Alcoa Highway

For decades, the Lakemoor Hills Garden Club has delighted in welcoming you to your neighborhood with beautiful flowers at Alcoa Highway and Montlake Road. Now with the welcome improvements to Alcoa Highway, we need to dig it.

You can dig your own Stella d oro day lilies , Dutch Master (King Alfred improved) daffodils, and Tahiti daffodils for $5/dozen. This is an honor dig. Each clump of day lilies will contain about 30 plants and each daffodil clump about 20. Count individual plants or bulbs or estimate your clumps. Please be generous, because we are. The lilies are at least $3/each retail and the daffodils $2/each retail. Dig, count your plants, be generous and mail or drop off your check to Lakemoor Hills Garden Club to Mary Cartwright, 4000 Maloney Road. If you want to be over-the-top generous, dig, don’t count and make a huge donation to Lakemoor Hills Resource Council for the Bluff Point improvements. Send or mail your check to the same place.

If you wish to wait and have me dig your plants, I’ll be happy to do so for $10/dozen beginning May 1. I’ll post another notice then.

Thanks for making your neighborhood a credit to us all.

Mary

The March Homeowner’s Meeting was postponed and is rescheduled for Tuesday, April 12 at 7 PM at Lake Hills Church.    This month’s guest speaker is Debbie Ailey from KUB. The Flint, Michigan water issues have naturally raised concerns for our own safety here in East Tennessee and Ms. Ailey will be addressing these concerns.

Announcements will include updates from the Lakemoor Hills Helpers, our emergency response group; the annual neighborhood picnic (May 21), which includes a car show and art exhibit; Alcoa Hwy update; raccoon safety; kudzu and other issues of interest.  Dogwood mailbox bows will be available for $5.

There will be no mailbox flyers announcing this meeting, so if you have a neighbor who does not check the LHHA email, please encourage them to come.

Just a reminder that tomorrow night’s meeting has been postponed until 4/12.

Hope to see you there.

 

 

Update from Kathy P. :

The LHHA meeting that was scheduled for next Tuesday, March 15 is being rescheduled to April 12 at Lake Hills Church. We hope to have a presentation on the impact of the road construction at Alcoa Highway, which is to start within a few weeks.

Pink and Green bows will be available at the meeting to decorate your mailboxes for Dogwood Arts Festival. ($5)

Everyone is invited to be part of the Neighborhood Cleanup effort on March 19. We will meet in the church parking lot at 9 AM to get our assignments and supplies. Pizza will be served in the church pavilion about 11:30. We will also have Dogwood bows available at this time.

We just learned today that TDOT has awarded the contract to Charles Blalock & Sons for the first phase of the Alcoa Hwy renovation.  This contract covers the renovation from Woodson Dr. to Maloney Rd.  This will impact all three entries to our neighborhood.  There has been no construction schedule released at this time, but as soon as we are made aware of impacts to our subdivision, we will post them here and on the neighborhood Facebook page.  Kathy Proctor is acting as the TDOT point of contact for Lakemoor Hills and will share information as soon as it comes available.  We will be scheduling a special neighborhood meeting to hear directly from TDOT and the contractor in the near future about the specific impact and timeline and will let everyone know in advance so you can be sure to attend.

Entering the subdivision yesterday I noticed that there was a large amount of debris adjacent to the parking area just west of the triangle at Alcoa Hwy.  The more I thought about it the madder I got so today I went by to see if the bags of trash included identification that could tie it back to the owner.  I took these photos when I realized the extent of the debris – bags of trash, a blue plastic tub and many, many quart beer bottles.  When I peered into the blue tub, there was an animal leg (with hoof), and the bag closest to the tub seems to be filled with more decaying animal parts – perhaps deer (?).   I cannot believe that anyone who actually lives within our neighborhood would do this and I ask all of you to be vigilant to speak out to anyone that you see contributing to this disgrace.  Does anyone know if the city or county will help remove these animal parts as it certainly may be a health issue?

Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 44 – Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

 

PDF Version: http://bit.ly/NeighborhoodAdvisory2015-12-29

 

1. Good Neighbor Nominations Are Due Monday
2. Andie Ray: Neighborhood Leader, City Light
3. Zaevion Dobson: Greater Love Hath No Man
4. City Offices Closed Friday; Garbage and Recyclables Will be Collected
5. Two Blocks of Cumberland Avenue Closed for Electric Work
6. Citizens Invited to Annual Legislative Breakfast
7. Grants Enable Botanical Garden to Proceed with Food Center
8. Need Funding? Art Exposure? Alliance Seeks Ideas for Micro-Funding Event
9. 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: 9 a.m. Tuesdays.

 

1. Good Neighbor Nominations Are Due Monday

 

Nominations for the Diana Conn Good Neighbor of the Year Award are due no later than Monday, January 4.

 

The award is presented annually to a City of Knoxville resident who — in a spirit of cooperation and with commitment to inclusive community — has devoted time and talent in service to his or her neighbors and neighborhood.

 

The winner and other finalists will be announced at the 2016 Neighborhood Awards and Networking Luncheon on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Knoxville Convention Center.

 

To learn more, visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/neighborhoods and click on Good Neighbor of the Year Award. Or just download the form. The form is easy to fill out. Just use your own words to describe the person you wish to honor.

 

Nominations can be sent to Debbie Sharp by email to [email protected] or by mail to Office of Neighborhoods – Room 528, City of Knoxville, P.O. Box 1631, Knoxville, TN 37901. Or call Debbie at 215-4382 to receive a hard copy of the form in the mail.

 

2. Andie Ray: Neighborhood Leader, City Light

 

Good neighbors give their time and talent to community improvement, and this week Knoxville is remembering the many contributions of Andie Ray, who died Dec. 18 after a brief illness.

 

As others have noted, Andie was active in every neighborhood she lived in — from Maplehurst and Market Square to Old North Knoxville. As Jack Neely points out in last week’s Knoxville Mercury, she first lived on Market Square and then opened her women’s clothing store, Vagabodia, on the square in 2004. A tireless advocate for downtown renovation, she was active in Knox Heritage, City People, and the Market Square District Association.

 

Later she and her husband Noel Hudson moved to Old North. At the time of her passing she was president of the neighborhood association, Old North Knoxville. She was an ONK representative to the Broadway Corridor Task Force and a member of the Historic Zoning Commission.

 

“Andie really liked to connect with her community and her neighbors,” recalled Lauren Rider, her friend and colleague in Old North. “She adopted the neighborhoods she was in. There is barely a neighbor who walked past her house who did not know who she was. She made a point of talking to everybody, including everybody, and sharing her enthusiasm for the community.”

 

She will be missed.

 

3. Zaevion Dobson: Greater Love Hath No Man

 

Our city this month is also mourning the death and celebrating the life and selfless sacrifice of Zaevion Dobson, the 15-year-old Fulton High School student who was shot and killed Dec. 17 shielding others from a spray of bullets fired by as-yet-unnamed assailants onto a porch in the Lonsdale community.

 

Zaevion was a member of Martin Chapel United Methodist Church and a sophomore at Fulton High School, where he played linebacker on the football team. He was well regarded by teammates and classmates, many of whom who wore his jersey number, 24, at his funeral services last weekend.

 

But Zaevion was much more than a young man enthralled with football, according to André Canty who, as a member of 100 Black Men of Knoxville, mentored the young student. “Being an athlete was only a part of his being,” Canty said. “He was always there. He was involved (in efforts) to stop the violence.”

 

Zaevion was part of what Canty calls the “Save Our Sons Brain Trust,” a group of young people who helped plan and identify the discussion topics for the “Son’s Summit” last June which in turn was part of a local “Save Our Sons” initiative to address violence among African American men and boys.

