Two collaborative projects with Washington County and the Town of Jonesborough were celebrated in one week. On Monday, December 11th, County and Town leaders celebrated a two-year partnership installing 10 miles of new waterline to unserved rural Washington County. On Friday, December 15th, parents, teachers, Town and County leaders dedicate the new Jonesborough K-8 School which will be leased by Washington County.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held December 15 to commemorate the opening of the new Jonesborough Elementary School with students set to move in this January. The school, located on 48 acres at 720 North Cherokee Street, Jonesborough, is the culmination of a great working relationship with the Washington County Commission, the Town of Jonesborough and the Washington County School Board.
“This school commemorates the commitment made by the Washington County Commission toward education in our region,” said Mayor Joe Grandy as he recognized commissioners in attendance. Washington County will lease the school from Jonesborough to cover the payments.
Working together, officials from Washington County and the Town of Jonesborough have “used taxpayer dollars wisely,” according to Project Manager Bob Browning.
The $42.75 million Jonesborough Elementary School was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Community Facilities loan that is a 28-year note. According to Browning, the quality of facilities is now very important in terms of economic development.
“The top priority of the Town was to build the school our children and teachers deserve,” said Browning. “We have the highest percentage of growth of any community in Northeast Tennessee, young families are moving into the region. They are looking at the schools - it’s hard to look at out of date 50/60-year-old round schools,” said Browning.
Student Safety is a priority with the school’s new location, away from the traffic of the highly congested 11 E. It features athletic fields and new opportunities along with the new location.
The school project reflects a “total cooperative relationship and support from the Washington County Commission, the Jonesborough Town board and the Washington County school board,” according to Browning.
On November 29, with 55,000 feet of waterline already placed, the town of Jonesborough and Washington County celebrated the two-year anniversary of the first shovel of dirt in the joint waterline project between Washington County and the town of Jonesborough. The Washington County Commission had the vision, even before ARPA funding to get water out to rural areas that were not served with pipes, making water a priority for nearly a decade. The County Commission created a Water Task Force with Bryan Davenport as the chair.
Davenport said Commissioner Jerome Fitzgerald thought of the idea to have a County crew working together with the town of Jonesborough to get water lines out to rural areas. Commissioner Davenport and Mayor Grandy then worked with Glenn Rosenoff and Craig Ford and with Kevin Brobeck’s oversight, his crew made it happen!
The project involved a partnership with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Mayor Grandy and the Washington County Commission. Town of Jonesborough Utility Manager Kevin Brobeck said "It’s a good partnership and we want it to continue into the future to try to get every road in Washington County with a waterline.”
As the town and county celebrate their progress, Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy expressed his gratitude, “I would like to thank the Washington County Commission for their vision and commitment to use over one-half of the Federal ARPA funds allocated to Washington County, for water service to County residents without access to safe drinking water. This allowed us to leverage additional State grant revenue to support further projects.”
Jonesborough Town Administrator Glenn Rosenoff stated that this is a "remarkable partnership between the town and the county – a humble example of two governmental entities working together to extend water to the underserved areas of the county."
Town of Jonesborough Mayor Chuck Vest added, "We are proud to supply more water for less than one penny a gallon to underserved areas throughout Washington County. We look forward to future opportunities."
The project is moving way ahead of schedule, getting water out to people who need it.