Teams rock! ➤ VOL. 11 NO. 13
Egg Hunts
■■ UT Gardens Wild Bird Eggstravaganza, 10 a.m-2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, UT Gardens, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive. Cost: $8 per child. Learn about wild birds and how to feed them. Families will learn how to attract birds to their home garden and create natural spring-inspired crafts. All kids will leave with two bird feeders, a seed dispersal craft to attract wild birds, a bird seed mix catering to your favorite backyard birds’ favorite foods and young seedling that can grow to attract and feed birds in your garden. Hunt for 3,000 eggs in the garden. Don’t forget your basket! The Easter Bunny will also be “hopping” to get his picture taken with you. Preregistration is required at http://bit.ly/2oe0umP ■■ Ebenezer Methodist Church Community Spring Festival, 4-6 p.m. Sunday, April 2, 1001 Ebenezer Road. Free. Egg hunt, petting zoo, balloon animals, magic shows, live music. ■■ River View Family Farm 6th annual spring event, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15, at 12130 Prater Lane, Farragut. Plenty to see and do down on the farm, including an egg hunt. ■■ Gulf Park Easter Egg Hunt, 2:30-4 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at 528 Pensacola Road (off Cedar Bluff Road). Free. The hunt will begin at 3 p.m. Open to the public. Don’t forget your basket. Sharon Baptist Church will host an egg hunt 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15, for preschool through fifth grade. Bring your baskets and a friend for food, candy, fun and the Easter story at 7916 Pedigo Road. Info: sharonknoxville.com or 865-9387075. ■■ Fountain City egg hunt, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 8, Fountain City Park: 9:30 a.m., ages 6-8; 10:15 a.m., ages 3-5; 11 a.m., walking to 2 years; 11:45 a.m., ages 9-12. Free and open to the public. Bring Easter basket. Event includes: the Easter Bunny, vendor booths, food truck spaces. Info: info@ fountaincitybusiness.com ■■ Powell, 1 p.m. Saturday, April 15, Powell Station Park on Emory Road adjacent to the high school. Communitywide event includes prizes, live animals, free refreshments. Info: PowellBusiness.com ■■ Big Ridge State Park, Saturday, April 15, rain or shine. Schedule: 10 a.m., 2 years and younger; 10:30 a.m., 3-4 years old; 1 p.m., 5-7 years old; 1:30 p.m., 8-10 years old. Bring a basket and meet at the Park Office. Info: 865-9925523 ■■ Submit your egg hunt to News@ShopperNewsNow.com
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Kids helping kids
The back playground area is for the older kids. Photo submitted
The existing playground used by the younger kids at Maynard Elementary School will be renovated soon with money raised by First Baptist Concord students. Photo by Margie Hagen
By Margie Hagen What started as a project for students at First Baptist Concord will turn into new playground equipment for Maynard Elementary School kids. Concord Quest Vacation Bible School attendees from kindergarten through seventh grade raised a good portion of the $25,000 needed, with the remainder coming from a large donor. Located on Kingston Pike in Farragut, First Baptist Concord has around 8,000 members, making it one of the largest in the
region. About 1,100 children attend Concord Christian School in grades pre-K through 12. Each year, the vacation school selects a different cause to benefit, according to director of communications Tiffany Roy. “Most of the money came in change from over 1,000 kids who attended our summer event,” she said. “So cool to see kids helping kids!” A check was presented to the administration at Maynard during its winter carnival in December. Maynard Elementary School is on College Street in the Mechan-
icsville area. Founded in 1897, the school has about 200 students in grades K-5. “First Baptist Concord has supported the school for many years through our Partners in Education program,” said spokeswoman and instructional coach Christa Stewart. “They have provided mentors for our students, along with monetary donations and supplies. “Denise Barker and the Helping Hands program at the church have continually checked with our staff to determine our needs. Principal Kim Cullom is greatly apprecia-
tive of their ongoing support. A safe and fun playground benefits a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social development.” Barker got involved about two years ago after reading a newspaper article. The school had immediate needs like earbuds for student Chromebooks and a new refrigerator for the teachers’ lounge. They also needed a new playground, so after taking care of some basics, that became her focus. “Pennies, nickels, dimes To page A-3
