VOL. 7 NO. 46
IN THIS ISSUE
Holiday Special Section Holiday cheer and more!
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November 18, 2013
Creating a ‘Fantasy’ Belinda B ellind da FFord’s ord d’s tteam eam kknows the h secrets behind the magic
See the special section inside
By Sherri Gardner Howell
On the road
One day in 2007, Don Bosch had a revelation. A former collegiate athlete who arrived in Knoxville from St. Louis, Mo., in 1981 to attend UT on a swimming scholarship, he’d taken a 25-year break from competitive sports, finished law school, launched a successful career as a lawyer, started his own firm and been involved in some of the highest-profile criminal cases in the region. He had also packed more than 100 pounds onto his 6-foot-3 swimmer’s frame.
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Read Betty Bean on page A-6
Miracle Maker
Nearly a semester into Knox County School’s 1:1 technology pilot program, Corryton Elementary seems to be off to a running start. “We take what we used to do with pencil and paper and find interesting ways for them to engage with it with technology. Every day we’re trying something new,” says teacher Sherrie Dudley.
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Welcome to Alice’s Garden
Ijams Nature Center just can’t escape its past – and that’s a good thing. But it also keeps looking forward, and that’s a great thing. Ijams officially opened Alice’s Greenhouse, a working and teaching space just up the hill from the main building, with several of Alice Yoe Ijams’ descendants in attendance: George Kern, Martha Kern, Stuart Ijams Cassell, Alexis Niceley and Josephine Ijams Niceley.
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Read Betsy Pickle on page A-14
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Belinda Ford of Farragut says she felt good the first time she volunteered to help out at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital’s Fantasy of Trees. Her son Bret was in elementary school, and his teacher was participating and asked for some volunteers. Belinda signed up, working a four-hour shift one day of the event. This year – as she has for the past 20 years – Belinda will log almost 80 hours in six days as a Fantasy of Trees volunteer. And she still feels good about helping. Fantasy of Trees is an annual fundraiser and holiday tradition for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. The event, held at the Knoxville Convention Center, kicks off with a gala preview party on Tuesday night, Nov. 26, then continues daily through Sunday. Hours and ticket prices vary and are available on the website at www.fantasyoftrees.org. Ford’s work, however, will be done when the doors open on that Tuesday night – at least until time to take it all down. “There are basically three big areas that help pull the show together,” says the veteran of two of those areas. “One is floor volunteers who staff all the rides, children’s activities and recruit and train the people needed for that. Another is those in charge of putting together and displaying all the things that are for sale. The third is called the designer side, and that is where I hang my hat,” says Ford. She hangs a lot more than her hat. As chair, Ford and her cochair Jackie Smith assemble a team of more than 25 volunteers to help transform an empty room into a fantasy land. “When we walk in on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, what we see is a big, empty
Creating room settings with designer-decorated mantels are just part of the work of volunteers with Farragut’s Belinda Ford to turn a convention center into a gala Fantasy of Trees. Photo submitted convention center room with concrete floors, poles and big trucks unloading boxes. I start marking off with tape where things need to go. Rather quickly, the whole room begins to take shape as we work with the staff’s floor plan and the company hired to do the pipe and draping. It is pretty amazing to see it transform over a couple of days.” Her volunteers are seasoned and know just what to do, says Ford. “I am so blessed – first with Jackie, who is an angel – and then with a group of men and women who have stayed with me. Many have been doing this the whole 10 years I have been on the designer side.” Ford started with the floor volunteers, but she switched to the designer side 10 years ago. Specifically, what do they do? Ford laughs. “Everything from putting on gloves and fluffing 100 trees to marking bases to laying down snow to placing stands for spotlights to putting walls and doors in place for the designers … Heavens, I can’t even think of it
all!” The trees and areas for the room scenes and mantels have to be in place by Saturday before Thanksgiving. “All those six- and seven-foot trees, all the adopt-a-trees and rooms – they are all decorated the Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving. You want to talk about dedication? I am so impressed with those designers who come in and get all that done in those two days.” The trees number almost 100 seven-foot trees, 18 six-foot trees and then around 40 of the smaller four-foot trees. Her husband, John, also volunteers, and her two sons, daughterin-law and two grandchildren come to Fantasy to enjoy the fruits of their parents’ labors. The intangibles are what keep Ford coming back, she says. “It is heart-rendering and heart-warming to see such a collection of people who are so dedicated to Children’s Hospital all come together
At last year’s Fantasy of Trees, Meg Retinger grabs a photo opportunity with her granddaughter Mathis. Fantasy of Trees is Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 27-30, with proceeds benefiting East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Photo by Sherri Gardner Howell
to do this. It is a great community event, but the volunteers and staff who keep coming back are doing so because of the hospital. “Watching and talking to the volunteers and seeing how much they give makes you feel good about the world again. It washes away a lot of the negatives we are sometimes exposed to.”
