VOL. 8 NO. 13
‘ROUND TOWN
➤ Kids lawnmower
safety class
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
March 31, 2014
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Light it up Solar shingles put crowning touch on energy-efficient homes
The Optimist Club of West Knoxville will bring their expertise to Mayor Bob Leonard Park on Saturday, April 5, for the 16th Annual Lawnmower Safety Clinic. This free clinic for students in grades five through eight covers the basics of mower maintenance, mower and trimmer safety and other information relating to lawn care safety. All participants will be entered to win a new gas-powered trimmer. The clinic is from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For information: email Sharon Davis at sdavis@utk.edu.
➤ Live by the
town codes The Town of Farragut Community Development Department will host “Preventing Home Improvement Pitfalls – A General Code Overview for Homeowners and Builders” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, at the Farragut Town Hall. Led by the Town’s code staff, this free workshop will provide the following overview permits and when you need them, references available for planning home-improvement projects and the most common home projects, including decks/sunrooms, basements, swimming pools, stairways, outdoor and indoor fireplaces and more. In addition, the workshop will include a brief overview of fire and carbon monoxide detector use. This workshop is free and open to the public; no registration is required. Info: Community Development Department at 675-2384.
➤ Soak in the
beauty The 2014 Dogwood Arts Festival kicks off next week, and Farragut’s trail is trying to greenup and be ready! The 7.9-mile trail, open April 9-27, is part of more than 60 miles of trails in the Knoxville area. The Farragut Trail showcases 487 homes throughout Fox Den, Country Manor and Village Green subdivisions. Residents and those in surrounding communities are invited to enjoy the trail with a walk, bicycle ride or drive or on one of the bus tours offered by the Dogwood Arts Festival. Info: www.dogwoodarts.com.
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
Adam Hutsell looks over the Dow POWERHOUSE Solar shingles that he is using for his own roof as well as for his Willows Point development. Photos by Betsy Pickle
By Betsy Pickle Adam Hutsell, owner and CEO of Twin Willows Construction, has taken a new approach to home construction. The first part involves diversifying – being able to build, renovate, market and cater to both traditional and energy-efficiencyconscious buyers. The second involves begging and pleading. That’s a joke – sort of. After working in the banking industry for several years, Hutsell realized that his passion was home building. He had spent time on builds handled by the father of a friend, and he had slowly learned about the industry piece by piece. He wanted to get into the business, but he wanted to do something different, something that helped the environment – and helped clients save money. He began researching energyefficient homes, coming up with features that met those goals and yet could still be affordable for middle-income families. About two years into his effort, he discovered the solar shingles produced by Dow POWERHOUSE Solar and realized that they were the crowning piece for his designs. “At the time when I found this,
they were being distributed only in California, Colorado and Texas, and Texas was the closest to me,” says Hutsell. “The only resource I had was getting on www.dow.com and sending emails and begging and pleading. “I didn’t have a lot of success that way. I thought, of course they’re going to want to talk to me, but I was this random guy claiming to be working on this project. I tried to communicate for up to a year. The email outlet that I was using was the same contact channel that somebody in Egypt would use.” He finally caught a break thanks to his materials supplier, 84 Lumber. “84 was great about it,” he says. “They ran down their Dow rep, who services Tennessee and Georgia. I called him, and I laid it all out. He came up here to Knoxville, saw the site and he got me in touch with Dow Solar.” His contact there told him, “You’re pretty much the first builder on that side of the country to get involved with these solar shingles.” Using his own home in Hardin Valley as the guinea pig, Hutsell began installing the solar shingles a couple of weeks ago. He is
Workers install solar shingles on the roof of Adam Hutsell’s home in Hardin Valley.
scheduled to complete the project tomorrow, when Mark Stevens of Dow Solar field operations returns. “He has to be physically present at the install for the warranty to take place,” says Hutsell. Meanwhile, Hutsell is moving ahead on his Willows Point site off Buttermilk Road in Hardin Valley, where he plans to build 17 singlefamily homes on half-acre lots and 58 stand-alone townhomes. All will feature some combination
of his 11-point energy-efficiency design, which he regards as the foundation of the utility savings because the solar energy from the shingles will vary year to year with the fickle East Tennessee weather. “The townhomes will be a core component of this company and the brand going forward,” says Hutsell, who envisions franchising his business model. “If anybody could ever market or advocate that To page A-3
Farragut mayor cruising toward re-election By Sandra Clark
residents – all men – had picked up qualifying petitions at press time. Mayor Ralph McGill, just completing his first term, is the sole candidate for mayor. In the North Ward, incumbent Bob Markli had picked up a petition but not yet returned it at close of business March 28. He’s drawn an opponent, John Underwood, who had returned his petition. Jeff Elliott, an alderman since 2009, had not picked up a petition, suggesting he won’t be a candidate for re-election from the South Ward. Candidates as of Friday were Ronald Pinchok and Ron Williams. An official who asked not to be
Town of Farragut residents will go to the polls Aug. 7 to vote in a state and federal primary along with Knox County elections for several major offices. But closer to home are races for Farragut mayor and two aldermen. Town voters adopted a charter change to set term limits and bring town elections in line with the state and federal cycle. The result will be increased voter participation and shared expenses to hold the elections. Another result may be decreased interest in the local positions. With the qualifying deadline noon Thursday, April 3, only five Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill
identified said Mayor McGill is mid-way through several important initiatives for the town that he wants to see through. During McGill’s tenure, meetings have shrunk and debate has diminished. “I’m amazed at how smoothly things are going,” said the official. “It’s a blessing for us. Instead of constant turmoil, things are getting done.” Calmness does not sell newspapers, even free ones. So if you’ve got a hankering to stir the pot, get on over to the Knox County Election Commission and run for office. The jobs don’t pay, but you get a soft seat at meetings. And the deadline to qualify is noon Thursday, April 3.
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