was on the Town Board. “I’m proud to be part of the beginning and end of this important project, and would like to compliment the Town Board on working through all of the hurdles that had to be overcome”, Mayor Bledsoe said. “As Alderman Jimmy Rhein says, ‘we’re excited to see it get underway, but we’ll be even more excited to see it end’, and I feel the same way”, said Ms. Bledsoe While this completes the work on the flood problems downtown, we have other stormwater issues we are trying to address in other areas of town. We want to talk about the other projects in another update.
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Town of Jonesborough
Phone: 423.753.1030
123 Boone St.
Jonesborough, TN 37659
email
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Lots going on in Jonesborough