VOL. 10 NO. 49
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Dramatic new arch at New Jewish Cemetery
BUZZ Pearl Harbor It is the date that lives “in infamy” – Dec. 7, 1941. Seventy-five years ago today, U.S. military facilities at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, were attacked and our nation was plunged into World War II. The war changed every aspect of life. Millions of Americans went into uniform and fought on land, sea and air – and nearly a half-million were lost. The Shopper News honors the memory of our “greatest generation,” the men and women who answered the call to defend our nation from dictatorship. – Sarah Frazier
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By Betty Bean
The top of the soaring metal arch over the entrance to the New Jewish Cemetery bears the Hebrew inscription, “Eternal Home.” It is the work of Karly Stribling, who got the commission to create the arch after a member of the Heska Amuna congregation saw the chandeliers she had created and installed in the Grill at Highlands Row. Stribling, who says it’s OK to call her a sculptor, a blacksmith or “just a regular artist, although I don’t know if I’m worthy of any of them,” creates graceful, functional objects out of steel. Joyce Diftler, whose mother had set aside a sum of money to create an archway for the New Jewish Cemetery on Glenn Street and Keith Avenue, had been looking for the right artist to do the job. Once Stribling drew the design and got it approved by a committee headed by Rabbi Alon Ferency, Stribling spent 45 working days from late summer until mid-fall bending and hammering and welding in the tiny workshop housed in the garage of the North Knoxville home she shares with her husband, R.B. Morris, and daughter, Oona Pearl. By its latter stages, pieces of the 16-foot arch stretched out into the driveway. The next step was to assemble the three pieces of the arch, which she’d fashioned in a delicate Art Nouveaux design, and cart it out to the cemetery for a trial run, hoist-
Mailboxes contest judging Dec. 15 West Hills Beautification Council will judge the Holiday Mailboxes on Thursday, Dec.15. All residents of the West Hills neighborhood are welcomed to participate in this contest.
Chilhowee lights Christmas in Chilhowee, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center. Includes: forest of lighted trees floating on the lake, pictures with Santa, marshmallow roasting, hot cocoa, face painting, train rides and more. Info: knoxvilletn.gov/christmas.
Holiday notes
■ Mabry-Hazen House Christmas tours, 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, 1711 Dandridge Ave. Free, but donations appreciated. Info: 522-8661 or mabryhazen.com. ■ Christmas in the City: Tour de Lights, Friday, Dec. 16, starts at Market Square. Judging, 6 p.m.; the bike ride, 7 p.m. Info: ibikeknx.com. ■ Holiday Festival of Lights at The Cove at Concord Park, 6-9 p.m. kicks off Friday, Dec. 16 and runs through Friday, Dec. 30, excluding Christmas Day. The Cove is located at 11808 S. Northshore Drive. Pets on leashes are welcome. The event is free, but Knox County will collect nonperishable food items for The Love Kitchen. ■ New Year’s Eve on the Square, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, Market Square. Includes live music and Ball Drop at midnight. Info knoxvilletn. gov/christmas
Artist Karly Stribling in her workshop
Arch at New Jewish Cemetery
ing it onto the existing brick columns at the entrance with a scissor lift. R.B., she says, is her main installer guy (she doesn’t like to have too many people around for the trial runs because they can involve “a lot of cursing”). “I had to make sure the designs were stable enough and the arch was just perfect,” she said. “Then I took it back home to clean it up and paint it and lay it out in my driveway.” Stribling is from Louisville, Ky., where she attended a magnet
Crews began work last week on the intersection of Forest Park Boulevard and Newcom Avenue to improve the site’s drainage, traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility. Construction is slated to last into early 2017, according to a city press release. Traffic is expected to remain open throughout the project, but intermittent lane closures are likely.
By Sandra Clark Joe Minicozzi says we must look at land like a farmer does – analyze it for best production.
