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IN THIS ISSUE
Symphony showhouse
When the Knoxville Symphony League opens its 2012 Symphony Showcase House to the public starting Friday and running through May 13, it will be celebrating the event’s 25th anniversary. Scott Bishop, local designer and owner of Westwood Antiques in Bearden, has been a participant for most of those years, and says it’s a project he finds exciting and always looks forward to. See page A-2
Mayor surprises West Knox Rotary It’s a big deal for any organization when the city’s mayor comes to speak, and that was doubly true for West Knoxville Rotarians when Mayor Madeline Rogero spoke at their recent luncheon meeting. The mayor was accompanied by her executive assistant and scheduler, Terry Alexander, whose Dad, Haynes Smith, is a popular longtime member of the club. In addition to enjoying the opportunity to lunch with his daughter, Smith had brought along his wife, Fran, and announced the couple were celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary.
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See page A-2
Better at giving than driving ... Wendy Smith says if you were to judge the fine folks of West Knoxville by the way they drive, most wouldn’t come off well. “The good news is that driving behavior isn’t necessarily indicative of character,” she says. “Almost every day, I get to interact with truly selfless West Knoxvillians. Just this week, I met an architect who didn’t just help a needy family, but did it with child-like glee.”
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See Wendy’s story on page A-3
Index Anne Hart Wendy Smith Government/Politics Marvin West Malcolm Shell Faith Schools Business Health/Lifestyles
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A lofty gift By Wendy Smith It won’t make up for what they’ve lost, but a new treehouse will give a West Knox family a special place to be together and a clear view of how much their church, and their community, cares about them. Reid Faulkenberry, a 40-year-old father of five, passed away last summer after a heart attack. Gregor Smee was on vacation with his family when he heard the news from his daughter, Savannah, who was a friend of 15-year-old Sydney Faulkenberry. Gregor, president of Smee+Busby Architecture, had never met Reid, but the girls had been in a Fellowship Church small group together since the 7th grade. A few months later, Savannah and Sydney were playing on a tree swing at the Smee’s home. Sydney commented that she would like to have such a swing, and Gregor was happy to help. When he saw how excited all five children were for a simple
swing, he wanted to do something else for the family. He asked their mother, Jana Faulkenberry, if she thought the kids, who are now 16, 14, 11, 11 and 9, were too big for a fort. “I said, ‘Are you ever too big for a fort?’ ” says Jana. But when she told him that Reid had wanted to build a treehouse with the kids, Gregor’s eyes lit up. “He turned into a 12-year-old boy,” she says. He took the idea back to Smee+Busby, and the firm ran with it. “Who, besides architects, would be more excited about a treehouse?” he says. The idea was to build a treehouse with five platforms – one for each child – but that wouldn’t fit in one tree, says Gregor. The current plan, created by Design Manager Christopher King, calls for two platforms in one tree and three in another, with the two trees connected by a suspension bridge. A rendering for the Faulkenberry “tree lofts”
Gregor Smee, Savannah Smee, Sydney Faulkenberry and Jana Faulkenberry show off Sydney’s tree swing, which will soon have a closeup view of the family’s new tree “lofts.” Photo by W. Smith was revealed to the family at Fellowship Church on Easter Sunday. “It is amazing,” says Jana. “What kid wouldn’t want to hang out there? I may want to hang out there!” Smee+Busby is accepting donations for materials for the treehouse, which will be installed by employees and volunteers in May. The Home Depot on Schaad Road has agreed to give a discount on materials. If he can collect enough money, Gregor would like to add
Christopher King, design manager at Smee+Busby Architecture, designed the Faulkenberry tree lofts. Photo submitted roofs to the lofts. There’s no way to candy-coat what has been a tough year, says Jana, but the family has been blessed by amazing support from both the church and the community. “I’ve tried to keep things as normal as possible. It’s neat to see something the kids wanted to
do with their dad come to fruition. That’s awesome.” The project is a reminder that people care, says Sydney, and she’s looking forward to the day when she can hang out in her own “loft.” “It will be good to get away sometimes.” To donate: www. smeebusby.com/.
Bearden rebuffed on sidewalks By Sandra Clark Knox County Commissioner Jeff Ownby is nothing like former Commissioner Bee DeSelm, you might say. But you would be wrong. Last week Ownby was smacked down by his colleagues in a manner reminiscent of DeSelm’s 20year tenure representing District 4. Ownby had requested a discussion at the commission’s April 16 workshop regarding a cooperative project with the city to install and upgrade sidewalks around schools. The idea was developed by the Bearden Council, Ownby said afterwards. But the commission’s reaction was so negative that he probably won’t pursue it. Commissioner R. Larry Smith, whose district lies outside the city limits, even tried to offer “a friendly amendment” to study all school zones “to fix the worst problems first.” Somebody told Smith you can’t put an amendment on a discussion item. Dwight Van de Vate, senior director of the county’s Department of Engineering and Public Works, was brutal: “We do not look at streets (and sidewalks) around city schools. We do ours and they do theirs.” “City taxpayers pay
Keep Your Me Memories emo SAFE!
Jeff Ownby
File photo by S. Clark
county taxes, too,” Ownby said afterwards, restating DeSelm’s signature issue. Even Sam McKenzie, who represents an all-city district, was negative: “Traditionally, this is a pond we’ve not played in.” And Richard Briggs agreed: “The policy for the county has been, we don’t do sidewalks.”
The Mainstreet Project As presented by Ownby, the sidewalk project would require $400,000 from Knox County to be matched by the city of Knoxville and a contribution to install crosswalks by UT. The university already is building a plaza on Sutherland Avenue along the Third Creek Greenway in front of the new athletic fields. “A safe sidewalk connecting businesses on the north side of Sutherland between
Hollywood and Jade streets would help to finish shaping the physical and social character of this community and continuing the ‘greening’ of this area,” according to the Mainstreet Project report. Ownby told commissioners the parental responsibility zone for Pond Gap Elementary School extends to apartments on Sutherland across from West High School. And sidewalks from Cagle Terrace to the new strip mall would help senior residents of Cagle Terrace where recently a resident nicknamed “Speedy” was killed in a collision with a vehicle. McKenzie argued that “there are available sidewalks in that area,” but Ownby said where sidewalks exist they are too narrow or broken and uneven. Later, Ownby observed that the county includes sidewalks in new school construction, such as Hardin Valley elementary and high schools and new elementary schools at Carter and Northshore Center. “I thought it was a good plan for the county and city to work together. “It’s about making it safer. And city people pay county taxes, too.” Somewhere Bee DeSelm was nodding yes.
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Festival of Cultures
Rebecca Uwase and Babu Emile show artifacts from Rwanda, Africa, at Pellissippi State’s recent festival.