The Baileyton Board of Mayor and Alderman approved a $12,209 bid Tuesday night for the repair and restoration of the Baileyton EMS Station on Horton Highway after the station was damaged by a fire on Nov. 13, 2025. The bid was awarded to Trade-Worx, a local company. Insurance is expected to cover the cost of the repairs.
The only other bid received for the project was a $28,000 bid from Servpro of Johnson City.
The bid from Trade-Worx includes the the repair and restoration of the entire bathroom in the station, which is where the November 2025 fire originated. In addition, the flooring and portions of the ceiling in the station will be replaced.
The fire that damaged the station was mostly contained to the bathroom, and began when a fan shorted out in the bathroom ceiling. Two members of Greene County-Greeneville EMS evacuated the facility safely once heat from the fire woke them up, and there were no injuries reported due to the fire.
Greene County-Greeneville EMS relocated into the United Volunteer Fire Department building next to the EMS station after the fire. Greene County-Greeneville EMS Director T.J. Manis said he was grateful to Chief Steven Keller and the United Volunteer Fire Department for housing EMS and helping keep an ambulance in the Baileyton community.
Manis said that EMS will continue to occupy the space until the EMS station is repaired, which he said he hoped would not be too much longer.
Alderman Kenny Kerr abstained from the vote because he noted that Trade-Worx had done personal work for him before.
In other business, the board approved a new ordinance involving campgrounds and RV parks on first reading. The ordinance requires two readings by the Baileyton Board of Mayor and Aldermen and a public hearing before taking effect. Baileyton Mayor Jamie Tilson previously said the purpose of the new ordinance was to modernize the town’s campground ordinance, and to bring the town’s current ordinance, which is not more than a few sentences, “into the 21st century.”
Alderman Andy Pierce also noted that the new ordinance could serve as a “base” to at some point address people living permanently in campgrounds in Baileyton. He noted that it would not be the intent of the board to leave anyone without a place to live, but that he desired that something be done to reflect that they were living in Baileyton as a permanent resident and taking advantage of of the town’s services.
Pierce noted that Baileyton receives funding allocations based on population, and that he wanted to town’s total population reflected accurately. He noted he was “sick of the politics” that he sees when trying to obtain funding resources for the town, particularly for street paving projects. The town has applied for a grant to complete some paving in the town, after a recent grant application for paving was not awarded.
The current ordinance being considered does not address that matter, but defines several terms. The ordinance would delineate that a short-term campground is a site where campers stay for no more than seven nights, while a long-term campground would allow stays of eight nights or more. However, the ordinance would not place differing regulations on the two types of campgrounds, it serves only to define them at this point according to officials.
The ordinance also stipulates that campgrounds would be permitted in R-2 zones or higher, and that new campgrounds will be required to submit a site plan to the Baileyton Planning Commission and comply with state and local regulations. Existing campgrounds would be grandfathered in under the ordinance, and would not fall under the new ordinance unless expanding.
In addition, the ordinance would allow for property owners to camp on their own vacant property for up to 60 days in a continuous 12-month period, and up to 30 days in a six-month period on their own improved property, such as a property that includes a residence. Only one camping unit would be permitted, and a camping permit could be required in certain cases, such as large gatherings with more than one camping unit on a property.
Violation of provisions of the ordinance would result in a fine of no less than $2 but no more than $50. Each day a violation exists would be considered a separate violation.
The ordinance will be considered for final passage at the Feb. 10 meeting of the Baileyton Board of Mayor and Aldermen. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held during the meeting prior to the final vote on the ordinance.
