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Tipton County Wins AIB/CN Railroad Grant

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TIPTON COUNTY WINS AIB/CN RAILROAD GRANT

Tipton County is excited to announce that it has been awarded a grant from American in Bloom and CN Railroad in the amount of $25,000 to update the landscaping on the courthouse lawn.  The funds will be used to replace trees and shrubs that have suffered damage from the ice storms the county has experienced over the past few years.  Work will begin this spring.

America in Bloom and CN Railroad award this grant each year to cities through which the CN Railroad runs.  The railroad on the eastern side of Covington is operated by CN Railroad.  America in Bloom provides technical support for the project.  CN Ecoconnexions From the Ground Up program provides the funding.  

Tipton County is grateful to America in Bloom and CN Railroad for awarding us this grant.  On June 6, Ms. Laura Kunkle, Executive Director of America in Bloom, Dr. Marvin Miller, Chairman of the Grant Review Committee, and Ms. Stacey Lyons, Government and Public Affairs Manager for CN Railroad, will visit Covington to help us celebrate our landscape project.  Tipton County Executive Jeff Huffman and Covington Mayor Jan Hensley will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the courthouse lawn at 9:30 a.m.  The public is encouraged to attend and help us express our gratitude for the grant.

America in Bloom believes that communities that are more welcoming and vibrant have a competitive edge in attracting tourism, stimulating economic development, and creating a thriving environment in which to work and live.  Communities that work together to beautify their environments develop deeper bonds that make the communities stronger and more vibrant.  Property values improve, vandalism and crime decrease, and the message is spread that this is a great place to live, work, play, and visit.  

As an extra benefit of the grant, America in Bloom is sending two Advisors to Covington to tour the city and evaluate it on criteria such as “community vitality,” “celebrating history,” “environmental initiatives,” “floral impact,” and others.  (See “Community Profile” link below.)  After their visit, the Advisors will issue their report and will make suggestions for improvement.  The Advisors will be in  Covington on June 12-13.  

Tipton County is partnering with the City of Covington, the Tipton County Master Gardeners, and many local volunteers to beautify the city in preparation for the Advisors’ visit.  Extra “clean-up/fix-up” efforts are already under way.  Mayor Jeff Huffman and Mayor Jan Hensley encourage local residents and businesses (inside and outside the city) to take part in the preparations.

If you need advice on the best varieties of plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs for your property, contact our local UT Extension Office at 476-0231.  Want to learn more about gardening?  The Tipton County Master Gardeners are here to help.  The group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the newly-renovated train depot.  All are welcome.

Gardeners who want to “take it up a notch” should check out the America In Bloom Resources webpage for some wonderful educational videos.

If you know of an area in Tipton County that needs litter removal, call Jessica Hernandez, Director of Keep Tipton County Beautiful, at 476-0254.  For litter removal within the city limits, call the Covington Ground Maintenance Department at 901-476-6793.

Click here for the Covington Community Profile