Published: June 23, 2009 06:05 pm      

Graham named state's top mayor

Crossville’s Mayor J.H. Graham, III, was named the 2009 Mayor of the Year by the Tennessee Municipal League at their annual conference recently held in Chattanooga.

Each year the league honors a city mayor that typifies the attributes of intelligence, effectiveness, hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. TML has honored a mayor annually since 1954.

Mayor Graham was recognized for the city’s many significant accomplishments during this past year in the areas of recreation and leisure services; water and wastewater; energy conservation and the environment; and traffic mitigation and public safety.

During the past year, Crossville's Centennial Park was recognized as the Independent Softball Association's Complex of the Year, the first time that award has been given to a Tennessee ballpark. The award puts Crossville's ballpark in the company of some the best parks in the country.

The city also announced that Carl T. Duer Soccer Complex, a $4.5 million investment in the community, is set to open this year. In addition to being a place for Crossville Recreational Youth Soccer Association to hold games and practices, the complex is expected to attract state and regional tournaments that will bring in families and players to stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, purchase fuel, and shop in local stores — all adding to the city’s, as well as the state’s, tax base.

Other recreational events that Mayor Graham tirelessly worked on include the Tennessee Senior Open Chess Tournament and the Tennessee Women's Open Golf Tournament.

Recent water and wastewater accomplishments include securing an $800,000 grant to provide water to Cumberland Cove area residents; improvements to the Holiday Hills dam, spillway and bridge; and increasing the capacity of the city's wastewater treatment plant. The Crossville Wastewater Treatment Plant has also been recognized for the fifth consecutive year with an Operational Excellence Award from the Kentucky Tennessee Water Environment Association and National Safety Council award for no lost time to accidents.

The city also plans to raise Meadow Park Lake dam in order to enlarge the reservoir lake to increase drinking water capacity. That project is in final planning stages to move forward soon. Construction of a new sewer line out Highway 127 S to Cumberland Mountain State Park is also ready to start.

To promote energy conservation, Mayor Graham spearheaded the Crossville Energy and Sustainability Initiative which resulted in a sustainable energy strategy for the city of Crossville. Key goals identified in the report include: greening the city’s vehicle fleets with hybrid and other cleaner cars; modernizing city buildings with money-saving energy-efficiency technology; and investing in clean and safe renewable energy. Mayor Graham was also appointed secretary of the newly founded Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council. The goal of the council is to promote the development of renewable energy and connect new technology in energy with sustainable rural economic development opportunities in Tennessee. During the past year, Mayor Graham also took the lead on energy forums for the business community and a sustainability fair for fifth-graders in Cumberland County.

In the area of public safety, the Crossville Police Department won the championship trophy on highway safety and the department came in second place in the division for police departments their size between 26 and 50 officers from the annual Governor's Highway Safety competition. In addition to the recognition and awards, the police department won $10,000 in equipment including an in-car video camera and an in-car radar unit. The mayor and the city council also started seeking $3.2 million funding for the construction of a new fire hall for the Crossville Fire Department.

Road improvements completed over the past year include widening of East First Street to Peavine Road and the improvements at Genesis Road and Cook Road at Stone Memorial High School and Roane State. New traffic signals have been installed at North Main Street and Interstate and Northside drives, Miller Avenue and Livingston Road and Miller Avenue at Tenth Street. The city also started the work of installing new traffic signals for the I-40 exits at Genesis Road.

“This has been a great year for the city of Crossville due in large part to the tenacity exhibited by Mayor Graham,” said TML President Tom Beehan. “In recognition of his strong leadership, he is being recognized by TML as the 2009 Mayor of the Year.”

TML is a nonprofit organization founded in 1940 and based in Nashville. The organization includes 347 Tennessee cities and towns and represents 99 percent of Tennessee's municipal citizens. The league’s primary function is to work with the General Assembly on legislation helpful to city governments.