John Haynes

Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 37 – Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

PDF Version: http://bit.ly/NeighborhoodAdvisory-2015-10-27

1. Last Days of Early Voting Winding Down
2. New Neighborhood Group Forms Downtown
3. Neighborhoods to Meet with Businesses to Improve Broadway Corridor
4. First Neighborhood Small Grants Cycle Underway
5. Beardsley Farm Harvest Festival
6. America Recycles Day Celebration
7. Local Emergency Preparedness Class Seeks Input
8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar

Published by the City of Knoxville’s Office of Neighborhoods to report news important to Knoxville’s residential neighborhoods. News & calendar deadline: 5 p.m. Mondays.

1.  Last Days of Early Voting Winding Down

The last three days of early voting are today, October 27, through Thursday, October 29.  For information about where to vote, visithttp://knoxcounty.org/election/.  If you are not able to go any of these days, Election Day is on Tuesday, November 3.

Remember, local government has a large impact on your daily life.  Let your voice be heard by voting for the candidates you support. Your vote does matter.

2. New Neighborhood Group Forms Downtown

It’s a long way from Oak Ridge in Tennessee, to Malawi in East Africa, to Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville, but it is a journey that has ended with Kaye Bultemeier and her husband Noel Kuck spearheading the formation of Knoxville’s newest neighborhood organization — theRiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association.

After raising a family and retiring from successful careers in Oak Ridge, Bultemeier and Kuck joined the Peace Corps and were placed in Malawi, where she taught graduate nursing students and he worked on food security in rural areas.

When they returned to Knoxville in 2012, Bultemeier said, “We wanted to live somewhere where we could walk. In the Peace Corps, we couldn’t drive. We walked everywhere. We were accustomed to using our legs.” They chose one of the most walkable neighborhoods in town — the Riverside Condos on East Hill Avenue, across the street from the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Walking around downtown, “we started to notice that South Gay Street has fewer planters and less artwork than the north end. We wanted to get some vitality that we see on the north end down to the south end. That was the motivation: how can we be a part of this?”

Bultemeier and others began discussing the need for a formal organization that would bring together the residents of the area, various nonprofits and businesses. “It’s not that something is terribly wrong,” she explained. “People are just ready to have a voice. When we have an issue, let’s all talk together, because if you call as one person, you’re just one person.”

Bultemeier gives much credit to the staff at the Hall of Fame and to Ellen Johnston at Legacy Parks Foundation. “Ellen was just wonderful. She said sure, let’s create an organization. She allowed us to hold our meetings at the Legacy Parks office.”

At the first meeting, the group decided on the name and on the boundaries that would include all residents in the Promontory Point Condos, Riverside Condos and The Landings; the four major nonprofits along East Hill (Blount Mansion, Legacy Parks Foundation, James White’s Fort, and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame); and businesses such as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, the Marriott, Volunteer Marina and the Three Rivers Rambler.

Until more people can be brought in and formal elections held, temporary officers were elected. They are Bultemeier, chair; Dana Dalton, also a resident of Riverside Condos, vice chair; Ellen Johnston of Legacy Parks, secretary; and Noel Kuck, treasurer. And a Promontory Point resident, Dee Pierce, who serves on the residential committee of the Central Business Improvement District (CBID), will voice concerns and share activities of the new neighborhood at the residential meetings.

The group is getting organized quickly. For example, they decided to combine two goals — select a logo for the organization and attract the interest of students who live in The Landings — by offering a cash prize to the Landings resident who comes up with the best logo.

But perhaps the group’s most ambitious project is its proposal to install, over time, a multi-piece sculpture at the intersection of East Hill Avenue and Volunteer Landing Lane. Conceived by the artist Derek White, silhouette sculptures of runners, canoers, a person fly fishing, a great blue heron and children playing in a fountain would be placed in front of an abstract water screen to mimic the activities found in Volunteer Landing Park.

The new organization will meet from 5-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. They will discuss KAT’s trolley schedule and forming a neighborhood watch. Pizza, drinks and a door prize will be offered.

Welcome to the family of Knoxville neighborhood organizations!

3. Neighborhoods to Meet with Businesses to Improve Broadway Corridor

Six neighborhood organizations and members of the North Knoxville Business and Professional Association will join forces with businesses and property owners next month along North Broadway to envision a more appealing corridor for residents, businesses, customers and other stakeholders.

They will meet in a “design charrette” organized by the East Tennessee Community Design Center.  A design charrette is defined as a period of intense discussion among stakeholders and designers to develop solutions to defined problems.

