Bill Lyons, Senior Director for Policy & Communications announced today that Urban Growth Manager Rick Emmett will assume the duties of the city's downtown coordinator in addition to continuing in his current position.

Emmett replaces Hannah Parker, who had served as downtown coordinator since 2009 before leaving recently to accept a position in Governor Bill Haslam's administration.

Emmett, who had worked as a surveyor in Kentucky, joined the city 1992 as a technical service administrator in the city's Engineering Department.

In his role as Knoxville's urban growth manager he focused on issues related to orderly development, particularly providing or expanding city services to fast-growing areas or neighborhoods that had been annexed into the city. Emmett also helped develop the city's state-mandated growth plan and worked as census coordinator for the city working on both city and Knox County redistricting plans.

Recently he also served as the liaison between the city, contractors, residents and businesses on the recently completed Gay Street Streetscapes Project. One of his major tasks was working with contractors to minimize the disruptions caused by the 18-month-long reconstruction of the 100 and 200 blocks of Gay – which rest on a bridge-like structure above the original Gay Street – so that businesses and residents could continue to function.

"Rick has already been engaged in several downtown activities," Lyons said' "and we look forward to his working further with organizations like the CBID and all the stakeholders downtown to help continue the successes there."

Emmett is a licensed surveyor in Kentucky and Tennessee and has an associate degree from Southeast Community College in Middlesboro, Kentucky. He has also attended the University of Kentucky and Lincoln Memorial University.