VOL. 8 NO. 24
‘ROUND TOWN
➤ Time for road
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June 18, 2014
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Fun in
resurfacing The town of Farragut’s annual street-resurfacing program began Monday, with almost three miles of road on the list for a new surface.
Summer events offer chance to be neighborly
Rogers Group Inc. was awarded this year’s resurfacing contract. The following streets, totaling 2.77 miles, are on the list to be redone: ■ Brighton Court (Andover Subdivision – Andover Road to cul-de-sac) ■ Boyd Station Road (Virtue Road to McFee Road) ■ Broadwood Drive (Sugarwood Subdivision – Butternut Lane to Butternut Lane) ■ North Campbell Station Road (Snyder Road to Ridgeland Drive) ■ Lindenhall Circle (Andover Subdivision – Brighton Court to cul-de-sac) For questions regarding the annual resurfacing program, contact Greg Norman with the town of Farragut’s Engineering Department at greg.norman@ townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.
John Lee and son Ian, age 3, kick back and enjoy some free fishing at The Cove at Concord Park. Photos by Nancy Anderson
➤ Upcoming at
Lexie Blanchard, 13, gets into the spirit of Go and Glow.
Town Hall Farragut Municipal Planning Commission – 7 p.m. Thursday, June 19
Sophie, who was certainly the bark of the town at Yappy Hour, gets ready for the pet parade.
Farragut Folklife Museum Meeting – 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 24 Visual Resources Review Board – 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24 Board of Mayor and Aldermen – 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26 Economic Development Committee – 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 2 Stormwater Advisory Committee – 3 p.m. Thursday, July 10 Board of Mayor and Aldermen – 7 p.m. Thursday, July 10
By Sherri Gardner Howell If your neighborhood streets look a little empty this summer, there may be more than trips to the beach going on. The town of Farragut, Farragut Business Alliance, area businesses and even Knox County Parks and Rec are
conspiring to get Farragut folks out of the house and into the streets and parks. June’s first weekends were filled with activities that offered great opportunities to come on out and be neighborly. New was Go and Glow, a joint venture between
the Farragut Business Alliance and NeighborMaker Events. The street party started with Yappy Hour, a chance for pet owners to bring their dogs to the party. Area businesses with pet products and services showcased their businesses in creative ways – includ-
ing a doggy kissing booth where Dr. Stephanie Hickey with Admiral Vet Hospital raised money for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley. Following Yappy Hour, Go and Glow lit up Brooklawn Street, beTo page A-3
Personnel Committee – 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 Farragut Folklife Museum Meeting – 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 22
IN THIS ISSUE Basketball is now a summer sport Donnie Tyndall generated so much excitement with his remarkable recruiting roundup, a spur-of-the-moment thing, that basketball is suddenly a summer sport. People who didn’t know there was a Rocky Top League are now asking about rosters and schedules. Youngsters wonder if there has ever been anything like this outburst of enthusiasm.
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Read Marvin West on page A-5
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
Beautiful businesses recognized By Wendy Smith The winners of the town of Farragut’s annual Beautification Awards were announced by Beautification Committee chair Marty Rodgers at last week’s meeting of the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Winners were Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center on Parkside Drive for Commercial/Office
Building; Costco Wholesale on Kingston Pike for Commercial/ Retail Building; Andover subdivision on Smith Road for Residential Entrance; Farragut Presbyterian Church on Jamestown Boulevard for Religious Institution; Colonial Pinnacle on Parkside Drive for Retail Commercial Complex; Clarity Point on Concord Road for Multi-
family Residential Complex; and Hampton Inn on Campbell Lakes Drive for Hotel/Motel. The town’s annual budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 was approved with no discussion. Second-reading changes included a reduction in employee merit packages from 3 percent to 2 percent and a zero percent in-
crease in health insurance. The first reading included a 3 percent increase in health insurance. The town’s contribution to the News Sentinel Open increased from $16,500 to $20,000, and a $50,000 stormwater infrastructure analysis was added to the budget. New contracts for road mainteTo page A-3
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, go-forbroke 1996 attempt that ended as the most embarrassing Tim Burchett failure of all. 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 business 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 en-
gaging in one-on-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, hu-
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man 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, To page A-3
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