For this work, the Design Center was retained by the City of Knoxville’s Community Development Department and has been meeting monthly with the Broadway Corridor Task Force along with the Office on Neighborhoods. The task force is composed of representatives from the six neighborhood groups and the North Knoxville Business & Professional Association.

“North Broadway has potential to become a highly successful corridor connecting Downtown Knoxville to Fountain City,” the Design Center stated in a recent announcement. “It has wonderful assets such as long-standing businesses and strong neighborhoods. However, its current streetscape could be improved to the benefit of businesses, customers and residents.”

At the charrette, there will be a 30-minute input period followed by a 90-minute break-out session. Designers and planners will work with North Broadway stakeholders to address challenges such as parking problems and the lack of any unifying landscaping along the corridor. The break-out groups will then get back together to share their findings. A dozen staff members from city departments and the Metropolitan Planning Commission will participate.

The results of the charrette will influence the Broadway Corridor Enhancement Plan that will be developed through the Design Center and that will analyze existing conditions, assess shortcomings, and develop demonstrative solutions that can be implemented throughout the corridor.

The charrette will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in the fellowship hall of St. James Episcopal Church, 1101 North Broadway. Seating is limited. If you think you may be able to attend, please contact Leslie Fawaz, studio design director at the Design Center, at 525-9945 or [email protected].

The Broadway Corridor Task Force meets from 5-6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at KCDC (Knoxville’s Community Development Corp.) at 901 Broadway.

4. First Neighborhood Small Grants Cycle Underway

Several of the city’s neighborhoods that applied for grants with the Neighborhoods Small Grant Program (NSGP) last spring, are well underway in utilizing grant money to make change happen.

Lindberg Forest is purchasing and installing neighborhood signs for their Neighborhood Watch.  Mechanicsville is also having a sign made and installed.  They are working with departments within the city for help with placement in their neighborhood.

Eastport/Lee Williams has gotten out several newsletters that have increased their attendance to monthly meetings.  What is their secret?  They take pictures of residents at their monthly meetings, and then the next newsletter will feature a selected neighbor of the month.  To get the first peak, you must attend the neighborhood meeting to see who won.

Oakwood Lincoln Park has cleaned up their clubhouse and has made it into a much more usable space for neighborhood meetings, events, gatherings, etc.  In the future, they hope to find other groups to make use of the space as they would like to see activities for the neighborhood.

Historic Fourth and Gill partnered with the Birdhouse for their grant.  They are honing their planning skills from their ARToberfest, which happened this past weekend with great success.  In addition, they will hold workshops to share this information and help other neighborhoods plan events.  The Birdhouse, a community gathering space where the neighborhood meets, is installing a new shed to hold tools and supplies; previously they had no storage space.

Keep an eye out for future articles updating city residents on the NSGP.  Or feel free to call Debbie Sharp at 215-4382 or[email protected] if you would like more information.

5. Beardsley Farm Harvest Festival

Come celebrate the fall harvest at CAC Beardsley Community Farm with a free, family-friendly community event on Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Harvest Festival will celebrate the farm, the community, and all things fall. Parking will be available at the Wesley House, Mobile Meals, and the Ed Cothren Pool. Enjoy free food, children’s activities, live music, garden classes, and tours of the farm and Habitat Urban Garden nurseries. Come dressed in your Halloween costumes!

Children’s activities will include paper hats, face painting, ring toss, nature crafts, a puppet parade by the Cattywampus Puppet Council, and more!

This year’s performances include: Beat Scandal, Daniel Scott, Joseph Gillenwater, the Barbershop quartet, and AmeriBand. Knoxville Girls Rock Camp will lead both children and adults in a fun drumming circle!

Master Gardeners will be leading workshops on Composting, Preparing your Garden for winter, and Gardening in Raised Beds.

Please check www.beardsleyfarm.org or the event Facebook page for updates. Call 865-546-8446 or email [email protected] with questions.

6. America Recycles Day Celebration

The City of Knoxville and Knox County are teaming up with Keep Knoxville Beautiful to celebrate America Recycles Day throughout the coming month.

America Recycles Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, is a nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States every year on or around Nov. 15.

The group will have information booths displayed throughout the community at the following locations and times: Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 4 to 7 p.m., Food City, 7350 Clinton Highway or Thursday, Nov. 19 from 4 to 7 p.m., Food City, 284 Morrell Road or Monday, Nov. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m., Food City, 9565 Middlebrook Pike.

During the events, there will be a mercury thermometer exchange where a free digital thermometer will be swapped for every old unwanted mercury thermometer turned in by residents of Knoxville and Knox County, while supplies last. Information about recycling options in Knoxville and Knox County will also be available.

