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Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will lead Knoxville area seniors in the Walk with Walgreens senior center competition.
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Forgotten hero of the Great Smokies Although he may not be as well known as Col. David Chapman or Carlos C. Campbell, Gen. Frank D. Maloney may have had as long a relationship with the movement that finally resulted in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as anyone else.
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See Dr. Tumblin’s story on page A-6
Two Byrds in the hall of fame Marvin West has known good guy Ben Byrd, former Journal sportswriter and editor, for 60 years. He’s known son Rick since Rick was 8, playing biddy basketball at old Knox High. Marvin was the referee and says nobody in the Byrd family ever yelled at him. In August, son will join father in the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
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See Marvin’s story on page A-5
Index Business A2 Wendy Smith A3 Government/Politics A4 Marvin West/Betty Bean A5 Jim Tumblin A6 Faith A7 Kids A8 Health/Lifestyles Sect B
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July 16, 2012
Weigel revamps store design … keeps tall sign By Betty Bean
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VOL. 6 NO. 29
IN THIS ISSUE
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By a vote of 11-2, the Metropolitan Planning Commission approved a Use on Review for a new Weigel’s convenience store planned for the corner of Ebenezer Road and Westland Drive. There was serious neighborhood opposition to the store’s design, lighting and sigBill Weigel nage, which was originally going to be a standard brightly lit, red and white complex. However, the night before the vote, CEO Bill Weigel met with a group of 30 homeowners and made nine significant concessions, but refused to budge on his planned 30-foot pole-mounted sign, which some neighbors considered a deal breaker. The county ordinance allows up to a 50-foot tall sign. Weigel, who is recuperating from surgery, appeared before MPC the
day after the meeting and said that he has shelved his plan to build a prototypical store and will instead construct a building that looks like the new Weigel’s on Choto Road, which features muted colors and lighting, a dark, faux wood fence and an outdoor picnic area, which will cost him an additional $90,000 dollars. He rejected the request that he replace the pole sign with monument-style signage because he believes the store’s visibility will be obscured by a retaining wall next door, and that his store will require more visibility than a low-lying monument sign can provide. “When your name is on the front door, you do some stupid things. You just do them. But family businesses are important. We take pride in our work and in people liking what we do. Makes us feel good,” Weigel said. Farrington Homeowners Association president Richard Piety was one of those who met with Weigel the night before the MPC meeting. He said he thinks the homeowners got the best deal they could, al-
though many of his neighbors will find the tall sign hard to live with. “We do appreciate the changes that he’s offered to make in response to the neighbors’ concerns about the appearance of the building, but we’re obviously disappointed that we weren’t able to make any more progress on reducing the height of the 30-foot sign. Probably our next step is to look into whether we can prevent this from happening in the future by having a corridor study done and possibly an overlay in the area that would prevent us fighting over signage on every rezoning. We just don’t see the need for 30 foot signs up and down the road.” Commissioner George Ewart, who voted for the Weigel’s Use on Review, said he doesn’t think the decision will spawn signage battles. “There are just two tracts of commercial land out there and I just don’t see the problem with a 30-foot sign. If people don’t want to shop there, that’s Mr. Weigel’s risk. His pole could be 50 feet tall.” Commissioner Laura Cole, one of the two votes against the Weigel’s plan (Michael Kane was the other),
disagreed with Ewart. “We’re talking about a Use on Review,” she said “We’re looking at the big picture and we have some leeway. … When it’s all said and done, I drive up and down that road and see those tall signs. I know when one goes in, others are going to follow.” Margot Kline, another organizer of the neighborhood effort, has pushed for the county to complete a road-widening project at Westland and Ebenezer before the convenience store opens. She has asked county officials to do a small area study to establish a corridor plan and overlay to protect the area, as Piety suggested. She said she wasn’t surprised by this outcome. “I had a very clear sense of how this was going to go, and could have told you what some of those commissioners would say ‘The ordinance allows them a 50-foot sign and they’re only going to a 30-foot sign.’ All and all, I think this was a good outcome, and I felt it was extremely important to put in the record that this is not a precedent.”
A colorful celebration By Wendy Smith When they arrived in Knoxville in 2007, Knoxville’s first Burundian refugees faced enormous challenges. After spending more than 30 years in refugee camps, few had any formal education, and even fewer spoke English. But their biggest obstacle was the isolation they faced in a completely foreign culture. The Light Mission Pentecostal Church became a refuge for many of the Burundians. In spite of continuing struggles, the fledgling congregation recently celebrated its first year in a new building with a morning of singing, dancing and thanking God. “It’s a miracle of God to get this place. We had no money,” says pastor Magwe Arthemon. Miracles and struggles are nothing new to Magwe. He was born in 1964 in the African country of Burundi, which is sandwiched between Rwanda and Tanzania. In 1972, he was one of thousands who
The Light Mission Pentecostal Church choir performs during a celebration of the congregation’s first year in its new building on Heiskel Avenue. Most members are Burundian refugees. Photo by Wendy Smith fled their homeland because of eth- coming to Knoxville. Magwe continued to study and nic violence. He lived in Congo and His parents were converted by a refugee camp in Tanzania before Swedish missionaries in 1935, and To page A-3
County posts $17.3 million surplus gives us an opportunity to do someSome would say Trustee John thing,’ ” Hammond said. Duncan and his staff worked hard The commission funded $7 mil- to increase collections. That is lion of a requested $35 million in- demonstrated by the increase in By Sandra Clark crease sought by Superintendent Dr. fees collected from $1.3 million to When the county’s fiscal year Jim McIntyre and the school board. $1.9 million. ended on June 30, Some would say the economy both property tax is coming back. Consumers are and sales tax revAsk five people and you’ll get five spending more and paying propenues exceeded answers as to why the county has erty taxes on time. projections, reWhatever the reason, the surplus produced a surplus. sulting in a $17.3 Some would say Mayor Tim “no gives County Commission the opmillion surplus. shenanigans” Burchett projected portunity to step up and do the right This surplus is low in preparing last year’s budget thing for Knox County’s 56,000 available for one- during uncertain economic times. public school students. We’ll see Hammond time school needs Others would say he just got lucky. how this plays out. and could fund technology upgrades in all schools. Knox County – fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 Commission chair Mike Hammond said Friday that he has asked Budget Actual Difference interim Finance Director Chris Caldwell to attend the chair’s lunProperty Tax 248,769,308 261,463,386 12,694,078 cheon at 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, Sales Tax 136,514,750 141,164,674 4,649,924 to discuss the commission’s options. “When I saw those numbers Total 385,284,058 402,628,060 17,344,002 come in I thought, ‘Wow! This
Will commission fund school needs?
Why the surplus?
50
% Off
What happens west? West Side commissioners generally supported the school board budget and all voted for the $7 million. The budget requested funding for these capital projects: Farragut High School, $1.750 million Pond Gap Elementary, $7 million Additionally, Bearden Elementary was slated for $600,000 in FY 14, as was Farragut Primary. Spending all or part of a surplus for one-time construction is prudent fiscal management and an investment in the health and safety of students and school staff.
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