County Mayor Weston Wamp said the county intends to apply for a $250,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for restoration and clean-up efforts on a 300-foot segment of Stringer’s Branch, a stream running through Red Bank.
The section is at a Red Bank park on Redding Road. The creek currently is mainly in a concrete pipe, but it will be allowed to flow naturally.
“Hamilton County has sought grants with unprecedented success over the past year, resulting in millions of dollars of investment across the county with little to no additional cost to local taxpayers,” said Mayor Wamp. “Although I have had my differences with leadership in Red Bank, I have never wavered in my commitment to serve the citizens of one of Tennessee’s most unique small cities.”
Stringer’s Branch historically has had low water quality and this grant will leverage improvement opportunities that best ensure benefits to natural resources, it was stated.
Restoration efforts include naturalization of a man-made channelization through Redding Road Park and improved public access.
“We hope to breathe new life into this popular Red Bank creek with a low cost to taxpayers,” said Director of Development Services, Nathan Janeway. “Our aggressive pursuit of grant funding has allowed us to expedite a number of projects with little expense to the county, and we have every reason to believe the State will award us with the funding for this much-needed project in Red Bank.”
The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners will vote to apply for the grant at next week’s commission meeting on Wednesday. The grant requires a 20 percent match from Hamilton County.