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VOL. 5, NO. 49
DECEMBER 5, 2011
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Sounds, sights of season fill town hall What would Christmas be without Farragut’s annual Celebrate the Season gathering? Kids of all
ages packed town hall last Thursday to enjoy music, refreshments and a visit from Santa himself! Color-coded cards help even novice bell ringers get it right. Barry Wallace from Bearden United Methodist Church Bell Ringers directed a group of children as they rang out some popular holiday tunes. Photos by S.F. Neal
Josh Martinez, 4, had his wish list ready for Santa.
Flip the switch Mayor McGill kicks off holiday season See page A-2
Ginny Clieff, Linda Smith and Deby Libby make up TNT Dulcimers. They provided holiday music with an old-fashioned twang.
Sweet treat Upcoming production of Willy Wonka See story on page A-10
FEATURED COLUMNIST DR. BOB COLLIER
Winter Grub Dr. Bob looks into what those pesky birds eat in winter See page A-6
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10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Sydney McLean mcleans@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 33,237 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.
First Utility considers rate increase By Larry Van Guilder First Utility District commissioners took up a topic at their regular monthly board meeting last week that consumers don’t like to hear about – a rate increase. But water and sewer rates are a comparative bargain for the utility’s customers and will remain so even when the increase takes effect.
policy and authorized a bond issue not to exceed $19 million for 2012. Wayne Watson, director of accounting and finance, explained that the bond amount will likely fall between $16 and $18 million, with the final size to be determined once the budget-
Utility
Water
Hallsdale-Powell KUB Lenoir City Knox Chapman West Knox Alcoa First Utility District (current) First Utility District (proposed)
$61.06 $29.70 $37.78 $47.54 $30.56 $28.40 $22.41 $22.41
ing process for the upcoming year is completed. First Utility District earned a AA+ rating from Standard & Poor for its 2009 bond issue, the highest uninsured rating awarded to any water and sewer utility in the state. Residential rates for 7,000 gallons
Sewer
$63.41 $77.62 $63.84 $43.33 $42.81 $39.70 $33.75 $37.50
Combined
$124.47 $107.32 $101.62 $90.87 $73.37 $68.10 $56.16 $59.91
Locals brace for Lakeshore changes By Sandra Clark How best to treat the mentally ill? And who pays? The state will stop admissions to Lakeshore Mental Health Institute on Jan. 1 with an eye toward closing the 150-year-old facility on Northshore Drive. Then called Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital, the campus held 3,000 beds in 1975. With the advent of psychotropic drugs, the state has worked to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill. Today, Lakeshore has 115 beds and even fewer residents. State officials say it costs $900 per patient per day for acute care at Lakeshore. The state wants to shift that money to community-based mental health services and transfer the long-term residents to facilities in Nashville or Chattanooga.
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According to a cost of service study prepared by consultant group Jackson Thornton, the current residential rate for sewer fell about $267,000 short of covering the revenue required for capital funds during the previous 12 months. The recommended increase of $3.75 for 7,000 gallons will bring the combined water and sew-
er rate to $59.91, still more than $8 lower than Alcoa, the local utility closest in rates to First Utility District. No rate adjustment for residential water is being considered at this time. The board also approved a formal debt management
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Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones says if Lakeshore stops admissions, deputies will take patients to Peninsula, Ridgeview in Oak Ridge or Woodbridge in the Tri-County area. “It is our hope that some of the monies from the savings of closing Lakeshore would go toward the Safety Center and that would complete the crisis service continuum run by the McNabb Center,” Jones said. He and Attorney General Randy Nichols have advocated construction of a crisis center to be operated by McNabb for short-term care of persons picked up for public drunkenness or nuisance offenses. Jones says as many as one-quarter of those incarcerated at the Knox County Detention Center are suffering from
mental illness. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said one in three Tennesseans is affected by mental illness, either personally or via family or a friend. He says Gov. Bill Haslam wants to do the right thing, and the current crisis is about dollars. “I worry about the state employees and their families, and most of all I worry about the patients and their families,” Burchett said. “Knox County will pick up the pieces. We’ll deal with it in a compassionate manner.” On Wednesday, County Commissioner Jeff Ownby convened a meeting at West High School. The 350 Lakeshore employees are worried about losing their jobs. They also are concerned about their patients. A Farragut resident said
County Commissioner Jeff Ownby and Lisa Moffett, field rep for the Tennessee State Employees Association, facilitate a public forum to discuss Lakeshore last week at West High School. Photo
by S. Clark
our current mental health system is nothing more than “begging around,” trying to get help for your family member. Her son has been in the county’s Detention Center since 2010. His crime was “being born with mental illness. The mentally ill are not cute, they’re not cuddly, but they are God’s children.” She said Lakeshore should
be expanded, not closed, to take pressure off the jail. Ownby will ask County Commission to adopt a resolution requesting a two-year delay for changes at Lakeshore, but even a unanimous local vote can’t dictate state policy. Ownby said concerned residents can contact the governor’s office at 615-741-2001.
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