Powell/Norwood Shopper-News 121714

Page 1

POWELL/NORWOOD VOL. 53 NO. 50 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

Lights fantastic at Chilhowee Park

www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

December 17, 2014

The gingerbread houses

Take a minute to tour Chilhowee Park after dark to see a forest of lighted trees floating on the lake. You never leave your car. The exhibit will continue until Jan. 1.

Tour de Lights On Friday, Dec. 19, bring a bike and go to Market Square to enjoy Tour de Lights – a fun, free, casual 5-mile bike ride that starts from Market Square and tours downtown, 4th and Gill and Old North Knoxville. Ride starts at 7 p.m. but judging begins at 6 p.m. and prizes are awarded after the ride in several categories, including Best-Decorated Bike, Best Decorated Person, and Best Group Theme. Mast General Store and Three Rivers Market will provide hot cocoa and cookies for participants. Helmets, white front light, and red rear reflector are required and all ages and skill levels are welcome. Info at www.knoxtrans.org/.

Kaleigh Worsham shows off the gingerbread house she created in Kara Israel’s kindergarten class at Pleasant Ridge Elementary. Helen Ellison and Pam Mathews have been making gingerbread houses with their children for as long as they can remember. Photos by R. White

By Ruth White Pam Mathews began making gingerbread houses with her children back in 1986 when her daughter, Kara, went to kindergarten. The following year, Mathews and friend Helen Ellison made them with their children at home as a Christmas activity. As each child attended kindergarten, the pair went to the school and intro-

Pennington passes

James Elwood “Coach” Pennington passed away Dec. 15, while awaiting a heart transplant. Pennington coached football and taught for 30 years at several area schools, including Halls High and Webb School of Knoxville. He is survived by his wife, Denise, who taught English and theatre at Halls High and Webb for many years; son and former NFL quarterback Chad Pennington and daughter Andrea Dubois and their families. Arrangements were pending at press time.

SHOPPER ONLINE

Pleasant Ridge fifth-grader Presious Pearson assists in Kara Israel’s classroom as students construct gingerbread houses.

duced the students to the fun of making gingerbread houses. Almost 30 years later, Mathews is still making the houses, but now it’s with children in Kara’s kindergarten classroom. “When she first began teaching she asked me to come to her classroom and make gingerbread houses. I enlisted my friend Helen, and with the help of a parent, Shannon Cowden, we have done this for the

past 11 years.” Mathews, who was diagnosed with cancer at the start of the school year, has undergone treatments in recent months. She and Kara were thrilled when the doctor gave her the thumbs up to continue the holiday tradition. The students wore surgical-type masks during the event as a precaution, but that didn’t dampen spirits or stop all the smiles.

Emory Road project delayed; fines kick in just behind DeBusk Lane). “Crews installed intermediate layers of asphalt (AS, A and BM2) last week to further complete the last section of roadway. “Additionally, a subcontractor was working to correct a soft spot in the subgrade Friday for further completion of pavement installation. Paving crews will continue with D mix (final surface course) as soon as possible so that grinding and grooving of the bridge may commence.

“The entire project will require final paving, striping, guardrail installation, signal completion at both Brickyard and the connector road (to the current Emory Road) and permanent sign placement. “Once paving is completed, the contractor is also required to grind and groove the bridge over the railroad. Several of these items are temperature dependent. “The estimated completion date was Dec. 13, 2014, and no request for time has been made on

the behalf of the contractor (Potter South East LLC.). Liquidated damages will be assessed at the rate of $1,400 per day until completion.” The new road, running from Gill Road to Clinton Highway, will be named Powell Drive. The name Emory Road will remain with the existing roadway which will be turned over to Knox County for maintenance. – Sandra Clark

