South Pittsburg Area Revitalization Quest (SPARQ) is proud to announce that our town has been honored as the Tennessee RiverLine Community Partner of the Year!

The award was announced at the 6th annual Tennessee RiverLine Summit, which was held in Guntersville, AL, January 23, 24 and 25, 2023 at Lake Guntersville State Park. The Tennessee RiverLine’s awards program recognizes communities, individuals, and organizations who best demonstrate leadership through their commitment to the transformational vision for North America’s next great regional trail system, and who embrace its guiding principles through innovative Tennessee RiverTowns programming. 

The Community Partner of the Year award recognizes a Tennessee RiverTowns community who consistently demonstrates enthusiasm for the Tennessee RiverLine initiative and a commitment to its guiding principles across its comprehensive efforts. In 2022, 110 participants experienced South Pittsburg’s second annual Pitt to Port Paddle that has become one of the Tennessee RiverLine’s largest and most anticipated community-led events. This grassroots enthusiasm sets a foundation on which community leaders, organizations and residents are developing a transformational vision for enhanced, equitable access to river spaces and experiences through the Connect South Pittsburg project, led by SPARQ South Pittsburg. Connect South Pittsburg proposes a new 16.5 acre riverfront park on public property and 5.5 mile system of connective bicycle and pedestrian trails to promote active and healthy lifestyles and accelerate economic development.

South Pittsburg Area Revitalization Quest (SPARQ) is excited to announce, June 30th marked the completion of our Tennessee Downtowns projects. Tennessee Downtowns is an affiliated program of Tennessee Main Street designed to help communities embark on a comprehensive revitalization effort for their downtown. This 24-month program coaches selected downtowns and their steering committees through the steps of launching an effective revitalization effort. Program space is limited and highly competitive. Activities in the program include training, site visits, regional workshops, webinars, technical assistance and an innovation project grant.

A dedicated community-based steering committee was formed to train on the programs grant process, review business applications for eligibility based on Tennessee Downtown Grant guidelines, and assist businesses throughout the program in filing all obligatory information. Seven South Pittsburg businesses plus the City itself, qualified for grant assistance to make improvements. The total amount of the grant was $15,000 divided equally among the 8 projects.   

Through collaboration with the City of South Pittsburg, Tennessee Downtowns Project and South Pittsburg Area Revitalization Quest (SPARQ), we continue to strive to make long-lasting impactful improvements to our community. We are grateful for the privilege of being designated as a Tennessee Downtown Community through this program and the vital assistance they provided for our local businesses.

Take a stroll through town to see the improvements and remember to support local business, they are the heart of our downtown community.  Enjoy the video of the before and after pictures of our local businesses.

To learn more about the Tennessee Downtowns program, visit tn.gov/ecd