BEARDEN www.ShopperNewsNow.com
VOL. 6 NO. 41
IN THIS ISSUE
Place
Home Edition Special Section Find tips for home protection, home decoration, home repair and more in “My Place.”
➤
See the special section inside
Moon Pies in Pond Gap The National Night Out on Oct. 2 was an opportunity for residents to talk about safety issues with fire and police officials, but the Pond Gap Neighborhood Association primarily visited over Moon Pies.
➤
See Wendy Smith’s story on page A-3
Coffee Break with Sandy Roach Sandy Roach admits that changing schools requires some adjustment, even for a principal. The change is even more startling when the new school, Blue Grass Elementary, is four times bigger than the previous one. Meet Sandy over this week’s Coffee Break.
➤
See page A-8
Cheap trip to Starkville Based on the assumption that many Shopper-News readers have never been to Mississippi State for a late-night football game, and may not go, here is a virtual trip without charges for travel, food, lodging or tickets. Sit back and let Marvin West be your tour guide.
➤
See Marvin West’s story on page A-5
Index Wendy Smith A3 Government/Politics A4 Marvin West/Lynn Hutton A5 Dr. Bob Collier A6 Faith A7 Coffee Break A8 Miracle Makers A9 Kids A11,12 Business A13 Calendar A14 Health/Lifestyles Sect B
|
news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com GENERAL MANAGER Shannon Carey shannon@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sandra Clark sclark426@aol.com BEARDEN REPORTER Wendy Smith shopperWendy@comcast.net ADVERTISING SALES Patty Fecco fecco@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 24,267 homes in Bearden.
October 8, 2012
At last! A si sidewalk idew walk ffor or Bearden High By Anne Hart Two generations of students have trudged up the hill that runs alongside Gallaher View Road from Kingston Pike to Bearden High School, through mud, dirt and snow, depending on the season and the weather conditions. It isn’t Mount LeConte, but it’s a steep climb nonetheless, especially with a heavy backpack full of books. But soon, 43 years after the new Bearden High School was constructed, its students will be able to walk on a concrete sidewalk when climbing that hill. It will start with the transfer of approximately 604 square feet from Knox County to the city of Knoxville by resolution of County Commission at its Oct. 22 meeting. Originally a county school, Bearden High entered the city system through annexation in the 1960s. The new building was completed in 1969, but the county still owns that strip of land along Gallaher View. School board member Karen Carson, who formerly represented the Bearden High area, worked hard for the sidewalk project, and commented at a school board workshop last week, “I’m thrilled to see the city
Students pour down Gallaher View Road toward Kingston Pike following the dismissal bell. Photo by T. Edwards come through with this project. Everybody assumes everybody rides a bus or drives, but we have several apartments in the area and many commuters. (The sidewalk) will help direct a path for the kids.” But that won’t be the only benefit. City of Knoxville engineer Shawn Fitzpatrick says the project will include construction of
an additional stretch of sidewalk on the north side of Kingston Pike and the bridge over the interstate which will connect to the Cavet Station, Ten Mile and Jean Teague Greenways. John Hunter, the city’s chief traffic engineer, says the new Cheddar’s restaurant at the southeast corner of Kingston Pike and Gallaher View Road has
already built the portion of the sidewalk alongside its property, and the city will build the sidewalk just south of that alongside the Joe Neubert Collision Center and on up the hill to the school’s driveway. Fitzpatrick and Hunter say weather permitting, construction should begin in four to six months.
