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Sullivan County close to giving Lynn View fields to Kingsport

Published July 7th, 2009 | 0 Comments

BLOUNTVILLE — A proposal to give county-owned athletic fields in the Lynn Garden community to the city of Kingsport appears headed for approval by the Sullivan County Commission.

On Monday, the commission’s Administrative Committee gave its endorsement to the plan. Last week, the second of three such committees did likewise.

The resolution will be up for discussion by the commission’s Budget Committee later this week and could come up for a vote by the full commission on July 20.

Commissioners are getting their first official look at “early concept” drawings of what Kingsport could do to improve Lynn View athletic fields.

City officials have said Kingsport would spend $100,000 on the fields within the next two years to improve community recreational opportunities at the site.

“While we have consistently mentioned we plan to spend $100,000 to improve the Lynn View fields in the next two years, I’m sure we will invest more in the first five years,” Kingsport City Manager John Campbell wrote in a letter to County Mayor Steve Godsey a couple of weeks ago. “We anticipate our Parks (and) Recreation and Public Works Departments will probably do the equivalent of $50,000 — $100,000 of in-kind work during the first two years also.”

Along with the letter, Campbell provided Godsey with the conceptual drawing of possible improvements to the fields.

The property in question is across the street from the former Lynn View Middle School, which the city purchased earlier this year from Tri-Cities Christian Schools.

Details from the conceptual drawing for the athletic field property include:

• The existing football field and stands would remain, along with a baseball diamond and two basketball courts.

• Three parking areas with a total of 86 spaces.

• A 30-foot-by-60-foot “pavilion.”

• A picnic pad.

• An ADA (American With Disabilities Act) compliant trail.

• A new restroom on the upper end of the property, along with a restroom/concessions building (currently on the lower end near the baseball diamond).

Administrative Committee members also gave a collective thumbs-up to a resolution seeking “endorsement” of “establishment of a medical school at King College in Bristol.”

King College officials made a presentation to the full commission a couple of months ago regarding the potential new medical school.

In that and similar presentations made to other local governments, speakers laid out King College’s vision of creating a $150 million school of medicine in Kingsport and Bristol by 2012 — with officials saying the economic impact of the endeavor would be transformational for the region.

King College President Gregory Jordan estimated the project’s cost at $150 million — $100 million for the construction of and equipment for the two campuses, and another $50 million going toward the operation of the university for the first five years.

King officials have said the college sees $50 million coming from Kingsport, Bristol and Sullivan County; $50 million coming from the state of Tennessee; and $50 million in private donations.

A consultant hired by King said the medical school would have an initial economic impact of $60 million and increase to $100 million by 2015, $212 million by 2020 and $365 million by 2035. He said the university would initially create 536 medical professional jobs and that by 2035, the five-state area would have 20,000 direct and support jobs from the full implementation of the program.

The resolution seeking the County Commission’s “endorsement” of the “King College Medical School initiative” is sponsored by County Commissioners Eddie Williams and Buddy King.

The resolution “pledges” the county’s “commitment to work with Kingsport, Bristol and King College to advance this important project.”

It does not mention monetary support.

It’s listed as “new business” on the commission’s agenda this month, meaning a vote won’t necessarily be called for when the full commission meets July 20.

The Executive Committee deferred action on the resolution last week. It could be discussed by the Budget Committee later this week.

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