 

Moreover, having benefitted from the mentoring provided by Canty and 100 Black Men, Zaevion was himself helping youth at Emerald Youth Foundation programs in which he participated. “He did not wait until he was an adult,” Canty said. “He said, ‘I’m not going to wait. I’ve learned some lessons I can tell other kids.’ That’s powerful. That’s commendable. He took time out to mentor other kids.”

 

He was doing all of that while he was attending football practice,” Canty noted. “He was already involved in the community. He was around others who tried to show him the way. He learned lessons from his Mom, us, his coaches. He built up a sense of selflessness in himself.”

 

What Zaevion did on the night of December 17 “wasn’t just a quick reaction but a manifestation of all the lessons he had learned. If you see someone in need, you be there for that person. He went the extra mile and sacrificed his life.”

 

Canty, who is now president of 100 Black Men, notes that 23-year-old Brandon Perry also lost his life on Dec. 17, and his funeral was held on the same day as Zaevion’s service.

 

Because it is believed that Perry was involved in the retaliatory gang violence that took Zaevion’s life, “people may have demonized him,” Canty said. “Even if he did it, there is a culture of violence that made him the way he was. In a sense, that makes him a victim, too. I am not apologizing for what he did, but there is a family grieving on his side, too.”

 

Canty said the community’s effort to stop violence focuses, in part, on youth who have already lost their way, who have reacted negatively to pain and trauma, who have been bred for war as if they live in a third world country. “No child should be bred for war,” he lamented.

 

Canty and many others in the African American community in Knoxville have lost loved ones or friends or acquaintances to this violence. But Zaevion “did everything right and he was still taken away,” sharpening the grief, Canty said.

 

Zaevion’s courage and character have been praised all the way from Lonsdale to the White House. “Zaevion Dobson died saving three friends from getting shot,” President Obama tweeted two days after the shooting. “He was a hero at 15. What’s our excuse for not acting?”

 

See www.knoxvilletn.gov/saveoursons for more on the City’s Save Our Sons initiative.

 

Meanwhile, Overcoming Believers Church, 211 Harriet Tubman Street, will host a community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, “to develop strategies for saving our youth.”

 

4. City Offices Closed Friday; Garbage and Recyclables Will be Collected

 

City of Knoxville offices will be closed Friday, Jan. 1, but the city’s garbage and recycling contractor, Waste Connections, will run its regular trash and recycling routes this week, so pickups of trash and recyclables WILL occur on Friday despite the holiday.

 

Downtown trash and recycling will also run on the regular schedule on Friday. The city’s recycling centers will be open for recycling use, but the Goodwill attendant will not be available for household goods donations on Friday. The city’s Solid Waste Management Facility, 1033 Elm Street, will be closed both Friday and Saturday.

 

5. Two Blocks of Cumberland Avenue Closed for Electric Work

 

Two blocks of Cumberland Avenue between 17th and 19th streets will be closed to through traffic beginning Tuesday, Dec. 29, until Tuesday, Jan. 5, to allow for the installation of an underground electrical line.

 

Local traffic and pedestrian access to businesses along Cumberland Avenue will be maintained.

 

The electrical line will carry power from a Knoxville Utilities Board substation at Dale Avenue to the Cumberland Avenue area and beyond. It will allow the removal of overhead power lines along Cumberland Avenue, part of the City’s overall $17 million reconstruction of the corridor.

 

The Cumberland Avenue project, scheduled to be completed in August 2017, will change the existing four-lane street on the eastern end of the corridor to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections between 22nd Street and 17th Street.

 

Phase I work on the western end of Cumberland, between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street, is coming to an end — on time and on budget. Phase II is underway.

 

More information about the project is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com , from which you can access the Cumberland Connect Facebook page and the Cumberland Connect phone app.

 

6. Citizens Invited to Annual Legislative Breakfast

 

The League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County (LWVKKC) is inviting Knox County citizens to participate in its annual Legislative Breakfast from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Knox Room of the Knoxville News Sentinel building, 2332 News Sentinel Drive. A continental breakfast will be served.

 

State Senators Richard Briggs, Becky Massey and Randy McNally have been invited to participate in a question and answer session regarding legislation of the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, which convenes the following week.

