VOL. 7 NO. 28
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
July 15, 2013
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Public forum on senior center Knox County officials will hold an informal public meeting to discuss a possible site and services for the proposed Karns Senior Center. The meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the Karns Branch Library. Info: 215-5777.
IN THIS ISSUE
Life ➤
See the special section inside
Miracle Maker West Knox resident Kathy Duggan has been appointed principal of West Haven Elementary School. She looks forward and reflects with Jake Mabe.
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See Jake’s story on page A-11
Karns 5K kick-off
Ever wished you could join the folks who play bridge with their friends (and even make new friends)? See how easy and inexpensive it is to learn to play bridge at Deane Hill Rec Center. See story on page A-12
Wearing a tie “For those of us who grew up in the 1950s, it’s an ongoing process to adjust and hopefully become comfortable with some of today’s modern attire. “It’s hard not to remember that taking your date to a movie or dinner required a jacket and tie.” Malcolm Shell ponders present-day attire.
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Read Malcolm on page A-5
Strength coach Leadership, bonding, summer workouts. At Tennessee, fixing all this and preparing for August is the delegated duty of Dave Lawson, summer godfather and possible miracle worker. Marvin West writes about UT’s strength coach.
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When Mayor Tim Burchett spoke last Wednesday in Fountain City, Rick Ross told him the proposed Beaver Creek blueway is not a good idea. “It’s a great idea,” said Ross.
Burchett said designating Beaver Creek as a blueway would gain access to grants for improvements that will help with flood control. “It is named Beaver Creek for a reason,” said Burchett. “Sometimes those beavers jam it up.”
But when county officials came to Karns last week for a public forum on the proposal, they were met with questions about litter, safety and liability. “I’m going to go home and think about it, said Sydney Murray, who
expressed concerns about liability and his family’s safety. “I’m concerned, but I’ll research the issue and be back for the next meeting. If there is one.” To page A-3
See story on page A-3
Learn bridge
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Reaction mixed to Karns blueway By Nancy Anderson
As plans for the Saturday, July 27, Karns Community Fair progress, the high school soccer team has announced details of the 5K road race.
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Renée Hoyos and friends took this photo while paddling canoes down Beaver Creek. “We put in at Solway and took out at Melton Hill,” she said.
Read Marvin on page A-6
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New fire chief promises change By Betty Bean The Karns Volunteer Fire Department’s new chief says he’s anxious to get things headed in a new direction. “It is time to turn the page and move forward,” said Daron Long. “The membership elected a new fire chief to set a different path toward operations. Anytime you have change, you are going to have a new path.” Long, a professional firefighter who is a 1994 Karns High School graduate, was out of town attending a fire school when the membership elected him chief at the annual July membership meeting. He said he will not accept a salary. He also has set up a website for Karns residents to report their concerns about the department: Concerns@karnsfire.org “I always have and will continue to strive for the community of Karns. I want the rumors dispelled and I want the community to have a hand in this organization.”
Long said that former chief Ken Marston was not fired, even though the membership did not vote to continue his tenure as chief. The Karns Volunteer Fire Department, which serves a 65-square mile area encompassing Karns, Ball Camp, Hardin Valley and Solway, is a “combination” department, with a large core of volunteers as well as paid firefighters and staff. It was chartered in 1978 and was originally run entirely by community volunteers and supported by donations and grants. The area’s population has boomed over the years, straining the organization’s resources and leading to the addition of paid staff. In 2011, KVFD announced that it would become a subscription service, with fees based on the square footage of the subscriber’s home or business. Nonsubscribers are charged $1,950 for the first hour of a fire call and for traffic accident emergency ser-
vices, as well. In April 2013, the department opened a new fire station at the Hardin Valley location at a cost of $1.6 million. KVFD officials said the improved facility would cut response times and allow for more efficient delivery of emergency services. Some Karns residents, however, considered the new station too costly, adding to growing disapproval of the fee structure. In May, those concerns were given voice by former Assistant Chief James Bland, who resigned and penned a letter criticizing “over-the-top expenditures on the new Karns Fire Department Station 2 on Hardin Valley Road” for its granite countertops and other amenities. “A poor choice in investments in what was deemed as a ‘contribution’ turned extortion from the community in the manner in which it was presented and forced upon them with no recourse and little explanation,” Bland wrote.
He accused Marston of surrounding himself with “yes-men” and driving out longtime volunteers. When contacted, Bland declined to comment, beyond saying that Karns has an excellent fire department. George Larson, who has been with the fire department for some 35 years, was elected president of KVFD. Long said that he wants the department to communicate better with the community. “We are an organization that got together in 1978 and took out personal loans out to buy that first fire truck,” he said. “The department has always been a part of these four communities – Karns, Solway, Hardin Valley and Ball Camp – but the area has grown tremendously, and we have to try and keep up with that. Some people in the area know the background and the history of what the department is about, others don’t. We need to do a better job of telling that story.”
Tennova gains MPC approval Middlebrook Pike site OK’d for new hospital By Sandra Clark Despite the tug of north residents who want the old St. Mary’s Hospital to remain and the concerns of West Hills residents who don’t want a new hospital backing up to their neighborhood, the Metropolitan Planning Commission on Thursday approved re-
SALES • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE
zoning 110 acres on Middlebrook Pike near Weisgarber so Tennova can build a new hospital. “It’s like if you build it they will curse,” said one wit. Tennova Healthcare has pur- Tennova Healthcare representatives Melanie Robinson, Jeff Potter, John chased an option on a parcel ad- King and Jerry Askew field questions and complaints about a proposed medical center adjacent to West Hills during a West Hills Community AssoTo page A-3 ciation executive committee meeting. Photo by Wendy Smith
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