Huber development hops first hurdle About the proposed density, By Sandra Clark John Huber didn’t need to hire Donaldson said, “We can do better John King when he had Mark (than has been done). We can save the slopes and the trees on those Donaldson. slopes, yet still accommodate the number of people we know will be here in the next 40 years. “We expect 300,000 new peoThe executive director of the Metropolitan Planning Commis- ple to move here by 2040 with 2/3 sion joyously argued the merits of of them in Knox County. If we conHuber’s plan to build upwards of tinue the trend that we’ve seen for 300 apartments and a 75-boat ma- the last four decades, we will fill rina off Emory Church Road near up Knox County from edge to edge with ½-acre lots. And. Do. We. Pellissippi Parkway. Huber presented his case quite Want. That?” The MPC’s answer was reeloquently, attorney John King plugged in the legal niceties (im- soundingly no. Commissioners portant when Wayne Kline and the approved the staff recommendaopponents go to court), but Don- tion on a voice vote with only Mialdson capped the debate like this: chael Kane heard dissenting. And “We’ve spent 2-1/2 years (Plan now the debate moves to Knox East Tennessee) listening to resi- County Commission. Literally hundreds of nearby dents of a 5-county region who have told us to increase housing residents attended a community along our transportation corri- meeting to oppose the developdors. They have asked for alter- ment. Many of them came to MPC natives to suburban housing; for last Thursday and stood when land use to connect homes to job Wayne Kline challenged MPC staff’s density calculations. Kline centers.”
Analysis
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said the undevelopable land on slopes, underwater or within the flood plain should not be used for the calculations. He said the 100-acre Melgaard family farm should have no more than 127 apartments, 172 max, and called the staff’s calculation “whimsy.” Commissioner Wes Stowers was perplexed: “I’ve had four years of calculus and I can’t see (the disparity between 127 and 335). Donaldson was quick to explain: He said Kline used the county’s general zoning plan which is advisory only. He also disagreed with Kline’s definition of developable land, saying if the ridgetop were leveled, the entire tract could be developed. But since Huber is proposing to preserve 17 acres (and use another 10 acres as a buffer), he’s entitled to bonus density mentioned in the county’s ridgetop plan which was never actually codified. Donaldson said Huber also got extra density because of the land’s
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proximity to the interstate. When Commissioner Laura Cole suggested a compromise on density, she was argued down by Commissioner Art Clancy who said, “Vote it up or vote it down, but if we don’t go with the staff recommendation we’re asking for trouble.” After the land was rezoned Planned Residential, next up was the plan. King argued it was not premature because it aided in rezoning to see the proposed land use. “A marina is an inappropriate use of this land, and we object to the 312 apartments,” said Kline. “This marina won’t sell gas or food,” said King. “It’s just a place to launch fishing boats.” The vote came quickly and affirmatively. Staff recommendation was adopted without change. It was a great day at MPC for John Huber. It was disappointing for the neighbors of Westland Cove. The marina still must be approved by TVA.