VOL. 8 NO. 29
‘ROUND TOWN
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July 23, 2014
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Ornament premiere brings out sweet side of collecting
➤ Fun with
Farragut’s Fleet on the move Farragut’s annual Fun with Farragut’s Fleet is moving to a new location: Mayor Bob Leonard Park. The event will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16. Fun with Farragut’s Fleet gives children the opportunity to see, touch and climb on a variety of trucks and equipment used by the town of Farragut, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Moneymaker’s Wrecker Service and Rural/Metro Inc., including a backhoe, dump truck, fire engine and police car. Town of Farragut Public Works and Leisure Services staff members as well as representatives from these emergency organizations will be available to explain how the equipment is used and to answer any questions. The free event will also feature a kid’s craft and a snack tent sponsored by Knoxville Moms Blog (www.citymomsblog.com/ knoxville). Mayor Bob Leonard Park is at 301 Watt Road. In case of inclement weather, call 966-2420 for the status of the event.
Christmas treats? Santa’s elves have been hard at work at “Linda’s Sweet Shop,” aka Linda’s Hallmark in Village Green shopping center. From left are employees April Moss, Suzy Litz, Judy Jutze, Lou Modé and Berta Key. Photos by Betsy Pickle
By Betsy Pickle
➤ Upcoming at
Town Hall Board of Mayor and Aldermen – 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24 Farragut/Knox County Schools Education Relations Committee – 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5 Economic Development Committee – 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6 Stormwater Advisory Committee – 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14
You don’t usually walk into Linda’s Hallmark at Village Green at 10 p.m. on a Friday, but on Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Premiere Night, that was the place to be. The entrance was gussied up for the occasion. “Linda’s Sweet Shop” featured a life-size version of the “Season’s Treatings” ornament – “Season’s Eatings” was exponentially larger, yet still was
not recommended for human consumption. A little further in, however, another display offered goodies to treat customers there for premiere night: cookies, cupcakes and cake pops. Store employees were costumed in pink cupcake aprons, and smudges of flour dotted their faces. “We’re covered with flour like we’ve been baking all day,” said manager April Moss, “but every-
thing’s store-bought. Well, we did make the cake pops, and (employee) Judy Jutze made the cupcakes.” Premiere night, held every July, is when Hallmark introduces its new ornaments, letting them go on sale at midnight. It’s an important event for collectors, Moss said. “There are a lot of ornaments you can’t even find” anywhere else, she said. Keepsake Ornament
collectors already had scoped out Hallmark’s publications to know what was debuting. Most of the new ornaments go on sale in July, but some aren’t released until the fall. Early customers chatted with employees – their relationships often go back years. They also had a chance to gather the ornaments they had on their “wish lists” and To page A-3
Board of Mayor and Aldermen – 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 Board of Mayor and Aldermen – 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
John Griess reappointed to FUD board Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has reappointed John Griess to the board of commissioners for First Utility District. Griess, a former Knox County commissioner, will serve a fouryear term on the utility board.
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Rogero supports ‘not-metro,’ with big ‘but’ By Anne Hart Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero says she supports the consolidation of Knoxville and Knox County governments with one very important stipulation: The end result must be a municipal form of government. “I wouldn’t want to live in a consolidated government that had the current form of county government,” Rogero told members of the Rotary Club of West Knoxville in response to a question from the audience. Rogero, who served on County Commission for eight years, said that soon after County Mayor Tim Burchett recently announced that he is going to actively push for consolidation of the two governments she met with him and told him her position. “We had a good conversation about it all,” she said. “We don’t always agree on everything, but we do talk about things, and we get along well.” Rogero said the city of Knoxville and the areas of Knox County surrounding it “are becoming more and more an urban area, and having one government makes sense. But I like city government. The buck stops with me. I hire the law director, I hire the tax collector, I hire the police chief, and they
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Madeline Rogero
all report to me. I’m responsible for what happens.” In addition, she said, she likes the fact that elective offices in the city are nonpartisan, as opposed to the county’s highly partisan structure. Elected to the office in 2011, Rogero is the city’s 68th mayor. She told Rotarians that she understands that as business leaders and entrepreneurs “your job is to create jobs, and mine is to create the climate that makes that possible – that ensures we have the
quality of life that people will want to live and work here.” To do that, she says, the city has used Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) and other “strategic tools,” including public infrastructure and façade grants, to help create a vibrant downtown. “Historically, there had been a lack of investment in downtown. We have used these tools to make things happen that otherwise would not have happened. We are now starting to see some of those TIFs roll off and tax dollars come to the city.” Rogero cited numerous initiatives sponsored by or encouraged by the city, including the University Commons soon to open on a former brownfield on Cumberland Avenue. “Six years ago, then-Mayor Haslam began working with stakeholders on that project. It represents $130 million in private investment.” The revamping of Cumberland Avenue itself has had some scheduling changes, as important factors like University of Tennessee football traffic have to be taken into consideration, Rogero said. One important visual blight will be eliminated: Knoxville Utilities Board has agreed to move utility lines into the back alleys that parallel the street instead of burying
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them underground, thus saving millions in taxpayer dollars. Rogero said another significant infusion of private money – some $165 million – along with a TIF that will delay payment of taxes for a certain time, is making the Tennova project south of the river on the old Baptist Hospital property a reality. A design model has been created for the first four blocks of a plan to revitalize Magnolia Avenue as the city moves to make that portion of East Knoxville more livable and attractive to visitors and residents alike, as it has done in North Knoxville near Central Avenue, she said. The mayor also pointed to the city’s massive Urban Wilderness project and bike trails as a success story that will bring ever-increasing numbers of tourists and their dollars to the area. She pointed out that outdoor recreation is a $6 billion industry in Tennessee. And yes, she says she hears complaints about the lack of parking downtown and in the Cumberland Avenue area, and that is why the city has granted TIFs for garage construction in those areas. “But here’s the good news,” she said with a smile. “We need more parking because there’s more development going on.”
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