Volume 41, Number 1 | Restart Edition January 2021

City Council members left to right: Drew Miles, Tommy Hunt, Mayor Andy White, Vice Mayor Fred Metz, and Sarah Herron.

On December 1, 2020 at 7 p.m. Mayor Tom Taylor called the monthly City Council meeting to order for the last time following 12 years of service as our Mayor and nearly 20 years on the Council. Tom’s leadership and wisdom will be sorely missed, but he has earned some down time that he intends to spend with his family and his wife, Nan. The first item of business for the December meeting was for newly elected Council members Drew Miles and Sarah Herron to take the oath of office administered by City Attorney, Melanie Davis. Immediately following the swearing in ceremony, Mayor Taylor and fellow outgoing councilman Joe Swann, who served for 23 years on the council, stepped away as our new council took their seats.The first task for the new council to consider was to elect Councilman Andy White as our new Mayor, and Fred Metz as Vice-Mayor. Congratulations to Sarah and Drew and Andy and Fred on their new roles.

New City Council Gets Right to the Business of Working Together

Joe Swann Honored for Twenty-three Years of Service

In the early evening of December 1, Councilman Joe Swann’s friends and family gathered in the Gary Hensley Room of the Municipal building to honor his leadership and service to the city as he retires. State-level leaders Art Swann, Reps. Bob Ramsey and Jerome Moon and the attendees applauded Swann as a video that highlighted his accomplishments played on the big screen. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander made a virtual appearance, praising Swann in the video not only for his leadership, but also for his involvement in local historical preservation. State Sen. Art Swann presented a proclamation from the state Senate and an embrace to his older brother as family, friends and longtime Maryville government compatriots looked on. “Big brother,” he said, “you’ve been an example of the type of councilman and citizen that I appreciate and I know everyone here does, too.” Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell, in a proclamation of his own declared Dec. 1 as “Joe Swann Day.” The city honored Swann’s dedication to Maryville’s future and its strong cultural roots with a statue titled “Volunteerin’ for the Fight,” created by the

Maryville Sam Houston statue, artist Wayne Hyde.“This is from a grateful city,” City Manager Greg McClain said, presenting the sculpture to Swann. Since 1997, Swann has been a prominent voice in City leadership, starting out as a city council member and Vice Mayor and then serving a term as Mayor from 2003-08. (Andrew Jones www.thedailytimes.com)

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New Employee

Jared BelcherEPW

Grounds Maintenance Worker

New Employee

Nick YoakumEPW

Grounds Maintenance Worker

Promotion

Jackson MortonEPW

Street Construction Worker

Promotion

Brian HutsellW&S

Utility Plant Mechanic II

Promotion

Wyatt SnowEPW

Street Construction Worker

Applause Please

City Manager’s Biscuit Breakfast 2020 Delicious and much appreciated!

Facebook FilesShout Out to Officer Justin Brown & Officer Alyssa Estabrook

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People are the Key

In the Fall of 2019 the Engineering Department, led by City Engineer, Kevin Stoltenberg began work to transform a donated piece of land into a park and natural walking trail through the woods that Maryville residents could enjoy for years to come. Named for Craig Jarvis, who donated a portion of the land, Jarvis Park, a 10-acre parcel off Court Street just north of the Vulcan Materials quarry is set to open in early 2021.The park was designed by Sterling Engineering, Inc. and the City Engineering Department. Many people have contributed to the various features including Mary Bristol who designed the sign and the trail map, Ron Nugent and Jamie Hipps who fabricated the signs, Steve Holte who contributed to the parking lot layout, and City intern Sharon Smith who helped with monitoring the construction progress and assisting in data collection and survey of the various park features.The woods and walking trail will be the first piece of what could someday become Maryville’s largest public park when the additional 37 acres of undeveloped land next to the park are added to the project. The property dates back to the 1700s. It was once part of a land-granted farm that belonged to the Duncan family where Jim Cornett’s house stood more recently. The plan was to keep the land as natural as possible, but still provide access to some of the more interesting features. Among those, the walking path that meanders along a tranquil stream, and a clearing within an oxbow of the creek that is accessible by a wooden footbridge. In the clearing, a picnic table and park benches provide a great place for birdwatching and relaxation.

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People are the Key

January Birthdays January Anniversaries

Ricky Jackson, Electric 42 years

Scotty Martin, W&S 34 years

David Morton, Finance 33 years

Julie Anderson, Electric 32 years

Greg Cooke, MPD 31 years

Patrick Effler, Electric 29 years

Danny Frye, Electric 29 years

Danny Wilson, W&S 29 years

Brent Robbins, W&S 27 years

David McCarter, Electric 27 years

Tim Phillips, EPW 25 years

Brad Hurst, EPW 25 years

Brian Hutsell, W&S 25 years

Jason Pesterfield, MPD 24 years

Tammy Hankinson, Finance, 23 years

Sherri Phillips, Finance, 23 years

Jennifer Cunningham, MPD 22 years

Dan Cantwell, EPW 22 years

Angie Luckie, EPW 22 years

Christine Tillman, IT 19 years

John Bivens, MPD 17 years

Dale Jayne, EPW, 14 years

Michael Myers, W&S 13 years

Thomas Craw, MFD 9 years

Matthew Lafon, EPW 6 years

Maria Nelson, Dev. Services 5 years

Andrew Payne, MPD 5 years

Jason Ayers, MPD 5 years

Jonathon Riggsbee, Admin 4 years

Caleb Smith, MFD 2 years

Ryan Hickman, MPD 2 years

Logan Turbyfill, EPW 2 years

1 Gabe Emert, Electric

8 Sharon Smith, EPW

9 Gary Walker, Dev. Services Patrick McGinley, MFD

10 Trever Nix, MPD Shane Collins, MPD William Potter, W&S

12 Phillip Stewart, W&S

14 John Bivens, MPD

16 Jessica Mason, Finance

17 Eddie Davis, MPD Tim Phillips, EPW Shawn Riddick, Water & Sewer Chris Buchanan, MPD

19 Jesse McWhorter, Water & Sewer Eddie King, MPD Patty Cox, HR

23 Robert Large, Dev. Services Ian Callaway, Electric

24 Jessica Cooper, Water & Sewer

25 Ryan Rogers, MPD James Middleton, EPW

27 Travis Brown, MPD

28 Kenneth Crowder, MPD

31 Jeremiah Morton, EPW

Glory DaysHeirloom photos of City Employees from back in the day.

Missi Fields, Finance pauses for a photo at her desk in 2008.

If you have a photo you’d like to see in the Nutshell please email it to mdbristol@maryville-tn.gov or call for pickup at 273-3407.

Special Thanks from a CitizenThank you to Kenneth Crowder for helping us adopt little Nelly. She’s very happy here and loves being with our Husky. She loves her hikes around the mountain and riding in the side by side. -Debbie Alexander