At our meetings, the Kingsport Neighborhood Commission always invites citizens to share concerns with us. Many of you came to us last year, and that’s why our top priority this year was to return the favor.
Sometimes the first step in finding a solution to a problem is to see it for yourself. On a hot Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, the Neighborhood Commission set out together in a couple of vans to do just that. We rode through Kingsport, making stops in Fort Robinson, Lynn Garden and the downtown neighborhoods.
During our tour, we got a firsthand look at your concerns: the homeless encampments in Fort Robinson, code violations and absentee landlords in Lynn Garden, the expansion of the park facilities at Lynn View and the General Shale property in downtown. In each area, we stopped to talk to our neighbors, take notes and photograph what we saw.
The chance to see things for ourselves gave us a lot of ideas about how we can address your concerns. The Neighborhood Commission wants to collaborate with the Homeless Coalition that’s led by the Greater Kingsport United Way. We want to research enforcement of code violations and finally, familiarize the public with downtown development and the benefits it brings.
It was helpful to see our neighbors’ concerns with our own eyes and to think about Kingsport’s plans for these areas. Some of the solutions will take time, but every concern is still on our radar. We plan to follow up on all of them.
In other news, the Neighborhood Commission will present our quarterly report to the Board of Mayor and Alderman at the BMA Work Session on June 17.
Come see us at the Farmer Market next week!
Be sure to visit us at the Kingsport Farmers Market again this year! You’ll be able to share your concerns or suggestions with the Neighborhood Commission face to face—plus we’ve got a little something to give away. We’ll be at the new Evening at the Market on Thursday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. or at the usual Saturday morning market on June 15.
Join Us for a Meeting
The Neighborhood Commission meets the last Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Room on the second floor. Hope to see you on June 27. We’d love for you to join us!
If you prefer to send us a suggestion, concern or praise, please email us at KingsportNeighborhoods@gmail.com.
Margot Seay is chair of the Kingsport Neighborhood Commission
View the full article here:
