VOL. 9 NO. 32
‘ROUND TOWN
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
August 12, 2015
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Life-changing year
County’s first exchange student returns to celebrate 50th class reunion
By Carolyn Evans
➤ Explore
Farragut’s fleet The Town of Farragut will sponsor the 14th annual Fun with Farragut’s Fleet from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at Mayor Bob Leonard Park. Fun with Farragut’s Fleet gives children the opportunity to see, touch and climb on a variety of trucks and large equipment used by the town of Farragut, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Moneymakers Wrecker Service and Rural/Metro Inc., including a backhoe, dump truck, fire truck 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. Knoxville Moms Blog will sponsor our snack tent (www. citymomsblog.com/knoxville), and the town will provide a makeand-take craft. Fun with Farragut’s Fleet is free and open to the public. Mayor Bob Leonard Park is located at 301 Watt Road. In case of inclement weather, call 966-2420 for the status of the event. Info: Lauren Cox at lcox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.
➤ Social Media 4
Seniors classes The town of Farragut is hosting three technology classes for seniors offered by local company Social Media 4 Seniors (www. socialmedia4seniors.net) in September at the Farragut Town Hall. Participants must be 55 years or older to attend. Register early as only five participants are accepted into each class. Specific classes are: How to Use Facebook for Seniors – Friday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to noon, $30. Samsung Galaxy Phone/Tablet Basics for Seniors – Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 14-15, 1-3 p.m., $45. Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter for Seniors – Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1-3 p.m., $30. Sponsored by the town of Farragut, these classes will be held at the Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive across from the Farragut Branch Post Office. Class registrations may be made at www.townoffarragut.org/register, in person at the Town Hall or by phone at 218-3375.
Bruce comes back Former UT coach Bruce Pearl was in town last week for a check presentation to a charity he helped launch.
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Read Bill Dockery on page A-4
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Fifty years ago, Fred Wickert of San Paulo, Brazil, had a hard time finding Farragut on the map. On Aug. 1, Wickert danced around Rothchild Catering and Convention Center wearing a Farragut High School seniors T-shirt and visiting with the members of the FHS Class of 1965 like family. Because they are. Wickert is a member of the Class of ’65, coming to the school that year as Knox County Schools’ first exchange student. His home was 5,026 miles away. Coming back for the 50-year class reunion was very special for him and his classmates. When Wickert signed up to be a U.S. foreign exchange student, he had no idea where he would be placed, so he filled out all the paperwork and waited. Finally he got the word: He would be living in Concord, Tenn. He and his parents couldn’t find it on a map, but his father found an encyclopedia and located the town “near the Smoky Mountains.” “I thought I would go to the U.S. with the big cities, the big cars and the big lights, like you see in the movies,” Wickert said. “The will to come over here was very big.” He had a 30-hour flight with six or seven layovers before he landed in Miami. After a night in an airport hotel, he got on a bus to go up the coast of Florida and into Knoxville.
Fred Wickert gets a welcome home hug from Sarah Lescure at the Farragut High School Class of 1965 reunion.
Photo
by Nancy Anderson
“Four people were waiting at the bus stop for me,” he said. “Mac and Frances Abel and their two high school-aged children, Bob and Carol.” On his first day, the Abels, who
were his host family, took him to their cabin on the lake. Wickert couldn’t water ski, but a week later, he was up on the skis. On his second day, he toured the high school with principal K. R. Sargent.
Wickert said he never forgot his teachers and the courses he took. “American history with Coach Clabo; American literature with To page A-3
Long detour discourages Everett Road residents By Wendy Smith Oakley Downs residents will ultimately benefit from the town’s $3.9 million Everett Road improvement project. But until the one-mile construction zone is reopened, they’re worried about whether they’ll have adequate emergency services, and how often they’ll have to refill their gas tanks. Mark Delph lives in Oakley Downs, which is north of the construction zone. His neighbors, along with other Everett Road residents north of the project, have to drive north on Everett, then south on Watt Road, to get to Kingston Pike. It’s a detour of several miles, and the closure is expected to last
for another 15 months. And the Delphs learned just last week that Knox County Schools has consolidated its bus route to one trip, which would require their middle school son to get on his bus two hours before school begins. “My youngest child will board the bus 10 minutes earlier, however, my middle school child is expected to board the bus along with him, an hour earlier than his prior bus schedule, for this new detour route, said Deborah Delph. “This is extremely upsetting as he is boarding the bus at 6:30 a.m. and his school starts at 8:30 a.m. He can’t even enter his school, Farragut Middle, until 7:30 a.m.”
She said KCS has been unresponsive to her request for a “short bus” to pick up middle school kids in Oakley Downs. But safety is Mark Delph’s biggest concern. Increased traffic on the north end of Everett, which is steep and curvy, is bound to cause accidents, and the risk will be greater during winter months. The detour will automatically create delays for emergency vehicles, and any problem on Everett Road could make service impossible, he says. Two tractor trailer trucks have jack-knifed on Everett after ignoring detour signs, and his family couldn’t get home for two hours after a tree fell across the road.
He’d like for one lane of Everett to remain open to give those who live north of the closure direct access to Kingston Pike. “There are homes inside the construction zone that will need access, so there will obviously be some access available.” The construction project is Farragut’s largest ever capital improvement project. The improved road will be wider, with curbs, gutters, sidewalks and a walking trail. Improvements were necessitated by new development along the road. While he hates for anyone to be inconvenienced by the projTo page A-3
Knox County expands parks, greenways By Sandra Clark West Knox is getting a pocket park on land the county bought for flood control. Dunn Park on Ebenezer Road near West Valley Middle School will be a very small park, compatible with its residential neighborhood, according to Doug Bataille, senior director of Parks and Recreation for Knox County. He spoke Aug. 4 to the Council of West Knox County Homeowners. “We acquired this property several years ago, and we will propose development in the next year or two.” Another small park will be built at the corner of Hardwick and Bridgewater. “We want to meet with the neighbors” before plans are finalized, he said. Some have requested parking for the First Creek greenway, but Bataille thinks a bet-
constructs parks in-house and tries to finish one project before starting another. Harrell Road Stormwater Park is the project currently underway. Located off Emory Road in Karns, the park is a remnant of Painter Farm subdivision, acquired from developer Scott Davis through Legacy Parks Foundation. Through grants, Knox County Engineering and Public Works Doug Bataille at CWKCHO and Parks and Recreation have developed two detention ponds and ter use might be a greenway trail planted over 100 trees in the park. entrance (for those within walking A natural stone trail with permeable pavers has been installed, distance) without parking. Margot Kline, president of the and the park lacks only parking. “Beaver Creek runs along the council, said it’s important to have parks and greenways easily acces- edge of the property,” said Bataille. sible: “It’s hard to overcome that The county has built creek access for canoes and will build a second five-mile drive to Concord Park.” Bataille said his department put-in/take-out at the Sportspark
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on Oak Ridge Highway. Plumb Creek Park off Lovell Road is in line for attention when Harrell is done. The land was acquired three years ago on a trade. “We sold five acres with frontage on Ball Camp Pike and got 33 acres of rolling farm land, perfect for a passive park,” said Bataille. He sees a possible 10-acre dog park at Plumb Creek, saying Randy Boyd’s company, PetSafe, has committed future funding over five years to build dog parks in Knox County. The dog park at Concord Park has over 30,000 visits a year. “People ask why we build parks for dogs, but those parks are for people who have dogs,” he said. “Dog parks are a great place to meet your neighbors; they’re great To page A-3
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