2016 saw its fair share of ups and downs across the country. As citizens prepare to usher in the new year, included is a look back at some memorable moments that occurred within the City of Elizabethton.

Twins announce one-year extension to continue play at Joe O’Brien
After months of preparing a plan, the city was notified by the Minnesota Twins organization that the Elizabethton Twins will continue play for at least one more year as talks are underway to renovate Joe O’Brien Field.
Over the next 60 days, the Twins and city will work through a $3.2 million proposal created by the Elizabethton Twins Task Force and unanimously supported by City Council — pending a one-third contribution from Minnesota and the support of private donors.
Part A & B of renovations would include construction of a new Elizabethton Twins clubhouse facility, renovations to the other clubhouses, stadium seating, Riverside Park improvements and the replacement of a stadium knee wall along with safety netting — pegged at $2,368,000. The second part of renovations includes the construction of a new press box, additional stadium seating upgrades and the building of a new picnic area — set to cost $832,000.

Shaw announced as city police chief
Following the resignation of Greg Workman as the city’s police chief, City Manager Jerome Kitchens announced that Jason Shaw would serve in the position on Wednesday, Nov. 16.
Shaw served in the interim following Workman’s resignation and was in a pool with 12 other candidates for the position.
“Jason was one of the final four out of 13 candidates,” Kitchens said. “We had nothing but positive response from the public as far as his work performance and from the department as well.
“We’re proud to be able to elevate a local person into this position,” he added.
Shaw began working with the Elizabethton Police Department in 1999 in a variety of positions, along with being heavily involved with the Stoney Creek Volunteer Fire Department, serving as the chief of the department before accepting the new role at the police department.
“It’s an honor to be named to the position,” Shaw said. “I want to be the police chief that the folks at the police department and citizens will be proud of.”

Bonnie Kate reopens to public
The Bonnie Kate is back in business in Elizabethton.
The East Tennessee Foundation raised over $100,000 to purchase the theater in the name of the city. An effort was spearheaded by local businessman and Elizabethton/Carter County Community Foundation member Jon Huber, which saw the city accept the fund to begin the process of bringing businesses into the building.
Bonnie Kate will feature a variety of activities in the coming years, being utilized for the arts and business. The first new business for the Bonnie Kate opened this year — Sugar Love Bakery & Cafe.
Splash pad to help revitalize Franklin Pool
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced in August that Elizabethton received a $100,000 50-50 matching grant to improve the Franklin Pool inside the Joe LaPorte, Jr., Recreation Area. The funds from the grant will be used to implement a splash pad, which will replace the baby pool in the area.
“Our baby pool facility was very much outdated,” Parks & Rec Director Mike Mains said. “With the pump system and mechanical issues … we were looking at a way to make things safer and most cost efficient.”
Mains credited the help of Elizabethton Planning and Development Director Jon Hartman and Lance Lowery with the First Tennessee Development District to obtain the grant.
“Bringing in a splash pad will be a great addition,” Mains said. “You see so much support for the pads in our area. It is a great item for people of all ages to use.”
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017.

Summers-Taylor, OmniSource announce business moves
A well-known name decided to move business this year as Summers-Taylor decided to move their business from Elizabethton to Johnson City after acquiring the Model Mill property in downtown.
The business will still provide service within Elizabethton and isn’t expected to move out of the area until the property is ready. Clean-up at the Model Mill property began in December.
OmniSource in Elizabethton also elected to shut their doors. The business also shut down operations in Kingsport to centralize their business in Washington County.

Covered Bridge remains hot ticket in the city
2016 saw a successful year for the Covered Bridge.
The city organized its 50th annual Covered Bridge Festival to the joy of record-breaking crowds this year. The recently installed Covered Bridge Park hosted the first annual Show on the Doe movie night and concert nights.
The Covered Bridge also earned national recognition, being named as the No. 1 Covered Bridge in the country according to the USA Today Top 10 Readers’ Choice awards.

City joins NTREDP
The city elected to joined the Northeast Tennessee Regional Economic Development Partnership (NTREDP) during their January City Council meeting.
Mitch Miller, Washington County Economic Development (WCED) CEO, was in attendance for Thursday’s City Council meeting to provide a presentation on the goals for the Northeast Tennessee Regional Economic Development Partnership (NTREDP).
The goal of the organization will be to promote the region, including Carter, Washington and Unicoi counties, Miller explained. Miller also outlined a five-year plan that includes retention and expansion of existing businesses in each county, aggressively marketing the area, site development and infrastructure, regional stakeholders and community relations along with asset development and talent attract.
NTREDP will operate as a 501(c)(6), much like a Chamber of Commerce, Miller added. The WCED will staff the endeavor. With the recent success in Johnson City, the CEO added the partnership is hoping to have all of the region be successful for the future.
The NTREDP already made its first move in the region with Miller asking the city to hold $2,000 to benefit Carter County Proud for the application process for Keep America Beautiful.
Elizabethton Planning and Development Director Jon Hartman will serve as the city’s representative for the organization.

Mayor Alexander elected to sixth term
The City Council will be led by a familiar face for the next two years.
Councilmen unanimously voted for Curt Alexander to return as Elizabethton mayor for a sixth term during January’s meeting inside City Hall.
Alexander has served in the role since 2006. Councilman Richard Tester nominated the mayor and the motion was seconded by Bill Carter. No other nominations for mayor were made.
The mayor thanked the city council for their support and added he is looking forward to working on projects within the city for the next two years to continue growth and development.
Following the vote for mayor, councilman Jeff Treadway nominated Carter to serve as mayor pro-tem once again and the motion was seconded by Kim Birchfield. The council also unanimously supported the decision with no other nominations on the table. During the November election, Alexander, Birchfield and Treadway received nods to serve as councilmen.

High school students earn national acclaim
Elizabethton High School students earned recognition at a worldwide level thanks to the XQ America’s Super School project.
Students joined inside the school on Wednesday, Sept. 13, during a livestream presentation that their “Bartleby School Project” received $200,000 to benefit EHS due to their ideas. Along with the school receiving funding to implement the plan, students’ part of the group received a $1,000 scholarship each to be used at the future school of choice.
“We have phenomenal children who are focused on bettering our community,” City Director of Schools Dr. Corey Gardenhour said. “They’re a special group … when you’re in a pool of 10,000 different teams and come out on top, it tells us we’re doing the right thing. Our teachers are doing the right thing, teaching our children. They’re phenomenal, our kids are phenomenal … I can’t say how proud I am of our students. Today is all about them.”
Students from Alex Campbell’s sociology class were assisted in the project by Campbell and EHS instructors Dustin Hensley and Daniel Profitt. The class submitted a 70-page proposal last year that focused on experiential learning, community service and group based learning. The idea was gathered by the book, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” written by Herman Melville.
The award allowed the schools to implement two different classes that will be used in the future, meet with local business and organization leaders and see senior EHS student Cory Fitzsimmons become the inaugural member of the city’s Board of Education to allow a student’s voice be heard by officials.