Page 9 - Vol40 No3 Sept-Oct2022

STATEWIDE Reprinted with permission from Tennessee Town and City.
TN Municipal League Award Winners

Excellence in Public Works: SPARTA

Paving and water and sewer align with to be paved. The city’s aggressive
infrastructure upgrades are usually not paving schedule directs that all city streets
the most exciting jobs that a municipality are repaved every eight years so long as
has to undertake, but the essential costs hold.
function these services provide can both As a result of coordinating
facilitate community growth and bolster infrastructure rehab and paving, the city
improvements in other areas. has repaved 16 of the 49 miles of roadway
The city of Sparta began a within the Sparta city limits as well as
comprehensive overhaul of its added 61 new downtown parking spaces
infrastructure in a way that both in the past two years. In that same time
revitalized the community as well as period, seven streets in the city have seen
coordinated the project so that new total water line replacements while another
upgrades would be made in tandem. six have had sewer line replacements.
The entire effort was spearheaded by the In addition to paving, the Sparta Public
Sparta Public Works Department and its Works Department has overseen the
employees, leading to revitalization in completion of two gateway monuments Sparta Public Works employees install a new kayak
other areas of the community as well. welcoming visitors to the city and dock at the city’s South Carter Street Park, one of
In recognition of the hard-working completed numerous in-house upgrades many tasks the department undertakes for the city.
efforts made by the city of Sparta and to various city-owned facilities. The city
the Sparta Public Works Department to has established a pattern of work to make Sometimes even the smallest
improve city services in a strategic manner, needed infrastructure upgrades and improvements can lead to big change.
the Tennessee Municipal League is pleased improvements. Sparta public works employees work to
to present Sparta with an award for Public Works employees have plant trees, protect scenic views, control
Excellence in Public Works. maintained an aggressive maintenance signs, and encourage new construction
Knowing that the city’s water and sewer schedule while also working on more to fit in with Sparta’s unique aesthetic.
distribution lines would need upgrades, visible quality-of-life improvements for Mayor Jeff Young has begun a program
the city decided to coordinate its schedule citizens, such as park upgrades. Existing incentivizing local business owners to
of water and sewer rehabilitation with its walking trails and train extensions have improve their facades, leading to several
annual paving schedule. By ranking and been paved this spring with decorative restoration projects.
rating condition of all water and sewer lighting added over the summer. With its limited resources, Sparta has
infrastructure, the city compiled a worst- Playground equipment was replaced utilized strong leadership, committed
to-first list for repairs and then worked to at both South Carter Street Park and employees, and taking small steps to create
rehab those facilities so the work would be Wallace-Smith Park with the city’s Pearson big changes in order to make their city a
completed in time for roads those projects Park next on the list. better place to live, visit, and work.

Excellence in Stormwater Management: McMINNVILLE

When faced with a flooding issue infrastructure to address the problem, City to present McMinnville with an award for
that was negatively impacting a local Administrator Nolan Ming in conjunction Excellence in Stormwater Management.
school and neighborhood, McMinnville with Stormwater Manager Lyndon While in his previous role as
leadership decided to think outside-the- Bussell, decided to take a modern, green McMinnville’s Community Development
box to solve an infrastructure problem in infrastructure approach that has brought Director, Ming had connected with
a way that will connect education, flood in local education leaders, the University UT Institute of Agriculture research
mitigation, public recreation, and the city’s of Tennessee, local businesses, and civic coordinator Dennis Gregg about finding
reputation as the Nursery Capital of the organizations to work with the city for the a project that could bring together
World. betterment of the entire community. local contractors and nurserymen for
Ongoing flooding in a field behind the In recognition of the dedicated efforts education on-site about the utilization of
city’s Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary made by the city of McMinnville to find native plants as a form of natural erosion
School was damaging local homes and unique solutions and bring community control, stormwater management, and
infrastructure in McMinnville. Rather than buy-in to solving a local stormwater issue, parks maintenance. That project came
installing traditional pipes and concrete the Tennessee Municipal League is pleased continued on page 10

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