KARNS/HARDIN VALLEY
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VOL. 7 NO. 2
IN THIS ISSUE
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January 14, 2013
Proton accelerator arrives
See page A-2
Miracle Maker To enjoy teaching kindergarten, you have to not mind being touched, or needed, or occasionally being called “Mommy.” It’s not for everyone, says Angie Johns, but it’s definitely for her.
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See page A-9
Bruce McCarty Victor Ashe says the city lost a citizen who cared deeply about how Knoxville looked in terms of its public and private buildings when Bruce McCarty died last week at age 92.
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See page A-4
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
State of the Schools address is Thursday Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre will deliver the second annual State of the Schools address at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at Powell High School. School board chair Karen Carson, Mayor Tim Burchett, and Randy Boyd, founder and CEO of Radio Systems, will also share their perspectives on public education in our community. The event is open to all. The address will be broadcast live on Comcast Cable Channel 10, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, and WKCS-Radio 91.1 FM and streamed live at www. knoxschools.org.
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Count the tires (we guess 144) on the trailer that hauled the cyclotron to its home at Provision Center for Proton Therapy at Dowell Springs. After weeks of preparation, the 220-ton cyclotron proton accelerator ended an 8,000 mile journey that began in Belgium and ended at Provision Center for Proton Therapy off Middlebrook Pike last week. The machine arrived by barge at the Forks of the River Industrial Park and was brought by truck to Dowell Springs. TDOT coordinated the transport. This is a significant milestone, said Mary Lou DuBois, president of the center. The cyclotron is at the heart of the equipment that will generate high-speed protons
used to treat some of the most difficult cancer patients. We are currently on track to treat patients by the first quarter of 2014. The cyclotron, which accelerates the protons to two-thirds the speed of light before they are formed into a treatment beam, is the core piece of equipment used in proton therapy, an alternative to standard X-ray radiation for the treatment of cancer. The center will be one of only 14 centers in the United States and the first proton therapy center in Tennessee. Info: www.provisionproton. com or 684-2616.
Dr. Terry Douglass, CEO of ProNova Solutions, and Mayor Madeline Rogero chat with friends as they await the arrival of the cyclotron, the core of what will soon be Tennessee’s most advanced radiation treatment center. Photos by Ruth White
The Hillcrest-Carter connection By Sandra Clark Knox County Commission may vote this month to sell property that is home to 500 individuals and employs 500 more. The residents range from indigent seniors to the disabled. The Other Paper let Mayor Tim Burchett get away with saying that while he may take political heat for selling the Hillcrest properties for half ($5.275 million against $11.3 million) of appraised value, he’s doing it for the seniors.
Analysis We submit that he’s doing it to pay for Carter Elementary School. And that’s a steep price to pay. Knox County needs another $6 million to fulfill its contract for the Carter school. The contract calls for the transaction to conclude between June 1 and July 15, 2013. A quick $5.275 million from the Hillcrest Healthcare Communities could solve the Carter problem, but would leave a myriad of unanswered questions. For instance: ■ What happens to the residents and staff if the new owner decides to build condos?
■ What happens if the new owner defaults on a loan, having used the property as collateral? Hillcrest management has hired Moxley Carmichael public relations and attorney Arthur Seymour Jr. to make its case. They’re spinning at full speed. Meanwhile, the commission chair, Tony Norman, has placed another item on the JanuTim Burchett ary agenda. Cosponsored by Burchett, it would require money acquired from the sale of county assets to go toward debt retirement. While specific properties are not named, it begs the question of how the $6 million Carter deficiency would be covered if this resolution passes. Finance director Chris Caldwell says the proposed Hillcrest sale is not about Carter. There are other properties available for sale to close the gap, he said, and “the folks from Hillcrest approached us.” The Tazewell Pike property that includes Beverly Park and par-3 golf course will be retained by the coun-
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ty, Caldwell said. Cynthia Moxley, CEO of Moxley Carmichael, said 70 percent of Hillcrest’s residents are supported by TennCare. Repairs are needed. Hillcrest cannot borrow for upgrades without using the property for collateral, she said. In setting the sales price, Knox County considered the $2.3 million already spent for improvements by Hillcrest and the estimated $1.6 million needed to tear down the old tuberculosis hospital (not used for patients) and an old water tower. Seymour said nonprofit corporations such as Hillcrest Healthcare operate under more restrictive laws than for-profit corporations. For instance, a nonprofit must notify the state attorney general prior to selling or leasing its assets or merging with another entity. The AG can intervene if the nonprofit’s assets are being misapplied or wasted, or it is no longer able to carry out its purpose. He suggested that Knox County could be liable for clean-up of hazardous waste sites or if “it knows or should have discovered the existence of some dangerous condition.” Mike Ragsdale tried to sell Hillcrest facilities a few years back, but
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Paying for Carter Under its agreement with Carter School developer Partners Development, the county will swap $13,879, 334 for a key to the finished building by July 15, 2013. Mayor Tim Burchett boldly promised to raise the money by selling unneeded county assets. To date, almost $10 million has been collected toward the project: ■ $892,550 – JP Morgan settlement ■ $2,010,000 – Solway mulch facility and adjacent park ■ $943,818 – City of Knoxville payoff of Animal Center ■ $2,500,000 – Knox County Schools Capital Plan contribution ■ $3,419,250 – E-911 payment for building
The clock is ticking on the remaining $4 million (plus $2 million for furnishings).
was rebuffed by commissioners concerned that the sale price was too low or worried about the future of residents and staff. It’s a different day with a new mayor, but those concerns remain.
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