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Gatlinburg receives TML excellence award for animal-resistant dumpster program and bear-management work
Summary
The city manager reported Gatlinburg won the Tennessee Municipal League's excellence in municipal governance award for its animal-resistant dumpster program and related outreach to reduce bear encounters.
Greg (city manager) told the Gatlinburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen that the city received the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) 's excellence in municipal governance award for its animal-resistant dumpster program and bear-management efforts.
"This award would not be possible if not for the work of the public works department and sanitation department for their efforts to identify solutions for securing garbage and eliminating trash as a food source for the bears," Greg said. He credited outreach work by the Gatlinburg Police Department and Gatlinburg Fire Department and said the program began implementation in early 2024.
Greg said TML officials highlighted the city's strategic investment, interagency collaboration and public education as reasons for the honor. He reported that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and Bear Wise have used Gatlinburg's approach as a model for other communities.
The manager also commended recent departmental youth outreach, saying the fire and police departments held a successful kids' camp that reached local families over the past two weeks.
Greg concluded the report by thanking the commissioners and former city manager Cindy Cameronova for their roles in shaping the program.
