KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — The City of Kingsport will apply for a state grant to rehabilitate the observation tower at Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium.
The observation tower, not to be confused with the old fire tower on the north side of Bays Mountain, is about half a mile from the park’s nature center off the Bays Mountain Road trail.
Tuesday night, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to authorize city staff to apply for a $100,000 Tennessee Tourism Enhancement Grant.
The rehabilitation project will include scraping, painting, new decking, compliant railing, additional amenities and structural reinforcement.
The project is expected to cost $177,000.
The grant would come with a 70/30 match requirement. Matching funds totaling $90,000 would come from donations and pledges from the Friends of Bays, Fox family, and Bays Mountain Park Commission.