County road projects back on track By Betty Bean After months of postponements, County Commission is finally set to consider a resolution approving right-of-way acquisitions for traffic turnabouts at two accident-plagued West Knox intersections. Jim Snowden, deputy director of Engineering and Public Works, calls the Bob Gray/Bob Kirby Road and Bob Gray/Mabry Hood/Hickey Road intersections “high crash locations” that generate 13 serious accidents per year. “The majority of those are injury accidents,” Snowden said. “More times than not, some-
body’s getting hurt.” He concedes that vocal neighborhood critics have successfully stalled the turnabouts. “There have been some folks who don’t think turnabouts are the best solution and they gave us various options – flashing lights, rumble strips, traffic lights. We are now in the process of going through those suggestions and making 100 percent sure that the roundabouts are what we want to do.” He said the administration will be meeting with the neighbors prior to the commission vote. “We’re going to go through it with them step
by step,” he said. A project to add a third lane to East Westland Drive at the approach to Ebenezer Road has also been slowed by tangential problems, but has not drawn as much controversy as the two Bob Gray Road projects. “We had hoped to get it started in March or April, but there were some right-of-way issues with the new Weigel’s, and we had to wait to sort them out,” Snowden said, “so we pushed it back a month. One way or another, it will be completed by the end of next year.” The state will pay for this project, which is projected to cost $300,000 to $400,000.
Farragut parents challenge rezoning Last week’s public forum drew strong comments from parents as they realized the impact school rezoning could have on Farragut Primary and Intermediate schools. For the first time, Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre said a boundary line “west of Pellissippi Parkway” for the new school at Northshore Town Center would be “logical.” As students are zoned southward to fill the new school, targeted to open next August with 1,000 students, A.L. Lotts and Blue Grass both stand to lose students. That loss would be made up by new students from Farragut or Cedar Bluff. The overcrowded Farragut schools would drop from 2,180 to about 1,700 under McIntyre’s “desired enrollment chart.” Will this
39* Introductory 1-hour massage session
$
twitter.com/shoppernewsnow
A great community newspaper
By Sandra Clark
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378)
|
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
mean no more portables? “Never say never,” said McIntyre, “but this is a definite opportunity to remove portable classrooms.” Farragut, he said, “is a very attractive community” which has seen much population growth. McIntyre expects to bring a rezoning plan to the school board in mid- to late-October for consideration at the board’s November meeting. He promised additional public meetings before a vote. He stressed the rezoning is “only elementary school” and will not involve middle or high schools. Several parents expressed concern that their children must form new relationships if feeder patterns are not consistent. “This is about kids,” said McIntyre. “Whatever building they are in, their developmental and
REZONING MEETINGS Knox County Schools will hold additional public meetings about rezoning, each from 6-8 p.m. Additional meetings will be held after rezoning maps are drawn. The schedule: ■ Cedar Bluff Elementary School, 705 North Cedar Bluff Road, Tuesday, Oct. 9 ■ First Baptist Concord Westlake Campus, 9635 Westland Drive, Thursday, Oct. 11
educational needs must be taken care of.”
Notes Clarification: We incorrectly attributed a quote about not rezoning Hardin Valley students back to Karns to Dr. McIntyre. Actually, that statement was made at the Hardin Valley public forum by Dr. Rick Grubb, director of transportation and enrollment, who
Get started on your Christmas Chris Shopping!!!
was talking about past practices, not the future. Jonathan Kozol will speak at 7:30 p.m. today (Oct. 8) at University Center. The visit is supported by the Billie Grace Goodrich Distinguished Lecture program. Kozol’s first book, “Death at an Early Age,” recounts his experiences as a first-year teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Admission is free and the public is invited.
SALES S ALES • SERVICE SERVICE • MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE
Preserve those old Pr reels, slides & vhs tapes today!
Now Offering HD Mini-DV to DVD
Bring your VHS, slides, film and more into Coupon must be presented at time order is dropped off. Discount will the digital age.
not be applied to previous orders or orders that are being processed.
Audio & Video Conversion
Family Fami Fa mily mi lyy Bus B Business u in us ines esss Se es Serv Serving r in rv ng You Y u for Yo ffo or Over Ovver 15 15 Years Ye ear as Old Tazewellll Pike 5715 57 15 O ld dT Pik Pi k • 687-2520 687 252 5 0
Cantrell’s Cares
SN100812
686-5756
www.DigitizeItNow.com 12752 Kingston Pike, Renaissance Farragut, Ste 103, Bldg E
Financing available through TVA Energy Right program* *Restrictions May Apply