 

Key legislation includes the reallocation of surplus revenues and the regulation of marijuana and handgun permits. Other likely topics are healthcare and the proposed outsourcing of management of state facilities.

 

The News Sentinel is co-sponsoring the event. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

 

7. Grants Enable Botanical Garden to Proceed with Food Center

 

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum (KBGA), 2743 Wimpole Avenue, has now received all of the funding necessary to proceed with the $370,000 conversion of an existing structure, known as the Mule Barn, to an indoor food market, community meeting space and education kitchen.

 

Construction likely will begin by early spring, according to Robert Hodge, who heads KBGA’s Center for Urban Agriculture. “This initiative will be a model for permaculture and sustainable living practices that will provide both economic and ecological benefits to our city and its residents,” Hodge said recently.

 

Mayor Madeline Rogero and City Council allocated $250,000 for this facility in the City of Knoxville’s FY 2015 budget. This investment leveraged two more recent donations — $50,000 from the Siddiqi Charitable Foundation and another $70,000 from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

 

The Center is already leasing plots of land for family and market gardens. Since food is grown on site, gardeners will be able to sell their produce locally at the new facility. Area farmers can also use the facility to sell their goods. Hodge noted that the 47-acre KGBA site is located in East Knoxville, where access to fresh, healthy and affordable foods is limited.

 

When not used for produce sales, the space can be leased by art and theatre groups, along with other cultural activities, for special events, Hodge added.

 

The kitchen “will be used by our gardeners and also will be rented out to entrepreneurs,” Hodge explained. “We are excited about the job creation that comes from having a rentable commercial kitchen available to people wanting to make money through food. This will be a jobs and business incubator.”

 

Finally, the kitchen will host culinary and canning classes. Hodge noted that the Center is already in discussion with community-based organizations that are working to improve access to and knowledge of healthy foods.

 

These groups include Nourish Knoxville, publisher of a local food guide and organizer of the Market Square Farmers’ Market; Slow Food Tennessee Valley, which stages the annual Pesto Festo; and the Knoxville Chapter of National Women in Agriculture, which addresses needs of women without access to healthy food.

 

Hodge projects that the space for the produce market will be open by late spring, and the kitchen will be ready by late summer. While there is a small waiting list for the 4×12 family garden plots, an even larger plot is available for someone who wishes to market the produce. For more, contact Hodge at [email protected]  or 591-8677.

 

8. Need Funding? Art Exposure? Alliance Seeks Ideas for Micro-Funding Event

 

The South Knoxville Alliance is now accepting proposals for community projects and featured artists for its next Knoxville SOUP dinner, which will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 7, at Vestal United Methodist Church, 115 Ogle Ave., with a suggested donation of $5 per person.

 

Proposal deadline has been extended to Sunday, January 3, 2016.

 

Knoxville SOUP is a dinner and micro-funding event designed to raise money for creative projects and to give exposure to local artists who display their art.

 

Project Proposals and Featured Artist Proposals are accepted from all over Knoxville, not just South Knoxville. Click here to apply for your project ideas. Click here to apply for the next featured artist slot.

 

“The exposure for the projects goes beyond the dinner,” said Debra Bradshaw, chair of the South Knoxville Alliance, which brought SOUP dinners to Knoxville. “One of the projects presented at our last dinner was funded in full by a private donation. The project funding need would not have been known if it had not been for the great press Knoxville SOUP received.” The last event dinner raised over $500 for the Joe Hill Roadshow.

Knoxville SOUP events are held quarterly. Proposal deadlines are always one week prior to the dinner.  The next few proposal due dates are March 31, June 30, and October 29, all in 2016.  See www.KnoxvilleSOUP.org for more information.

South Knoxville Alliance is a group of businesses and community leaders who promote growth and improvement in the South Knoxville area.