Midway on back burner

French Broad Preservation Association, is reluctant to talk about Midway (perhaps observing the old “don’t trouble trouble till trouble troubles you” admonition), except for expressing some skepticism of Edwards’ claim about the availability of sewer for the park site, which she described as “a two-acre drip field.” She said she’d like to see the task force county Mayor Tim Burchett put together early in his first term under the leadership of former tourism head Gloria Ray resurrected. (The task force dissolved in 2012 when Ray was forced to resign as chief executive officer of the Sports and Tourism Corp.) “We were making real progress,” Clark said. “That’s something that should be revived.” Todd Napier, CEO of TDC, said there was no reason to include Midway on the bus tour, which they were trying to conduct in four hours. He said there’s really nothing to see on the parcel, which is now on

the books as a $6.4 million investment, down from the original $10 million after the write-down of the TVA acquisition. Midway is in County Commissioner Dave Wright’s Eighth District. He’s also on TDC board and was interviewed just hours after its December board meeting. He said he had “the latest, greatest, most breaking news” about what’s going on with Midway. “Nothing. “But it’s going to be something someday. “We’ve got kids graduating every year from Carter (High School) and the Career Magnet Academy who’ll be looking for a job. I’d rather see them on the Midway Road exit as opposed to Hardin Valley.” Bill Emmert, longtime Thorn Grove resident whose back porch is a stone’s throw from the boundary of the proposed business park, said neighbors remain vigilant. “It’s as quiet as a mouse, but I’m sure they’re doing something,” he said. “We’re watching.”

Liquidated damages of $1,400 per day have begun for the contractor who failed to complete the newly aligned Emory Road on time. Potter South East LLC did not request an extension, according to Mark Nagi, spokesperson for Tennessee Department of Transportation. Nagi offered this update on Dec. 15: “A portion of the newly aligned Emory Road required stone placement and paving (a ½ mile section

ShopperNewsNow.com

P.E. is not for all

If you like your ShopperNews, you might also enjoy the other seven papers we produce weekly for Knox and Union counties. Each paper contains unique writing. Where to look? Go online to www. ShopperNewsNow.com/. We post each Tuesday at 6 p.m. This week’s Union County edition, for instance, has a recollection from Ronnie Mincey about his time in high school physical education: P.E. to Ronnie meant “personal embarrassment.”

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Cindy Taylor ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Patty Fecco | Wendy O’Dell

By Betty Bean This fall, the Knox County Development Corporation (TDC) loaded a bunch of county officials and business leaders onto a bus and took them on a tour of four of the county’s eight industrial/business parks. WestBridge, Hardin, Eastbridge and the Pellissippi Corporate Center were on the itinerary. Midway Road wasn’t. Nor was it included in an industrial land inventory conducted earlier in the year by TDC and the Knoxville Chamber, an odd omission in light of the nearly 20year battle that has been waged over the county-owned parcel at the Midway Road intersection of I-40. The Development Corporation has been desperately seeking a large parcel of developable land; residents of Thorn Grove and surrounding communities have fought to preserve the area’s rural character.

Chamber CEO Mike Edwards, a major player in the last round of negotiations (in 2010), said he’s no longer directly involved (the chamber has spun off Mike Edwards TDC to become a stand-alone body) but said although Midway hasn’t been part of recent discussions, it’s now more developable because TVA has installed “a big, huge transfer station” on the parcel and KUB also has built a substation there. “We weren’t crazy about TVA wanting to flop its footprint on Midway, but it was an easement they’d owned for a long, long time. So now the utilities are out there, and I think a sewer system is in place, too.” Elaine Clark, president of the

2704 Mineral Springs Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917 Ph. (865) 687-4537

What are you WEIGHTING for? Senior discount $25 forEnrollment! ages

60+

Quality rehabilitation & fitness in a friendly and non-competitive environment

P.C.C.A. Compounding Specialist Kenton Page, DPh • Since 1976 Including Veterinary Compounding Offering ff g vitamins, herbs, homeopathic p supplements pp

Tennova.com

859-7900

5034 N. Broadway, Suite 220 688-7025 Across from Mynatt’s Funeral Home in Fountain City

• Physical Therapy • Aquatic Physical Therapy • Functional Capacity Evaluations • Jump Start Health & Fitness Program • Occupational & Industrial Services • Vocational Services • Work Conditioning www.associatedtherapeutics.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.