VOL. 7 NO. 33
IN THIS ISSUE
Miracle Maker
The chief academic officer for Knox County Schools, Dr. Elizabeth Alves, says parents and students should embrace the new Common Core state standards.
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Read Sandra Clark, A-9
Coffee Break It was the lure of owning his own business, like his father, that brought David Sharp to a lifetime of cleaning. Sharp and his sister, Dustin White, are the owners of Farragut Cleaners, 11185 Kingston Pike. They also have four satellite drop-off/pick-up stores in West Knox and Lenoir City. “I have lived in Knoxville since I was a child and went through the Farragut school system, graduating from Farragut High in 1982,” says David. “My father worked at Farragut Cleaners and bought the business in 1990. I came on a few months later to work with him.”
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Meet David Sharp, A-2
The Archie you may not know If all you know of Archie Campbell is Kornfield Kounty and cornpone “Hee Haw” humor, you need to know, to coin a phrase, the rest of the story. Don’t get me wrong. Ol’ Arch was the heart and soul of “Hee Haw.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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Read Jake Mabe, A-5
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
‘Cool Down in the Cave’ is Saturday Historic Cherokee Caverns, 8524 Oak Ridge Highway, will be open to the public 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. Admission is $8 per person, children 6 and under are free. Plenty of free parking and restrooms are available. The cave is stroller and wheelchair accessible. Proceeds benefit the maintenance and preservation of Cherokee Caverns Info: Jim Whidby, 982-7261 or myotisjrw@aol.com.
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August 19, 2013
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Putting down roots Plant-a-Tree Program way to honor, memorialize friends and family By Betsy Pickle Mary Taylor may be an addict. After she purchased her first tree through Farragut’s Plant-aTree Program, she couldn’t stop. She’s now a regular at the Parks & Leisure Services department, which oversees the program. “They told me, ‘By the time you’re done, you’re going to have planted a whole forest,’” she says with amusement. There are worse addictions to have. The Plant-a-Tree Program was created in 2004 as a way for community members to remember or honor loved ones. For a fee between $200 and $250, participants can purchase any of more than a dozen varieties of trees to be planted at the Farragut park or greenway of their choice. A small marble plaque with an inscription desired by the buyer is set in concrete at the base of the tree. The town takes care of the tree and replaces it if it dies. Friday, Aug. 30, is the deadline for purchasing trees for this planting season, which is NovemberDecember. Taylor, who taught second grade at Farragut Primary School until her retirement eight years ago, bought her first tree to honor her teammate when she retired. Mary Taylor takes a look at the plaque acknowledging her gift to the FarraLater, she bought a tree as a gut Plant-a-Tree Program. This tree is near the Farragut library on Campbell Christmas gift to the members of Station Road.
The plaque at one of the trees Mary Taylor planted recognizes 30 years of friendship for a group of Taylor’s friends. Photos by Sara Barrett
her bridge club. Then she bought one in honor of the husbands of her bridge buddies. Her friends have all been grateful for her thoughtfulness, but they may not know her dirty little secret. “I hate to shop,” confides Taylor. With the Plant-a-Tree Program, she has very few decisions to make. “You can pick what you want, but I always say just plant whatever,” she says. “I think the first one I asked specifically for a dogwood, and it died, and they replaced it with sweetgum. I’ve planted a lot of sweetgum.” Vice Mayor Dot LaMarche also left the choice up to the experts when she and husband Louis purchased a tree in memory of Glen Sumner, a longtime Farragut volunteer who passed away in May. “It’s always good to plant a tree because trees are a sign of life,” says LaMarche. “I think it’s a great tribute to somebody.” To page A-3
Town’s density, slope regs may change By Sandra Clark One idea died and two others moved on at Thursday’s meeting of the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission. By consensus, the MPC dismissed a proposal to allow second dwellings within single-family residentially zoned neighborhoods. The discussion was initiated by Alderman Bob Markli. Vice chair Edward St. Clair jumped in before the discussion began: “The town staff should not spend any more time on this. It is going nowhere.”
He was right. The commission asked Community Development Director Ruth Viergutz Hawk to draft ordinances on the two remaining items for future discussion. The first would clarify the method of measuring setbacks in the zoning ordinance. Hawk said clarification is needed as a result of a lawsuit. On Nov. 29, 2012, the Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling from Knox County Chancery Court in the case named Lura McBride vs. Farragut Board of Zoning Appeals
and (town employee) Mark Shipley. The dispute was about how to measure an uncovered addition, such as a deck or pergola. Covered structures are restricted to a 25-foot setback from the property line. The proposed change would clarify that uncovered additions must meet only a 10-foot side and rear setback. The second item is in response to a request by Kay Wellons to cluster apartments on her property on N. Campbell Station Road. “As we discussed (at an earlier
Karns Connector plan draws support By Sandra Clark The Karns Connector will cost about $5.7 million to complete, and work could start as soon as 2014. Knox County officials brought plans to a public forum at Karns High School last week. The connector is a two-lane road with a center turn lane and shoulders from Oak Ridge Highway to Hardin Valley Road. Built in phases over 10 years, the first phase, the link between Emory Road and Oak Ridge Highway (SR 62) called Karns View Road, is already finished. At the other end, engineers have decided to use Westcott Boulevard, which extends through Knox County Commissioner Brad Anders discusses the route map for the WestBridge Business Park, to link proposed Karns Connector with Karns resident Ken Dyer. Photo by S. Clark
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workshop), currently land zoned R-6 is to be free of environmental limitations,” Hawk said. “The idea behind applying the Open Space Cluster district overlay to the R-6 zone is to acknowledge that some properties with environmental limitations would be suitable for cluster apartments development because of their proximity to transportation and other infrastructure.” Hawk said other property besides Wellons’ fits this description. To page A-3
to Hardin Valley Road. That leaves the middle – the most expensive portion because it must bridge over Beaver Creek in two spots. Alan Childers, with Cannon & Cannon Inc., said Knox County caught a break when the state built a portion of the connector along with the Ben Atchley Veterans Home. “So we have about 2,500 feet missing, that part between the sports park and the veterans home,” he said. County Commissioner Brad Anders said “the only headache” are dead-ends of Byington-Solway Road on either side of the connector. “Overall, it’s a needed project that the community wants,” Anders said.
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