VOL. 8 NO. 24 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
McGill to head Pond Gap School Shelly McGill is the new principal at Pond Gap Elementary School, replacing Susan Espiritu, who was reassigned as principal at Sarah Moore Greene Elementary School. McGill is a 2014 graduate of the Leadership Academy. She joined Knox County Schools in 2006 as a kindergarten teacher at Brickey-McCloud Elementary School and, in addition to her Leadership Academy service as an assistant principal at Dogwood Elementary School, she also has served as an assistant principal at Carter Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education, both from the University of Tennessee. She also holds an education specialist’s degree in education administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.
IN THIS ISSUE Interns return for summer fun Lies, awesome apple butter and more lies highlighted a visit to the J.C. Baker Lodge when WATE-TV news anchor Gene Patterson dropped by to video some authentic country cooking. Shopper-News interns came along to watch a real television production. Patterson made everyone feel at ease, and Joe McDonald fired up the oven with some “homemade” biscuits from Food City. Making apple butter is a four-hour process, Don Bridges explained. Luckily, members of the Apple Butter Brothers had arrived early, and the pot was bubbling to the perfect consistency. The interns got plastic spoonfuls of the mixture, straight from the kettle. “Is this hot?” asked one. Yikes!
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Read more on pages A-8 to 9
Alexander, Corker differ on bills Tennessee’s Republican senators split on two important votes last week, leaving little doubt which is currently running for reelection.
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Read Sandra Clark on page A-10
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Listen to the wonderful walls of Westwood By Wendy Smith If walls could talk, those of Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, would have stories to tell. The beautiful hand-painted walls in the home’s East Parlor may not speak with words, but their design clearly communicates Adelia Armstrong Lutz’s passion for color and pattern. The home was built as a wedding gift to Lutz, an artist, in 1890. Restoring the room’s decorative paint has been a priority since Westwood became the home of Knox Heritage last year. Paul Tickle of Asheville, N.C., was enlisted to restore the parlor walls, and work began last week. Tickle, assisted by Jill Houser, estimates that the project will take 240 hours. While much of the paint is in relatively good condition, the walls and ceiling have large cracks from the settling of the interior wood frame of the house. Chunks of plaster have fallen where interior wood walls meet exterior brick walls. Such challenges require an expert like Tickle. Jill Houser and Paul Tickle map out the multiple steps required to restore the hand-painted walls in Historic WestHis father, Derick Tickle, liter- wood’s East Parlor. Photo by Wendy Smith ally “wrote the book” on decorative restoration. He is one of the authors of “Painting and Decorating: An Information Manual,” a textbook that is published in grateful to City Council members Heritage – a happy ending for the By Sandra Clark five languages. Derick Tickle left Knoxville City Council nar- Dan Brown, Nick Della Volpe and homeowners, the community and England in the 1980s to work on rowly defeated Paul Murphy’s Marshall Stair “for listening to the the city of Knoxville.” the Biltmore House and stayed in proposed rezoning to develop con- community, which was united in Mike Cohen, who came late to Asheville to create a decorative- dominiums at 3222 Kingston Pike opposition” to Murphy’s request.” representation of Murphy, said restoration program at Asheville- behind the former Christenberry She said an investor group his client was on a family vacation Buncombe Technical Community home. Murphy said he needed the formed by Rich Tierney remains and had nothing more to say. ArCollege. condo complex to fund restoration interested in acquiring the prop- thur Seymour Jr. told City CounPaul Tickle eventually followed of the historic home. He cut his erty and restoring the home, cil there’s no guarantee the house in his father’s footsteps. After his request from 28 to 20 units before which remains on the Knox Heri- would be preserved if the rezoning “rebellious” years as a plumber, he the vote. tage Fragile 15 List. “After secur- were denied. says, he started his own restoraVoting to rezone were Duane Along with lawyers and engi- ing an historic overlay on the tion company. His father, a retired neers, both sides hired public-re- restored Christenberry house, Grieve, Finbarr Saunders, Brenprofessor, now works for him. lations professionals in the battle. proceeds from the subsequent da Palmer and Nick Pavlis. Mark Last week, Tickle and Houser Laura Spica said the Kingston sale of the house and two lakefront Campen and George Wallace abTo page A-3 Pike Sequoyah Hills Association is lots would be donated to Knox stained, citing conflicts.
Neighbors prevail on Christenberry rezoning
Burchett gears up consolidated government push By Betty Bean Supporters of combining city and county governments tried and failed to get it done in 1959, 1978 and 1983 before launching a high-dollar, gofor-broke 1996 attempt that ended as the most embarrassing failure of all. Tim Burchett Tommy Schumpert, then county mayor and a unification supporter, predicted it would be 15 or 20 years before anybody tried it again, if ever. And he figured it might take some kind of crisis to trigger such an attempt. Eighteen years later, after multiple county scandals – from a series of term limits and sunshinelaw violations that led to “Black Wednesday,” to the indictments of two consecutive elected trustees – a new unification movement is emerging, this time from a different direction than the usual busi-
ness elites who have been met with suspicion by county residents. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett sees benefits from unification and seems determined to avoid the failures of the past. The popular Republican is running unopposed for reelection and appears ready to make unified government the “big idea” of his second term. He’s been dropping public hints and engaging in oneon-one discussions about it for months. “Just don’t call it metro,” he said, drawing a distinction between his plan and Metro Nashville, which combined its city and county governments in 1963. It’s governed by a 40-member metro council. The top cop is appointed, and the elected sheriff is a glorified jailor. Burchett wants to blunt the opposition of city employees, who fought the 1996 referendum. He calls the Knoxville Fire Department “one of the best in the country.” He strongly supports keeping
the elected sheriff as the top cop. But his biggest talking point is saving money. He cites duplication in parks and recreation, human resources and tax collection among others. He doesn’t foresee wholesale firings and thinks city and county staffs could be combined and trimmed through attrition and retirements. He works well with city Mayor Madeline Rogero whose chief policy officer, Bill Lyons, said Rogero will gladly talk about unification. “We are always interested in finding ways to deliver quality service at a lower cost. However, Mayor Rogero has not yet had discussions with Mayor Burchett on this matter.” The animosity between Sheriff Tim Hutchison, who opposed unification, and Mayor Victor Ashe, who supported it, proved insurmountable in 1996. Neither holds office today, and Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones is a former KPD employee who has populated his command staff with KPD retirees.
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Lyons, a consultant and pollster in the failed 1996 unification attempt, says combining the two governments won’t be easy, despite a friendlier political climate. He’s not sure what happened before, but “we do know that it has never won outside the city.” Ashe said it could be even harder to sell unification to city voters this time around. “Even though Tim and Madeline appear to get along, they are totally opposite on almost everything. … Why would (city residents) vote to have a less progressive government that won’t ever vote to raise taxes?” Burchett is undeterred. “We’ve got to get the discussion started,” he said. “It’s not something you just say and it happens. You have to have a lot of community input. If the community decides it wants to continue with duplication of services, then, we’ll stay on this road. But if they realize there’s a problem, this might resolve it.”
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