For several years now, a dedicated group of paddlers have been working hard in Elizabethton.
The Surf Betsy Advisory Board, along with support from the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department and other commerce groups, are trying to establish a whitewater park somewhere along the rivers that flow through the city.
With the Doe and Watauga rivers, members say a manmade park where rafters and kayakers can enjoy rapids could be a boon for tourism.
Local leaders have visited similar parks in North Carolina and Virginia and have found them to be entertaining and popular.
Building such a park wonât come free though. Some cities have spent millions to install the features needed for such parks.
Faced with declining student enrollment, the Carter County Board of Education will consider closing schools to save money.
A report presented to school board members last week outlined a population drop from 6,000 to 4,763 and suggested closing Little Milligan, Keenberg, Valley Forge and Unaka elementary schools and Cloudland High School.
The remaining students in the zones currently served by those schools would be redistributed to other schools.
Over the next five years, the suggestions as presented could shave more than $2 million off the county districtâs budget, which is currently $42 million.
No decision has yet been made, and the school board plans to discuss the proposal at its meeting on Feb. 18.
Johnson City leaders are considering creating and appointing community members to an equity advisory board to recommend social justice initiatives for the city to pursue, but some arenât completely sold on the idea.
According to Press Staff Writer David Floyd, City Commissioner Jenny Brock brought the idea to the commission after speaking with protesters last summer.
If created, the 11-member body would advise the commission, provide quarterly reports, develop a budget for community equity initiatives, complete a community gap analysis, gather input through town hall meetings and focus groups and create a community equity plan.
Its main goal would be to promote inclusion and participation in city government for residents in underserved groups.
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