For more information contact: John Homa, City of Knoxville, 865-215-2872, Zach Johnson, Knox County, 865-215-5871, or Patience Melnik, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, 865-521-6957.

7. Local Emergency Preparedness Class Seeks Input

Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) is looking to start an emergency preparedness class in the upcoming months and seeks input from interested citizen on their availability.

KEMA, the local office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is trying to help educate locals on how to respond in case of an emergency. One way they do this is through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program. This program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their neighborhood.  It also trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

CERT usually lasts 3 hours once a week for 8 weeks followed by a half day simulation. For more information about this national program, looking to be offered locally, please check out the following link: http://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams/about-community-emergency-response-team.

If you are interested in participating in the class and want your input heard during the planning process please contact Rebecca McIver 215-3456 or [email protected].

8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar

Include your neighborhood-related event or meeting in this space. Call 215-4382.

Visit http://knoxvilletn.gov/calendar for a complete list of meetings of various city boards and commissions.

If you like Food and Fellowship, then you’ll not want to miss the Fall Festival at Lake Hills Church this Sunday, October 25 from 4 to 6 PM.  There will be “Trunk or Treat”, games, cakewalk and bingo, followed by a chili dinner.  Contributions of chili or a cake would be greatly appreciated!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Diane DeRopp

The house next to the house across Maloney from us was broken into this morning.  They took jewelry and ransacked the house.

I thought you might want to post something on the Lakemoor Hills site.

​Suzan​ Bowman

Come and join the excitement at our neighborhood’s “bat walk” and “owl prowl” Tuesday, October 6th at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Hills Presbyterian Church. Peg, from Ijams Nature Center, will have a live owl, and maybe a bat, for us to see as she tells us about these interesting creatures. There will also be a “make-it-yourself” Halloween decoration and refreshments to enjoy. Don’t miss this fun evening!

Dianne DeRopp

The next general meeting of LHHA is Tuesday, September 15th at 7:00 at the Church.

Hope to see you all there!

Here’s an interesting new product which might be good for those w/ cell phones and concerned with security, while away from home:

https://www.thegrommet.com/skybell?utm_source=CC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150827&trk_msg=UEQJC9EVD2K41E2HVUF3VALOCG&trk_contact=HVHA0E1RNDVHS4LPQ570C4FU14

Dear Neighbors-

Just a few newsworthy items:

1)  We still don’t have a nominee for President for the next two-year term of officers/directors.  Please let me, or any of our other officers, know if you are interested or if you know another person who has agreed to run for that office.  As you might imagine, it will be hard to continue our association without a President.

2)  Our next general meeting is Tuesday, September 22, at 7 PM.

3)  The other County neighborhood fighting a cell tower – Fountain City – lost the MPC decision yesterday on a 8-5 vote.  They put up a good fight, but the cell tower company, Branch, prevailed.  Their community didn’t have quite the number of guideline violations that our neighborhood had, although they were a strictly residential community also.  I understand they will appeal to the City Council.

4)  Remember that to make sure your “all neighborhood” e-mails get to everyone, you need to log in to our site and post a message under the FORUM tab.  To respond to a message, you must also respond to the message within the site (click on the message link in the original message.)  We’ve had a lot of messages (lost pets, etc.) going to the “administrator” only.  Our webmaster is Clay AAlders, if you have any questions.

Have a good rest of the Summer!

John Haynes

Fountain City is fighting a Branch cell tower, much as we did.  They have created an on-line petition against their tower, which they have asked us to sign, if we wish.   Here is their note:

“Would you and the Lakemoor Hills group be willing to sign and share our petition for T-Mobile to stop building cell towers in residential neighborhoods? http://tiny.cc/stoptmobile ”

It’s easy to participate, if you wish.

Fountain City’s neighborhood is fighting the same battle against a Branch cell tower that we did.  They have asked any of us who would be at the August MPC meeting to wear one of their “Protect Knox Neighborhood” hats at the meeting (they will be available there – see Carrera Romanini or Kelly Ellenburg) if we could.

They also sent along this link to show they are getting press, too.  http://wate.com/2015/07/22/fountain-city-neighbors-unite-to-fight-cell-tower-plan/

Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 26 – Tuesday July 28, 2015

PDF Version: http://bit.ly/NeighborhoodNewsletterVol8No26

1. Lindbergh Forest Forms a New Neighborhood Association
2. Edgewood Park Elects Pallesen as President
3. Neighborhood Directory Updated: Please Check Your Listing
4. Testify on Blighted Properties at Meeting This Week
5. Neighborhood and Government Calendar

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