Mayors share 2025 achievements, set 2026 priorities

Area mayors say 2025 was marked by recovery, infrastructure work and renewed public trust, with major projects and tight budgets shaping plans for 2026. Town of Unicoi Mayor Kevin McInturff said one of the most meaningful accomplishments of the past year was not a single project, but rebuilding a sense of unity and openness between town leaders and residents. "What I'm happy with more than anything is people being united," McInturff said. "People feel like they can come in here or to the meeting and just talk about whatever they want to. It's a relaxed atmosphere." McInturff said Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings have become a place where residents feel welcomed and heard, something he credits to cooperation among elected officials and town staff. "I stand behind our board, and the board stands behind me," he said. "We have really calm, collective meetings. We all try to work together, and I think that's a big plus." Among the town's tangible accomplishments in 2025 was completion of the Massachusetts Avenue Project, along with improvements to multiple roads throughout Unicoi. McInturff said the town completed work on 14 roads and received positive feedback from residents. Looking ahead to 2026, McInturff said the town's focus will remain on infrastructure and appearance, with an emphasis on making Unicoi feel more like a connected town center. "We're looking into grants as far as sidewalks, just making it look more like a town and feel like a town," he said. McInturff said planned work includes street beautification, cleaning ditches, repairing or replacing culverts and drain tiles, and reworking certain rights of way to address long-neglected areas. In Erwin, Mayor Glenn White pointed to industrial access and long-term infrastructure as defining issues of the past year and the year ahead. White said one of the town's biggest achievements in 2025 was securing approval and funding to move forward with an industrial road project at the industrial park. "That's the biggest impact, getting that road back there so those people can go to work," White said, crediting the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for allowing staff to move the project forward. The industrial road project will continue into the spring, White said, alongside work on a tight but stable city budget and day-to-day operations he described as running smoothly. Erwin also secured a nearly $800,000 sidewalk grant that is expected to begin in the spring, along with additional paving tied to storm recovery and FEMA-supported projects downtown and on several city roads. Looking to 2026, White said the town plans to continue focusing on infrastructure while managing costs. He noted the city paid off $2 million in debt over the past year, creating more flexibility moving forward. "My main concern is still working on the infrastructure," White said. Upcoming priorities include evaluating aging springs and culverts, advancing a second phase of a paving project pending board approval and coordinating with Erwin Utilities on stormwater and sewer-related culvert upgrades. White said those projects could be costly and will likely require additional grant funding. White also highlighted progress at Fishery Park, where a $7 million BlueCross BlueShield grant is expected to fund a new park, with construction potentially visible by early summer. "There's a lot of good things, and I think it's moving in the right direction," White said. "It takes a team effort." Unicoi County Mayor Garland Evely said the county has made strong progress in recovery efforts following last year's flood and is financially stable as it moves into 2026. "Our overall progress that we've made in the year since the flood, I think is really as good or better than the surrounding counties," Evely said. "And, of course, we still have some large projects that are up for bid right now, our Chestoa Bridge, and then our rail spurs being done as we speak. Those were major projects that will be completed." Evely said the rail spur project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, with the Chestoa Bridge going out for bid in the same period. "That construction time's about a year to rebuild the Chestoa Bridge," he said. As far as the county budget, Evely noted the area is in good standing. "I'm very proud of where we stand and the help that we've received from the state and continue to receive help from the state on specific projects that we're working on," he said. Evely said the county is also focused on reopening local industries and supporting the Riverview Industrial Park. "We hope our industries will open back up completely in 2026," Evely said "We've got a couple that's reopened and so we hope to see the Riverview Industrial Park back to normal." Evely noted that the completed road and rail work will help recall workers. He added that a number of road projects will begin in the spring, including repairs to roads damaged by heavy trucks hauling debris after the hurricane. "Terry Haynes, (the road department director,) will be working on road upgrades… He's already replaced a couple of small bridges that needed to be upgraded from the flood," Evely said. Evely also highlighted a $5 million NRCS stream bank mitigation project along the river and creeks in the southern part of the county. "All of that will be done in the first quarter of 2026, which will allow Haynes to work on roads next to the river, going up River Road, Jones Branch Road and Unaka Springs Road," he said. "We have to have those stabilized before he can do anything major to those. With that project being a $5 million project, it'll be completed probably in the first quarter to second quarter of 2026," he added.