VOL. 52 NO. 40
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Traffic signal for Emory Road A traffic light is coming to Gibbs, but it’s not at the crossroads – at least not yet. Knox County Commission has approved a signal for Emory Road at the intersection with Fairview Road Dave Wright and Thompson School Road. Commissioner Dave Wright called it Harbison’s west bypass. “We’ve been pushing for this since Jack Huddleston served (on County Commission),� Wright said. “Now the state has taken it on because of safety concerns.� He said the “bypass� would serve the community when intersection improvements to Emory Road at Tazewell Pike (Harbison’s Crossroads) finally get started. On another matter, Wright wants Knox County to surplus and sell the 2.5 acres on Tazewell Pike where the old convenience center was located. He said he might have to go down himself and clean it up before it goes on the auction block. Wright wants to get the property back on the tax rolls and to avoid liability associated with ownership. – S. Clark
Cistern dedication at Halls High The Beaver Creek Task Force and the Knox County Stormwater Management department will dedicate a 1,500 gallon state-of-the-art cistern (which Shopper-News reporter Jake Mabe told you about in the Aug. 5 edition) 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Halls High. The cistern was installed to capture stormwater for irrigation use in the Halls High School greenhouse. The dedication is also a celebration of the Stormwater Management department’s Adopt-A-Watershed program in Knox County Schools. Professionally installed by Rainwater Resources, the cistern system was funded through part of a $1 million grant.
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Busting up
Beaver Creek blockage By Jake Mabe
A Knox County Engineering and Public Works crew removed two major debris jams in the stretch of Beaver Creek that runs behind Fountaincrest subdivision last Wednesday. Senior director Dwight Van de Vate said in an email Friday that the county was alerted about a flooding problem by resident Bonnie Holloway. “(Gene) Holloway told us when we met that it sounded ‘like there Holloway was a waterfall’ behind their house when it rained. Once we saw this debris jam, we understood why!� Knox County Watershed Coordinator Roy Arthur said Engineering and Public Works crews have identified every Beaver Creek debris jam from Maynardville Highway to Dry Gap Pike. “(Removing the jams) will also help the blueway A Knox County Engineering and Public Works crew removes a debris jam along Beaver Creek water trail in addition to the localized flooding,� Arthur said. behind Fountaingate subdivision. Bonnie Holloway has been documenting flooding and rainfall along Beaver Creek since 2007. The Holloways have lived in their home for 45 years. “It didn’t used to (flood) like this,� Bonnie says. “We knew something had changed.� She said heavy flooding this summer got so bad at one point that she and her husband “couldn’t go out in our yard because of the odor.� Holloway discovered that Hallsdale Powell Utility District has a manhole in neighboring Halls Heights that overflows and contributes to the flood. A neighbor, whose property in Halls Heights is The debris jam before the workers arrived
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A shot of Beaver Creek after the workers finished
WHY can’t Knox County By Sandra Clark
build greenways?
Even when the state hands over a half million dollars for a walking trail and despite Knox County sitting on a hefty fund balance, it can’t seem to get around to buildtaille estimates 15 miles of paved ing greenways. and 30 miles of natural trails. Ashe hired Young in 1994 and she remained on the job until The county doesn’t get it done 2011 at a salary in the range of despite hiring a succession of four her county counterpart. Although greenway coordinators to handle now retired, she is clearly frustratthe job, which is open again, at an ed by the county’s lack of progress on greenway expansion. annual salary of $40,078. “Even if people didn’t like me, Some say lack of support from the mayor’s office and the coun- they respected me, because I got it ty commission account for the done,� she said. “My biggest goals county’s failings. Yet greenways, were getting old people to food sidewalks and trails are among and kids to school. ... (Knox Counthe most requested and used as- ty) has never shown any interest in pects of county government. If you putting one at a school that I didn’t doubt that, check the sidewalks think of first, which is crazy, since they have so much more opportualong Emory Road. The city’s 45 trails and green- nity. Why not put the Northshore ways thrive in every sector from greenway all the way down to the Adair Park in Fountain City to the new school?� In Halls last week, Bataille William Hastie Trails in South Knox. The inventory includes said the Tennessee Department of more than 50 miles of paved gre- Transportation’s 3-year deadline enways and another 15.3 miles for completion of the Clayton Park of unpaved trails, most of which project has been difficult to meet were constructed during the ad- because of staff turnover. Thenministration of former Mayor Vic- Sen. Jamie Woodson pushed the tor Ashe and former greenway co- $500,000 grant through with support of Gov. Phil Bredesen’s ordinator Donna Young. We won’t even mention the ex- administration. “TDOT put a requirement on pansive trails system in Farragut where the town has made ameni- that we have to get the process completed within three years, ties for its residents a priority. The county’s web page lists 19 which is enough time if everytrails/greenways, including the thing works very well. But during Sarah Moore Greene Loop, which this time, we lost a greenways cois within the city limits. There’s ordinator and had to hire another no mileage tally, but county Parks one and this is one of those things and Recreation Director Doug Ba- where you’ve got to hit the ground
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running to stay on schedule. Dan Martin with PBA (Public Building Authority) has stepped in to help us meet the extended deadline.� Bataille said he works to stretch the county’s limited parks and greenways budget by looking for opportunities to partner with private enterprise in projects like Concord Dog Park, which started with a $100,000 PetSafe grant that was stretched by having county crews do much of the construction work. He plans to hire a new greenways coordinator very soon. Will Skelton was the co-founder and longtime chair of the Knoxville Greenways Coalition and is the emeritus chair of the city’s Greenways Commission. For years, he negotiated easement deals with property owners (almost never paying for the right-of-way) and has been “peripherally involved� in some county greenway negotiations. He is politely critical of the county’s efforts, but doesn’t blame Bataille. “Generally, county mayors and the commission haven’t been friendly to greenways, which is too bad, since there’s more undeveloped land in the county than in the city, where we were always going through people’s back yards.� County Mayor Tim Burchett said he’s got more important things to worry about than developing greenways. “The city doesn’t have a school
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Halls resident Bob Crye and Doug Bataille review a map of Clayton Park where the county has not spent a state greenway grant. Photo by S. Clark
system. The city doesn’t have a health department. They’ve got a fire department and brush pickup, basically. It’s a matter of priorities.� Treating greenways as a frill ignores their importance to health, community-building and even property values. Knox County has accumulated a soon-to-be-announced $50 million surplus. Give a bit of it back to the taxpayers by launching an aggressive program of greenways construction. And put somebody in charge who can get it done. Is Donna Young available? Betty Bean contributed to this report.
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