 

9. 9.  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 are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to attend a City of Knoxville public meeting, please contact Stephanie Brewer Cook at scook@knoxvilletn.gov or 215-2034 no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting you wish to attend. For an English interpreter, contact Joshalyn Hundley, Title VI Coordinator, at 865.215.3867 or at[email protected].

 

Wednesday, December 30 — 6 p.m.

Heal the Land Knoxville

“Community gathering to develop strategies for saving our youth”

Overcoming Believers Church, 211 Harriett Tubman Street

 

Monday, January 4 — 1 p.m.

East Knoxville Community Meeting (First Mondays)

Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway

Michael Covington, 274-7958, [email protected]

 

Monday, January 4 — 4 p.m.

Love Towers Fellowship Association (First Mondays except holidays)

Love Towers Community Room; 1171 Armstrong St.

Bill Jackson, 221-4402

 

Monday, January 4 — 5 p.m.

Knox Country Board of Education—Work Session

(Usually held on the Monday before the regular meeting and

third Mondays, except holidays or holiday weeks.)

First Floor Board Room, Andrew Johnson Building, 912 South Gay St.

For agenda, work sessions, and other items:

Visit http://knoxschools.org. Click on “Board of Education.”

 

Monday, January 4 — 6:30 p.m.

Parkridge Community Organization (First Mondays except holidays)

Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St.

David Anderson, (803) 259-6289, [email protected]

 

Monday, January 4 — 7 p.m.

Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association (First Mondays)

Community Club House, 916 Shamrock Ave. at Henegar St.

Bill Hutton, 773-5228, [email protected]

 

Monday, January 4

Deadline for Nominations

Diana Conn Good Neighbor of the Year Award

Office of Neighborhoods, www.knoxvilletn.gov/neighborhoods

Debbie Sharp, 215-4382

Hello Everyone!

 

I was hoping you would do me a favor.  Will you tell the Lakemoor Hills group that I will be at the TDOT public meeting this Tuesday (Sevier Heights North Campus from 5pm to 7pm)?  The presentation given that night will be just from TDOT on the highway project but I will have a board there showing a couple of options for the section of Knox Blount Greenway along the UT Ag campus.  Even though this part is further down from your neighborhood we thought there might be an interest from some in the group to have a chance to ask questions or give comments.

 

Thanks!

Shauna Godlevsky

Knox County Parks & Greenways Coordinator

P:  215-6610

Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 23 – Tuesday July 7, 2015

PDF Version: http://bit.ly/NeighborhoodNewsletterVol8No23

1. National Night Out Set for Tuesday, October 6
2. Gibbs Drive Faces Rezoning Request at MPC Thursday
3. Agenda Available for July BZA Meeting
4. Get Moving, Visit Public Art, Take Selfies, Win a Gift Basket
5. UT Offers Youth $100 for Transit Camp
6. CAC Seeks Volunteer Drivers
7. Correction: Election Dates
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. National Night Out Set for Tuesday, October 6

It is not too early to begin making plans for National Night Out, which the City of Knoxville will observe on Tuesday, October 6.

During National Night Out, neighborhood groups host potluck suppers, picnics, and other events to celebrate the strength of community and send a message to would-be thieves and con artists that neighbors keep an eye out for them and watch out for one another.

This is a nationwide effort promoted by the National Association of Town Watch (www.natw.org), which suggests that the event be held either the first Tuesday of August or the first Tuesday of October. Due to the likelihood of thunderstorms and hot temperatures in August, the Knoxville Police Department observes the event in October each year.

You can register your event with the KPD Safety Education Unit by notifying Cheri Intveld at 215-1510 or [email protected]. This will ensure that KPD schedules officers to attend your event. Be sure to give the name and phone number of your contact person and organization, the time your event will begin and end, and the exact location.

2. Gibbs Drive Faces Rezoning Request at MPC Thursday

A request to rezone a residential property at the end of Gibbs Drive is among the items on the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) agenda at the July meeting that starts at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in the Large Assembly Room of the City County Building.

