VOL. 7 NO. 39
IN THIS ISSUE
Miracle Maker
Ernie Roberts retired at the end of spring semester 2009 after 30 years of teaching – mostly math – in the Knoxville and Knox County school systems. That fall, he was asked to return to Bearden High School, where he’d taught since 1984, to fill in for a teacher on maternity leave. He hasn’t had a free semester since then.
➤
Read Betsy Pickle on A-9
Coffee Break Mike Pope has been digging in the dirt his whole life. In the West Knox community, the Pope name is a familiar one for those who have a passion for growing things. Pope is the owner of The Junction Plants and Produce at Dixie Lee Junction in Farragut, as well as three other places that support his family’s retail and wholesale plant business. “It all started in the early 1970s with one greenhouse,” says Mike. “It’s been going ever since.”
➤
See story on A-2
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Showcase your talent at Karns The Karns High School Ensemble, which is 23 members strong this year, is hosting its 3rd annual talent show on Thursday, Oct. 3, at the high school and is opening the event to the community. Karns senior Braxton Kiser, who has been an ensemble member for four years, says the annual show – a fundraiser for the group – is special this year because the school is celebrating its 100th birthday. “We want the whole community to come out on Thursday, enjoy the bonfire and activities and stay for a great show,” says Kiser. “For $10, you get the show and a soup supper.” Tickets will be sold at the door. Kiser says anyone in the community, and especially Karns alum, are also invited to be in the talent show. Preliminary screening for the show is 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the school. Kiser: bckiser12@gmail.com. Teacher Caryn Marlowe: caryn. marlowe@knoxschools.org.
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell | Nancy Anderson ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
September 30, 2013
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
Major construction at Hardin Valley By Sandra Clark Unless you’re looking for it you don’t know it’s there. The Preserve at Hardin Valley has several luxury apartment buildings under construction off Solway Road near Pellissippi State’s main campus. Building permits totaling $10.8 million have been taken by Nashvillebased Hardaway Construction Corporation. Two buildings are occupied, and the clubhouse is open as is a sparkling swimming pool. OthThe clubhouse at the Preserve at Hardin Valley Photo from website erwise, there are construction workers and moving vans bustling about in a way we’ve not The manager was unavailable and a fourth in November. Two seen around these parts for the Friday, but we learned a third more are slated to open in March past 10 years. building should open in October and April.
The development has spectacular views of Hardin Valley framed by the Smokies. It backs up to a wooded hillside and was launched in November 2012 at a groundbreaking that brought out representatives from the county commission, county mayor’s office, Pellissippi State and Hardin Valley Academy. One, two and three bedroom apartments are available, with square footage ranging from 850 for the one bedroom to 1,415 for a three bedroom with two baths. The Preserve has a 24-hour fitness center, a coffee bar and cyber café. Posted monthly rent ranges from $815 to $1,335. Info: 789-2310.
Accessible water Team from First Utility aid Guatemalan village By Laura Cline Instead of spending hours each day hauling water from a river, 35 Guatemalan families now have clean drinking water, thanks to the efforts of employees at First Utility District of Knox County. Since April 2012, the volunteers have laid more than 12 miles of water line that now serve the indigenous Mayans in the Ulpan Valley of Guatemala. The project is part of a larger effort on the part of Knox ProCorps, which provides local professionals with ways to use their skills to improve the quality of life for poor communities, both locally and internationally. Giving communities the education, training and infrastructure necessary to build and maintain a water system is one of the organization’s key commitments. “We didn’t want to do a quick fi x,” said Bruce Giles, FUD’s general manager. “We wanted to know that someone was there managing the system.” That meant providing the local community with the edu-
cation and skills necessary to keep the system running after the team left. The group’s most recent trip was Feb. 15. Mark McKinney, project engineer at FUD, lived in the Ulpan Valley for nine months before the team arrived, designing and managing construction for the water systems. “One of the requirements is that they create a mini utility,” McKinney said. “We invested a lot of time in training the local people on how to run a utilities system.” Although the Knoxville team began the week doing most of the work, the local community members assumed more ownership each day. “Ninety men from the village dug three miles of trenches,” said McKinney. “There is unbelievable pride on the part of the locals as they learn how to do it.” Now they no longer need to spend an hour or two each day carrying river water to their homes. “You first get the health benefit,”
A Guatemalan man carries concrete on his back up the mountain to assist the First Utility District team.
McKinney said. “Obviously, they’ll Andy Jackson, FUD’s distribube sick less. But you’re also giving tion manager, said the villages have them time because they don’t have a high child mortality rate. to go find water every day.” To page A-3
Vol wins mean business dollars Yet another reason to pull for Butch By Betty Bean He didn’t realize it then, but Crowne Plaza general manager Ken Knight says he came to Knoxville during the golden years of University of Tennessee football – years when fans booked their hotel reservations the day the next season’s football schedule was released. Home game weekends sold out months in advance. “My wife, Tammy, and I moved here in ’93 – during the best decade in the history of Tennessee football. We got spoiled,” he said. The most recent report on the economic impact of UT sports on the local economy released by the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research
ALL-INCLUSIVE
Short-Term Respite Stays $700/week
was issued in January 2013 and surveyed data from the academic year 2011’12. It began with happy talk about fans traveling to Knoxville from all over the country to see the Volunteers play. Then it Knight conceded that attendance for home football games has declined: “Comparing the last two sevenhome-game seasons (2008-09 and 2010-11), attendance dropped by nearly 12,000 (roughly 1,660 per game). A drop of almost 37,000 in attendance occurred in the last two eight-home-game seasons (2009-10 and 2011-12). This drop is equivalent to a reduction
in attendance of just over 4,500 per game.” Does a decline in numbers correspond to a lack of enthusiasm for spending money? Absolutely, said a veteran employee of a West Knox establishment where Tennessee fans gather to catch away games on TV. “It’s been devastating. I’ve been talking about this all season. The crowds that come in to watch the games have been much smaller. And when we’re losing, they quit drinking. I’ll ask, ‘You want to order anything to eat?’ They say, ‘No,’ and just sull up. People don’t feel like spending money on a losing team. Used to be, TV games had a big impact. Restaurants were like battle stations. “Now, it just ain’t the same, and a lot of times, you don’t know whether
FORGET THE CHAINS! Go Local, It’s Just BETTER!
15% OFF Family mily Value Packs Providing idi a SSuperior i Q Quality lit off Lif Life ffor SSeniors i iin K Knoxville Assisted Living & Memory Care 555 Rain Forest Road • 865-200-8238
or not it’s even going to be on TV, when you’ve got a crappy team. And when you think about sales tax revenue, you realize that it hits everybody in this town in the wallet, whether they know it or not.” Out in South Knox, Ye Olde Steakhouse co-owner Cheryl Wilson doesn’t need an academic survey to conclude that football season’s not what it used to be, and it’s not solely because of the Henley Bridge closing. “We used to have some really rowdy crowds. It was ‘Roll Tide’ and ‘Go Vols’ all weekend. We’d have a few people get into fights. But it’s been awhile. We used to do 800900 (customers) a night. Now if we get 500-600 we’re doing good.” All over town, it’s pretty much the same. As go the Vols, so goes business. And winning teams equal busy cash registers. “Beating Alabama in the old days was like Black Friday,” said Knoxville Chamber president Mike Edwards. “It’s been awhile.”
Coupon cannot annot be / combinedd w/any other offer. Expires 11/30/13.
n!
soo Coming
BEARDEN 5415 Kingston Pike
POWELL KARNS 6714 Central Ave. Pk. 7650 Oak Ridge Hwy.