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 Tennessee RiverLine is powered by partnerships. It stands as a testament that we can achieve something together that no one could accomplish alone. Our team, the UT Institute of Agriculture, and our principal partners, UT Knoxville and Tennessee Valley Authority, continue to be inspired by the many and innovative ways that our partners in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee put these ideas into practice in their community and across the region.”
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.
