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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.

The monthly Town Council meeting was held on March 14, 2023. The meeting agenda can be viewed here.

Town Council held a tribute in memory of Cecil Johnson, a retired Town of Tazewell employee serving for thirty-seven years and Fire Department member for thirty-two years. Mayor Hoops remarked on the extraordinary way that Cecil touched the lives of each of us during his tenure and hoped that their efforts came close to the tribute that Cecil truly deserves. Mayor Hoops expressed his condolences and presented Cecil’s son, T.J., an honorary plaque to a standing ovation and also read a resolution of honor commending Cecil for his community service. Additionally, the Town of Tazewell Fire Department presented T.J. with an order of promotion for Cecil to Lieutenant, with full membership support.

At the request of Jaden Redd and Taryn Stiltner, Town Council awarded assistance to support their attendance of the 2023 DECA National competition in Orlando, Florida. Jaden and Taryn qualified for event by placing first for their Bulldog broadcast at the State DECA competition held in Virginia Beach.

Rick Chitwood, a Senior Project Manager at Thompson & Litton, provided Town Council with an update for the proposed wastewater treatment plant project, reporting on the impact of the current market conditions and material availability.

Alicia Bales, President of Tazewell Today, provided Town Council with an update on their progress made in 2022. Accompanied by Executive Director Vanessa Rebentisch, Alicia shared that Tazewell Today recently received re-accreditation as a Virginia Main Street. Tazewell Today’s primary initiative is to revitalize the Main Street community. In 2022, they focused on website development, supporting the arts, building volunteer committees, hosting events, operating The Rink, and many other activities.

The monthly Town Council meeting was held on February 14, 2023. The meeting agenda can be viewed here.

As part of the celebrations for Black History Month, Brittany Davis shared with Town Council the history of the Shake Rag/Carline community in Tazewell. Located on the original path the trolley travelled from the Tazewell Train Station to Main Street from the 1890s – 1930s, which then followed Tazewell Avenue and Fincastle Turnpike, the area developed into an African American community that remains through today. The origins of the name for the Shake Rag neighborhood, officially named Carline for its location on the trolley “car line,” has multiple accounts – from the practice of shaking a rag to flag the trolley for service to the wash days when laundry would be hung from clotheslines to dry. Brittany explained that though it was historically an offensive and derogatory expression, residents have taken that negative connotation and turned it into a positive one showing pride in their roots. The neighborhood hosts frequent fun events for both residents and the general public, such as reunions and block parties, celebrations for Juneteenth, Independence Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.

Luke Allison and Jarrod Burton introduced Town Council to their development project for the property at 320 Main Street. The extensive renovations to the former Tazewell Equipment & Motor Corporation building will result in multiple commercial spaces and up to 18 apartments. A Tazewell native, Luke is excited to bring the skills in redevelopment that he has honed in Pulaski to his hometown.

Mayor Michael Hoops read a resolution in support of “Twin Community” status with fellow “Tazewell” community, Tazewell County, Illinois.  John Ackerman, Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Illinois, proposed the partnership after a visit to Tazewell. In Twin Community programs, each locality shares information about their partnering community to help build a relationship fostering growth and understanding. The resolution stated there are only 4 counties/communities named Tazewell in the United States, each named for either Senator Henry Tazewell or his son, Governor Littleton Waller Tazewell, both of Virginia. The shared naming creates a unique historical bond between the locales. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower inaugurated a peace program to advance this bond, also known as “Sister Cities” or “Twin Towns”, with his citizen diplomacy initiative that was developed to strengthen and build world-wide connections through exchanges of cultural and educational communications between communities. Town Council voted unanimously in support of this resolution and looks forward to partnering with Tazewell County, Illinois, in this process.