Plans move forward for Campbell Station Inn By Margie Hagen The historic Campbell Station Inn, also known as the Russell House, is getting a makeover, inside and out. Originally built in 1787, it was purchased by the town of Farragut in 2014. During last week’s meeting, Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve funding for an agreement that includes planning, design and oversight services for the stabilization phase of the project. The architectural firm Brewer Ingram Fuller was
chosen from four bidders. Extensive renovations will gut the interior, removing all plumbing and electrical wiring, along with loose plaster and deteriorated finishes. Floors and ceilings will be braced and the wings of the house removed. Windows and doors will be restored and four chimneys will be capped. Insulation, HVAC systems, sprinklers and new electrical service are to be installed and the exterior will be repaired using restoration mortar and
solid brick. The town plans to use the space for offices and eventually a museum, so restoration of architectural and finish details will mirror the original period look. The dairy barn in the rear is slated for demolition, to be replaced by a small park. As Mayor Ralph McGill put it, “This is one of the few remaining links to our past history and it’s important to preserve that.” To page A-3
Knox County Schools already tests for safe water By Sandra Clark Last week’s story about legislation introduced by state Rep. Rick Staples implied a problem with drinking water in public schools since Staples wants to require school systems to test it. His bill (HB0631) was scheduled to be heard by the House Education & Administrative Planning subcommittee on Tuesday, March 28. Meanwhile, we checked with state and local agencies to clarify the current status of school water, especially in schools built before June 19, 1986, when the federal lead ban took effect. Tennessee Department of Health spokesperson Shelley Walker refused to comment on pending legislation. Russ Oaks, chief operating officer for Knox County Schools, said the local system has been proactive in testing water.
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“Working with Knoxville Utilities Board in 2007, we surveyed all schools and remediated as required.” KUB tested water samples from schools in its service area and KCS hired a private lab to test samples from other water districts. “Some marginal readings came back,”
Thomas is new super Contract negotiations are underway between Bob Thomas and the Knox County Board of Education, after the board’s unanimous selection of Thomas as the district’s next superintendent of schools. He will reBob Thomas place Buzz Thomas (no relation), who served as interim superintendent for a year.
but nothing involving pipes. Remediation included replacing a faucet or water cooler. “Recognizing this isn’t static, we can have deterioration over time, (KCS) decided to test water regularly,” Oaks said. Twenty percent of schools are tested annually, meaning every school will
be tested every five years. Oaks said school staff pull 10 samples at each school, focusing on drinking water. So is the water safe? “Our (testing) actions are proactive and prudent. Everywhere we check, we ensure that it’s safe. KUB has been great working with us,” Oaks said.
Buzz Thomas will return to his role as director of Great Schools Partnership. Bob Thomas is a longtime Fountain City resident whose wife, Beckye Justice Thomas, was choral director at Central High School. Their son, Brandon, graduated from Central High School and UT. Bob Thomas taught at Bearden and Rule high schools. He has been an assistant superintendent since 1990.
board in May. The rezoning will take effect in August 2018 as new middle schools at Hardin Valley and Gibbs are opened. The meetings will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, at Holston Middle School and Tuesday, April 11, at Hardin Valley Academy. The draft plan is available at knoxschools.org. It adjusts zones for Farragut, Karns, Holston, Carter, Vine and South-Doyle middle schools, while allowing rising eighth-grade students and their siblings currently enrolled in middle school to apply to be “grandfathered” at their existing school.
Rezoning meetings KCS will hold two public meetings to discuss the plan for middle school rezoning before it goes to the school
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