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VOL. 10 NO. 16
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April 20, 2016
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Landscape awards A team of judges from the town of Farragut Beautification Committee will make on-site visits of businesses, residential entrance areas and churches in Farragut on Thursday, May 5, to officially recognize the most attractive landscaping in Farragut. The committee will choose award recipients for: Commercial/Office Building, Commercial/Retail Building, Hotel/ Motel, Multi-Family Residential Complex, Religious Institution, Residential Entrance and Retail Commercial Complex. The criteria for evaluating each area include landscape design, selection of plant material, visual appeal and general maintenance of landscaped areas. Winners will be notified in May, and the awards will be presented by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Info: ahigginbotham@ townoffarragut.org or 865-2183375.
Tessa Williams and her brother, Daniel Charles “D.C.� Williams Jr., just before his first deployment Photo submitted Upon winning the Prudential Spirit of Community award, FHS senior Tessa Williams turned the spotlight on military veterans and thanked them for their service. Photo by S. Barrett
Art at Town Hall The town of Farragut and Farragut Arts Council are sponsoring the 2016 Farragut High Schools Art Show at the Farragut Town Hall. The show runs through Friday, April 22, during regular Town Hall hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Info: 865-966-7057.
Want to volunteer? The town of Farragut is now accepting applications from members of the community who wish to serve on one of Farragut’s advisory committees, councils or boards. Completed applications must be returned to the Town Hall by Friday, May 13. Info: on the town’s website at townoffarragut.org
Art show Envision Art Gallery, 4050 Sutherland Avenue, will host artist Sarah Moore’s solo exhibition “Find Ourselves� April 22 through May 20. An opening reception will be held 5-8 p.m. Friday, April 22. Refreshments and wine will be served, and a violinist will perform. Moore’s paintings are done in acrylics and feature nature, people and travel. Info: www.envisionart gallery.com and www. smoorestudio.com.
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By Sara Barrett When Farragut High School senior Tessa Williams was recognized for her community service, she asked for the microphone, but not to take the spotlight for herself. “I wasn’t the one to be thanked,� says Williams. “My brother and his brothers and sisters
in the armed forces were the ones I wanted to be recognized. I might not know them, but I love them, all of them, and I want to give them what they gave me: peace, safety, love and life.� Williams was inspired by her relationship with her half-brother, Daniel Charles “D.C.� Williams Jr., She didn’t know him until she
was in the third grade, when he was about to leave for his first tour of duty. They corresponded by mail during his time abroad and became close.
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Campbell Station Road property rezoned By Wendy Smith The Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to rezone a 4.7-acre parcel at the intersection of Campbell Station and Herron roads from R-2 (General Single Family Residential) to S-1 (Community Service). The applicant, Peter Falk, intends to build an assisted living facility there.
After several workshop sessions, the Municipal Planning Commission voted to change the area on the future land use map in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan from Very Low Density Residential to Civic Institutional. It also unanimously recommended rezoning the parcel to S-1. Community Development Di-
rector Mark Shipley said S-1 zoning is consistent with other uses along North Campbell Station Road, regardless of what the applicant does with the property. Alderman Louise Povlin said that architectural and landscaping standards will mean the town has more control over how the property looks than it would if the prop-
erty was developed as residential. She requested that the rezoning have the condition that any building on the property be limited to one story in order to “preserve the feel of Campbell Station Road.�
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Thinking green(ways) in Knox and beyond By Betsy Pickle There’s a reason Ellen Zavisca and her colleagues are big on greenways. Three reasons actually: Health, safety and money. “People in this country have been hearing for years, decades, that we need to be more physically active,� Zavisca said last week to the Sierra Club’s Harvey Broome Chapter. “It’s not just a matter of telling people, ‘Do this; don’t do this.’ We’ve got to create an environment that supports it.� Zavisca, a senior transportation planner for the Knoxville Regional Transportation Organization, is involved with pedestrian and greenway planning and Safe Routes to Schools. Lifestyle choices and genetics also play a role in health, but when it comes to exercising, walkers, runners and bicyclists are stymied if they don’t have safe routes,� she said. The danger shows up in the data. Some 125 ped/cyclist injury crashes result in about eight deaths each year in Knox County. “About 10-12 percent of fatalities statewide involve pedestrians and cyclists.� The TPO covers Knox and the urbanized parts of Anderson, Blount, Loudon and Sevier counties. The area contains 100 miles of paved greenway – including roughly 50 miles in Knoxville, 16 in the Alcoa-Maryville corri-
dor, nine in Townsend and nine in Oak Ridge. Aside from improving health, greenways have been shown to reward individuals and communities financially. Zavisca noted a study in Charlotte, N.C., that found an average increase in home value of $3,200 for homes within roughly a mile of the trails. Research in Greenville, S.C., showed that retail sales near a trail region went Ellen Zavisca up. Priorities: Connecting the existing trail in West Knox County and West Knoxville to Oak Ridge is one of the biggest regional greenway planning efforts. The project would require about 13 miles of additional trail at about $9 million, not including right-of-way, trailheads and another amenities. Eventually, the hope is to connect with Turkey Creek and Farragut, about 2.7 miles of trail at a cost of about $3.4 million. Connecting the Knox-Blount Greenway all the way to Townsend and the Smokies will take several phases over many years. Zavisca says the typical cost for a mile of greenway is $500,000, but terrain can drive costs to about $3 million a mile. This project could reach $25
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million. Karns contribution: Success with Karns Elementary’s Walking School Bus portends a new approach throughout the county. “We’re working with the Safe Routes to Schools partnership to create a policy that we’ll probably be taking to the school board in the fall,� said Zavisca. County engineer Cindy Pionke has been prioritizing sidewalk investment around schools. With nudging from Commissioner Brad Anders, Pionke found money in the budget to build about a mile of sidewalk along Beaver Ridge Road that leads directly from the grade school to the library to the Ingles in Karns. “We did some counts on the sidewalk after it was built, and we found that hardly anyone was actually walking to school on it.� Primary use was recreational in the evenings and on weekends. The Knox County Health Department got involved with a program called the Walking School Bus. “They find community volunteers, reflective vests – it doesn’t cost anything but time,� said Zavisca. Adults walk with the kids so they can get to their subdivision and peel off, or they get to the Ingles where the parents pick them up. “It’s a very appealing program.�
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