GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6-7 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A10-13 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B | BUSINESS A15
A great community newspaper.
VOL. 50, NO. 17
halls / fountain city
APRIL 25, 2011
INSIDE www.ShopperNewsNow.com
|
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
|
twitter.com/shoppernewsnow
TVA swings big ax on Halls Acres trees Drum roll Halls percussion ensemble finishes big at world championships See Jake’s story on page A-11
FEATURED COLUMNIST VALORIE FISTER
Word pictures Local artist Kathy Thacker and Knoxville native Ann Lovell team up on children’’s books See page A-7
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
The hounds are coming! Come to the Bloodhound Rescue, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at Tractor Supply in Halls. See ‘Animal’ inside!
ONLINE
By Betty Bean A wild azalea bush full of frothy pink blossoms stands in front of a wisteria-covered oak tree a few yards north of the log house that Alta and Oscar “Red” Yarbrough built in 1965 from trees they cut when they cleared the land she shares with deer, raccoons, coyotes, wild turkeys and about a million other species of birds. Her tulips and daffodils have given way to hyacinths and pansies and rhododendron now. Lettuce and radishes are coming up in the garden her son plowed for her at the edge of the woods, which end with a line of tree stumps next to a 150foot swath TVA has cut marking the right-of-way around its towering transmission lines. Red Yarbrough died 13 years ago, but Halls Acres Drive, the private road he and Alta and their three sons built, is thriving now, and is lined with well-kept green lawns where the road takes a sharp right curve and parallels the power lines. The clear cutting on the Yarbrough property was just the beginning. The property owners up the hill have been informed that their low-growing willows, redbuds and dogwoods have to go. Alta Yarbrough says her first inkling that TVA was adopting new, stricter vegetation maintenance practices came last year when a subcontractor came through and poisoned a grove of dwarf apple trees she’d planted. “Those were dwarf fuji apple trees just loaded with apples,” she said. “Later on they came back and said it was a new man on the job and offered to pay for them, but they couldn’t give me back the five years I’d been cultivating them.” The second inkling came this
LIKE? TELL US!
www.facebook.com/ ShopperNewsNow
4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136 news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Patty Fecco fecco@ShopperNewsNow.com Darlene Hutchison hutchisond@ ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 27,825 homes in Halls, Gibbs and Fountain City.
TITAN A SELF-STORAGE
month when she got a notice that crews would be coming to clear any vegetation within 75 feet of the power lines. They came the next day. “All of a sudden it was 10 or 15 men with chainsaws hopping out of trucks. Our ears were ringing after they left.” TVA’s 150-foot right-of-way has always been there, but had not been strictly enforced until a policy change in response to a 2003 blackout that left nearly 50 million people in the U.S. and Canada without power. “They have never come through here and expanded this far,” Alta Yarbrough said. “We were told we had to build at least 100 feet from those
power lines, but that just leaves 25 feet. Right now one of our neighbors has been working with them to save her black raspberry patch.” Jason Regg, TVA Power System Operations manager of applied line services, explained it this way in a TVA publication: “We are being proactive and looking at our whole transmission system – all 15,900 miles of it.” “By expanding efforts to control vegetation, TVA reduces the likelihood of service interruptions that can be caused by trees growing near or falling onto transmission lines,” a Jan. 25 newsletter to TVA employees explained.
The right-of-way for most TVA transmission lines ranges from 75 to 200 feet wide, with multiple lines requiring a larger right-of-way. TVA began acquiring right-ofways in 1933 and recommends that anyone buying property near a transmission line conduct a 100year property search. Property owners should not plant trees within the right-of-way, but some types of low-growing vegetation may be allowed. Plantings must be no more than 15 feet high and must be approved by the TVA right-of-way specialist. Landowners are required to keep the right-of-way mowed and maintained.
A better idea for Midway By Larry Van Guilder She may be “G.R,” not GE, but Gloria Ray is inspiring some better ideas for making use of The Development Corporation’s 380-acre tract in the Midway community.
Analysis
DO YOU
Alta Yarbrough Photo by Betty Bean
Ray, president and CEO of the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corportation, is leading an 18-member committee as it explores alternative uses for the property. The committee met for the second time last week. “It’s always important to manage Gloria Ray expectations,” Ray said, kicking off the discussion. “We’ve done such a good job of this that no one expects us to accomplish anything.” Ray’s observation was delivered tongue-in-cheek, but her wit doesn’t mask the skepticism with which some view the committee’s efforts to find a solution for Midway satisfactory to TDC and those in the community opposed to aggressive development. And if last week’s gathering is a reliable indication, even some of the major players in this dialogue are lukewarm about the committee’s prospects.
Rhonda Rice, executive vice president of the Knoxville Chamber, departed midway through the meeting. TDC’s executive vice president, Todd Napier, was a no-show and Roger Osborne, chair of TDC’s board of directors, arrived more than an hour into the meeting. All of which is unfortunate, because Ray and the committee members displayed the kind of creative approach to Midway which has been in short supply at TDC and the Chamber. Ray initiated the brainstorming by soliciting suggestions for ways to “build out” what she called a “Health and Lifestyle Center.” Noting that Tennessee claims the unenviable top ranking in the U.S. for incidence of obesity, and that baby boomers are taking a greater interest in their health, Ray began by sketching out what the main facility at the center might contain. A workout center and a pool were obvious choices, and for those looking for more pampering, a spa was suggested. Branching out, retail spaces might include a restaurant serving vegetables grown from an on-site garden and a meat market featuring local products. A golf course and trails for hiking, biking and horse riding would provide opportunities for outdoor activities. An educational unit for classrooms and demonstration projects would be complemented by rustic “cabins” for visitors who came for
an extended stay. Jeff Christian, an ORNL energy efficiency expert, suggested a dual purpose solar panel sound barrier. Besides service jobs, Ray foresaw possibilities for teachers and even doctors. That sparked discussion about the shortage of nurse practitioners, and Tom Ballard of ORNL suggested that the education unit might grow into a school for the specialty. “It may be a great service and a great idea,” Ray concluded, “but can it sustain itself from a business standpoint?” Elaine Clark thinks it could with the right approach. “We have to learn how to partner with different industries,” she said, such as hospitals, schools and utilities. Ray’s “Headquarters Hill” concept generated even more ideas. Taking a cue from Indianapolis’ claim as the “amateur athletics capital of the world,” Ray envisioned Knoxville as the energy efficiency capital of the world, drawing on the technical expertise at ORNL and UT. Even Osborne was impressed – with a caveat. “I like this concept. It’s a good concept for Knoxville. … But, whether Midway is the right place to put it, I don’t know.” Ray plans to convene the committee again in May with the aim of developing a consensus proposal.
Lowest prices in town.
938-2080
Climate and non-climate controlled units, indoor and outdoor, RV storage, 24/7 access, month to month rentals, fenced, lighted and security, convenient to Halls and Powell.
NOW OPEN! Norris Freeway location
Specials For Mother’s Day • Relaxation Massage 1 Hour $50 • Enzyme Facial 75 Minutes $65
859-7900
Gift certificates available at these prices. Promotion ends Sun, May 8.
mercy.com
Let the hunt begin! Halls Elementary School student Ashlin Stafford counts her treasures following an egg hunt at Elmcroft Assisted Living. Residents at Elmcroft filled more than 1,800 eggs with candy and scattered them across the lawn for Halls Elementary students to find. Photo by Ruth White FOR MORE PHOTOS, VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ SHOPPERNEWSNOW