Chamber and Master Plan Speak to council
By Sherri Blevins
The Bridgeport City Council met on December 9, 2019. During the meeting, the council heard presentations from the Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Master Plan representatives.
The Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce presented the council with information about advertising in their new county-wide mapping booklet. The council agreed to consider the different advertising options and contact the chamber with a decision.
The council agreed to purchase a $45.00 ad in the Jackson County Sentinel for December.
The majority of the meeting involved a presentation by the Master Plan group. Representatives displayed a slideshow updating all present on the progress of the plan and an informal summary of the data collected so far. The group has been busy conducting public meetings and collecting surveys from interested stakeholders. The data was compiled into a piechart to display the answers to questions on the survey. The group also conducted two public meetings at the Senior Center during September and October, where participants listed Bridgeport’s assets, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. These findings, along with other important research, will be used to develop the finished master plan for the city. Surveys were also given to seventy-five students at North Jackson High School, and will also be given to several different groups of stakeholders in the community. The group conducted eight face to face meetings with citizens, and a total of twenty-five residents participated in the public meetings. They also visited RiverLine Representatives at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to broaden their knowledge of the needs of the area.
The survey questions and answers were presented in the form of a pie chart and comment section during the presentation. Here is a summary:
- Why do you live in Bridgeport?
68% of the respondents stated that they either had family here or were born here. A smaller percentage said they liked the small-town atmosphere or it was close to work.
- What are your favorite things about Bridgeport?
Some of the answers included the small-town atmosphere, downtown celebrations, and one person commented, “The mayor is working hard to give the residents a sense of pride as he works to grow the city.”
- What do you think your neighbors would value about Bridgeport?
Sixty-three % of those surveyed said it has family-oriented neighborhoods and a small-town atmosphere. Eleven % chose churches, and eleven% also chose history and historical venues.
- What are the important places?
Answers to this question included parks, outdoor activities, historical places, Battery Hill, Reenactments, The Trail of Tears, restaurants, and the walking bridge.
- What would you like to change about Bridgeport?
Add more outdoor activities, add additional restaurants, update the park, and clean-up the city and residential areas were some of the responses.
- What do you see when you come to Bridgeport?
Responses included residential architecture with character, ample parking, Depot, 180 degrees view of the water, walking bridge, boat dock, and peaceful atmosphere along the riverbank.
The group still needs to complete its economic market research and stakeholder interviews. They also plan to meet with Citizens United for a Better Bridgeport (CUBB) to gain information about the city.
The council received a comment from a local citizen about the beautiful Christmas decorations and a complaint from two other citizens about the continuing stray dog problem facing local neighborhoods.
The mayor and council wished everyone a safe and Merry Christmas, and the meeting was adjourned.
