Town Council Meeting April 2023

The monthly Town Council meeting was held on April 11, 2023. The meeting agenda can be viewed here and the full Town Council packet is available here

Kondwani Patterson, Executive Director of outreach program Each One Teach 1, Inc., gave a special presentation on the Warhawk Community Park project, alongside board members President Brittany Davis and Secretary Hunter Mullins. Each One Teach 1 is local non-profit organization that was established in 2020 with a motto of “Empowering Our Community Through Mentorship and Networking, Together We Are Strong.” Kondwani thanked the Town of Tazewell for their support in this three-year journey, along with many foundations and community members who have contributed to its success. Brittany shared that the “organization fosters community pride and brings together people of all ages from various backgrounds promoting diverse interaction, inclusivity, and community learning as well as contributing to economic development.” The Warhawk Community Park, so named in honor of students bused from the Carline Community School to the Tazewell County High School in Bluefield during segregation until 1965, will be located at 374 Carline Avenue. Brittany presented conceptual renderings of this exciting initiative that will feature fitness and play equipment, community gardens, shelters with restrooms, a walking path, and more, with a community center planned as a future development. Kondwani stated that another goal is enhancing affordable housing options in the area and is actively investigating 3d concrete printing services. Hunter is in the process of obtaining his contractor’s license to assist in this goal and spoke about his positive experiences with Each One Teach 1 and the wonderful sense of inclusivity he has felt in the Tazewell community after his move here almost 13 years ago.

Greg Hogston, Sales Manager of Blue Line Solutions, gave a presentation regarding traffic control. Blue Line Solutions offers photo speed enforcement solutions aimed at increasing safety in school and work zones. Greg provided preliminary data from school zones in the Tazewell area that identified problematic areas in the baseline study Blue Line Solutions completed previously in April of 2020, and recommended proactive steps be taken to increase safety for students and workers who are adversely impacted by the significant unsafe driving practices measured. Of the 42,314 vehicles passing through the school zones measured during the 5-day study period from 7:30 am through 3:30 pm, 3,373 of the vehicles were 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit. 46 of those vehicles were travelling 21 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit. The measures Greg recommended include proper public education on the importance of striving for zero accidents and fatalities brought on by unsafe driving. This educational period would include closely working with Town Council, school systems, and the community to bring awareness of the safety importance, followed by a 30-day period of warning violations given to drivers, before the program actively begins giving citations. His statistics from other implementations of this system indicate a 90% reduction in unsafe driving practices following the 30-day warning period.

Treasurer Leeanne Regon introduced customer service associates Sabrina Schooley and Vickie Smith and expressed her appreciation at their hard work. In the time since Sabrina came on board several months ago, she has advanced to water clerk. Leeanne also praised Vickie for a job well done and her wonderfully positive attitude. 

Police Chief David Mills introduced new officers Nathan Hensley and Tyler Ruble. Both will soon be attending the police academy to start their official training process. Chief Mills shared that Nathan joins as a former Police Officer in Princeton and Tyler recently moved to the Tazewell area. He is excited for their academy graduation in September and felt each of the recruits are excellent additions to the Town of Tazewell police force.