On the western end of Gibbs Drive, Smith-Lindsey Development LLC, 2230 Duncan Road in Knoxville, is asking that land at the corner of North Broadway and Gibbs Drive be rezoned from R-1 (low-density residential) to C-3 (general commercial) “for any use permitted by C-3 zoning.” Sector Plan and One Year Plan amendments are also requested.

Gibbs Drive is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The MPC staff recommendation is to rezone to office, not commercial. Citing a long history of litigation on the property, Connie Cavanaugh, president of Historic Gibbs Drive Neighborhood Association, said that the organization has accepted the reality that the corner parcel cannot stay residential and therefore supports the recommended rezoning to office.

MPC staff’s reasoning for the office recommendation is contained in these excerpts from the “Plan Amendment Report” that is part of the MPC agenda package:

“This site is at the southwest corner of Gibbs Dr. and N. Broadway. All properties along Gibbs Dr. have remained zoned R-1 and developed with residential uses. Properties to the north, south and west, fronting on N. Broadway are developed with commercial uses under C-3, C-6 and PC-1…

“Staff recognizes that the property is not desirable for residential uses, but allowing commercial uses would place non-compatible commercial use across from and next door to established residential uses. Office uses would be more compatible with adjacent residential and are not as likely to generate as much traffic or have late business hours.

“Offices would be an appropriate transitional use between the adjacent commercial and low density residential uses. A request for an office One Year Plan designation was recommended for approval by staff in 1990, but denied by MPC, and a request for a commercial designation was denied in 1991, consistent with the staff recommendation. There have never been any sector plan amendment requests on this site…

“The current sector plan proposes low density residential uses for the site, consistent with the current R-1 zoning. This designation has been retained over the years, despite a One Year Plan update each year and several updates to the North City Sector Plan.

“The current LDR designation is appropriate and is not an error. However, staff recognizes that the site, as currently zoned, has been vacant for many years and is likely not desirable for new residential use. The recommended office plan designation will allow the applicant reasonable use of the site, while minimizing the potential negative impact on adjacent residential uses.”

See http://agenda.knoxmpc.org/agenda.pdf for the full MPC agenda package.

3. Agenda Available for July BZA Meeting

The agenda for the July 16 meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals includes variance requests for ten properties in five of the six City Council districts.

Under old business, the addresses are 1215 Snowdon Drive, 937 N. Broadway, and 5316 Kingston Pike. New items involve 3725 Speedway Circle, 5316 Kingston Pike (again), 317 Ogden Street, 708 Washburn Road, 1992 Pinnacle Pointe Way, 5810 Middlebrook Pike, and 1717 Alcoa Highway.

If any of these locations are in or near your neighborhood, you may wish to look further.
The BZA agenda is posted no later than the Monday prior to the BZA meeting:

Click to access agenda_bza.pdf

Established by city ordinance, BZA hears appeals of denials of building permits by the city’s Building Inspections Department. The board, consisting of five citizens appointed by the Mayor, meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building. See http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/Boards and click on Board of Zoning Appeals.

Keep up with how the BZA might impact your neighborhood. Watch for the black and white signs indicating that there is a pending decision on a particular piece of property. Most signs are for Metropolitan Planning Commission issues — which are also important — but signs with the word “variance” are BZA items.

A neighborhood group that keeps track of BZA will request and study the paperwork on a particular appeal, decide whether to take a position on the appeal, and then attend the BZA meeting to voice the group’s support or objections.

Decisions of the BZA can be appealed within 15 days of the BZA decision to Knoxville City Council. Appeals of a City Council decision are made to Chancery Court within 60 days of a City Council decision related to BZA.

4. Get Moving, Visit Public Art, Take Selfies, Win a Gift Basket

July is National Parks and Recreation Month, and in honor of that, Knoxville’s Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a contest called “Selfie with a Statue”.

The contest runs through the end of July. The idea is to take a picture of yourself or a group with outdoor public art pieces in Knoxville, and then post the photos to the Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page. The person with the most posts wins a gift basket from Mast General Store.

