Mayor Thomas Estabrook said in his December annual State of the City address that 2025 was a successful year for Bicknell.
The mayor highlighted the “largest infrastructure projects to date” completed in 2025, and new projects slated for the spring.
“Home construction continues to grow, and the city is poised for new development,” Estabrook said.
Despite funding uncertainty, that Estabrook said the city faces because of Senate Bill 1, the mayor said he is confident the community can be pushed in the direction of growth.
“Bicknell’s financial position is stronger than that of cities of similar size in our region. We hold more cash and less debt than many of our neighbors and work to cash flow large purchases and projects,” he said, but added it is important to recognize the impact of Senate Bill 1.
“It remains unclear what the full impact will be since some of the property tax changes take effect in 2026, and the larger changes to the income tax structure take effect in 2027 and 2028," he said.
Estabrook also highlighted changes in Bicknell’s business community in 2025.
“The city was saddened to see Family Dollar close its doors about a month ago. However, I have recently spoken with the leasing agent for the building and expressed the city’s desire to work together on luring a new tenant to the building. Naturally, the first thing I mentioned was a grocery store. I shared the grocery store survey data with him and said that Bicknell is ready to help in whatever way possible,” he said.
He also said he has been working to gain attention of site selectors and developers outside of Knox County, in an effort to get “fresh eyes” on the city.
“Smaller cities are often required to take extra steps to draw the attention of businesses and developers who may not be thinking of coming to a smaller community," he said. "I believe that Bicknell is ripe for new development and hearing strategies and seeking input from others who specialize in development could be positive.”
The city has been active in infrastructure projects, mostly thanks to the Community Crossings Matching Grant program. Estabrook highlighted the city’s most recent award, which is a little under $960,000.
“The award covers portions of 23 different streets with a focus on streets that have taken a back seat in previous applications, but are now in need of resurfacing. ADA ramps and drainage improvements will occur on some streets. The new award places the city’s CCMG total at $6.1 million and total completed road work since 2016 at $8.3 million. This year’s construction season was capped off with the completion of East 4th and South Main which saw reconstruction of the road surface, drainage, and sidewalks in areas that had not seen major work since the early part of the 20th century.”
The mayor also discussed the large acquisition of properties the city made in April. Addressing the criticism that the city was “buying up the whole town,” Estabrook said he believes that the city must “take the first step in new development by taking the arduous journey through the commissioner’s sale or dealing with property owners who may be reluctant to part with their properties. The long-term result is a cleaner city, better neighborhoods and new development.”
On the topic of development, Estabrook said the city has seen a “magnificent bounty of new homes construction,” and that the “grand experiment” the city had engaged in by providing the lots for new homes had been successful.
Estabrook also told those gathered that the park system continues to flourish, pointing to the high usage of the parks in the warm weather months, and planned renovations to several amenities, including the basketball court at Northside and the splash pad.
He finished his address with a discussion of the planned construction of a new city hall.
The mayor is in discussions with bond counsel and a financial consultant to receive advice on borrowing costs and the long term affects for taxpayers. The total cost is somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million. Estabrook said he is hopeful that he will give a future State of the City address from the new location.
“It is without hesitation that I can report that the state of the better of Knox County’s two cities is vibrant and strong,” Estabrook concluded, “with a focused outlook for 2026.”