Analysis The architect and Harvardeducated urban designer was in town last week, talking with policy makers about land use. Through his consulting firm, Urban3 LLC, he’s created a 3-dimension computer model to explain the tax yield of property for those who hold the power to rezone it. “Be sure to ask the right questions,” he said. “In God we trust, all (others must) bring data.” Bad decisions lead to low-value development and the community is stuck, he said. Budd Cullom,
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The project is part of the city’s 2014 Neighborhood Drainage Improvements Project. In addition to drainage improvements, new sidewalks and ADA ramps will also be added, assisting residents of the area who commute to the nearby produce stores and restaurants. Adams & Sons Inc. is the contractor for the $1 million project. A section of Sutherland Av-
a partner in the development of the most recent Halls Walmart, was present and battled back. But that’s another story for another day. Minicozzi said Joe Minicozzi he once heard a Walmart real estate specialist tell a gathering of property assessors that Walmarts are built to last 15 years. “We depreciate it out and move.” Minicozzi flashed a screen shot of a cat. “The average Walmart lasts as long as your house cat – 15 years,” he said, letting the audience decide which brings greater personal satisfaction and community benefit. Essentially, Minicozzi brought an anti-sprawl message, sup-
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Facebook page called Soil and Steel, where examples of her work are on display. The “soil” part is a reference to her gardening business, which has been taking a back seat to her sculpting as time passes. She still tends some yards and gardens, primarily in Fort Sanders, where she and Morris lived before moving back to his North Knox home place. To check out examples of her work, or contact her, see soilandsteel.com, the Art and Gardens of Karly Stribling.
enue between Middlebrook Pike and Concord Street will be closed to all traffic and detoured for the next 120 days as contractors repair a bridge over a railroad line. The original plan had called for leaving the eastbound lane open to traffic. However, after repairs began on the bridge, it was determined that both lanes would need to be detoured as a
precaution for drivers’ safety. The closure began Dec. 2. Traffic will be detoured from Sutherland Avenue onto Ailor Avenue, then onto North Concord Street, then back to Sutherland Avenue. The $754,000 bridge repair and resurfacing project is being performed by Southern Constructors Inc.
Smart growth increases tax yield, says expert
ADVERTISING SALES (865) 342-6084 ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Amy Lutheran | Patty Fecco Beverly Hollandl
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high school and got some experience as an apprentice welder. Afterward, she spent a semester at Murray State University before coming to Knoxville, home of R.B. Morris and a singer-songwriter whom she’d met in Kentucky. She enrolled in the University of Tennessee and majored in fine arts with an emphasis in sculpture. She and Morris married and have made their home here (Morris was recently named Knoxville’s first poet laureate). Stribling has a professional
Two Bearden road projects underway
(865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS (865) 661-8777 news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Wendy Smith
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ported by dancing 3-D bar graphs. Density rules in his model. And he said counties get the benefit of increased property taxes when their core cities redevelop, even though the counties invest little in the redevelopment. Minicozzi talked about his experiences as a founder of the Asheville Design Center and a consultant to Public Interest Projects. Asheville had downtown, multi-story buildings boarded up, while development stretched outward – big box stores and malls with huge parking lots. Politicians touted “growth,” but this was poor land use for two reasons: ■ The outward migration created demand for roads and infrastructure. “Roads are not an asset,” he said. Roads are a liability for which governments do not re-
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serve replacement costs, and most are built with debt. ■ The best land use is vertical. Tax yield on a 10-story office building or apartment complex is significantly more per acre than tax yield on a sprawling Walmart with acres of paved parking. “When we started, Asheville’s downtown property was worth $100 million. We invested $26 million and raised the value to $500 million.” Several MPC commissioners including Rebecca Longmire, Art Clancy and Laura Cole attended, along with Knoxville council members and county commissioners. Takeaways: Ask the right questions; let the city/county finance directors sit in on zoning discussions; and advocate urban design guidelines with minimal parking.