“We are looking for new ways to get people moving outside, and this contest is a great way for people to have fun while also appreciating our public art,” said Joe Walsh, Director of Knoxville Parks and Recreation.

See https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleRecreation for the contest rules.

5. UT Offers Youth $100 for Transit Camp

As reported last week, the University of Tennessee is providing a three-day “transit camp” for high school students (rising freshmen through seniors) — but instead of having to pay $99 to attend, each participant will now receive a $100 gift card to participate.

The event — staged by the Center for Transportation Research within the College of Engineering — will include three full days of information and experience regarding public transit systems. Students will tour the KAT bus facilities in Knoxville, participate in a city-wide scavenger hunt on the transit system, and take a trip to Atlanta, Ga., to ride MARTA.

The event takes place Wednesday through Friday, July 29-31, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., but the last day is longer. Lunch is provided each day, and dinner is also provided on the third day. For more, contact Tammy Enix at 974-4621 or [email protected]. To register online, see http://ctr.utk.edu/CTRk12/transit_camp.html.

6. CAC Seeks Volunteer Drivers

CAC — the Knoxville/Knox County Community Action Committee — is seeking volunteer drivers in its “Volunteer Assisted Transportation” program, which assists Knox County seniors and people with disabilities who require aid and assistance to travel safely.

Volunteers transport seniors to medical appointments, shopping trips, beauty appointments, and other activities. They also assist with communication challenges, filling out paperwork, helping the rider in and out of the vehicle, etc.

Volunteers drive agency-owned, hybrid sedans or wheelchair accessible mini-vans and receive training to include First Aid & CPR certification. Volunteers are needed for weekdays, evenings and weekends. For more information, please call 865-673-5001 or email [email protected].

7. Correction: Election Dates

An article in last week’s issue incorrectly stated the dates for the upcoming city primary and general elections. As noted correctly in the calendar below, the primary will be held Tuesday, Sept. 29, and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar

Include your neighborhood-related event or meeting in this space. Call 215-3456.

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

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to attend a City of Knoxville public meeting, please contact Stephanie Brewer Cook at [email protected] or 215-2034 no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting you wish to attend.

Tuesday, July 7 — 4:30 p.m.
Dandridge Avenue Neighborhood Watch (First Tuesdays)
Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave.
Lawrence Washington, 524-4498

Tuesday, July 7 — 6 p.m.
Mechanicsville Community Association (First Tuesdays)
Fairview Recreation Center, 1628 Dora St.
Charles Wright, 637-1802

Tuesday, July 7 — 7 p.m.
City Council (Every Other Tuesday)
http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/citycouncil
Agenda: http://knoxvillecitytn.iqm2.com

Wednesday, July 8 — 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Food Policy Council
(Second Wednesdays but check website for confirmation)
Knox County Health Department, 140 Dameron Avenue
http://www.knoxfood.org; [email protected]

Wednesday, July 8 — 11:30 a.m.
Community Forum (Second Wednesdays)
Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road
Sue Mauer, 690-0269

Thursday, July 9 — 1:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Planning Commission (Second Thursdays)
http://www.knoxmpc.org
Agenda: http://agenda.knoxmpc.org

Thursday, July 9 — 6 p.m.
Lonsdale Homes Resident Association (Second Thursdays)
Community Building, 1956 Goins Dr.
Phyllis Patrick, 323-7224

Thursday, July 9 — 7-8 p.m.
Colonial Village Neighborhood Association
(Second Thursdays except December and January)
South Knoxville Church of God, 5623 Magazine Road
Terry Caruthers, 579-5702, [email protected]

Friday, July 10 — 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m.
North Knoxville Business & Professional Association (Second Fridays)
Breakfast at 7:45 am, Meeting at 8 a.m.
Open to North Knoxville Residents, Neighborhood Groups, Business Owners
Meeting location varies. Check Website for location. http://northknoxvillebpa.org/
Becky Dodson, [email protected], 545-6750.

Friday, July 10 — 6 p.m.
Beaumont Community Organization (Second Fridays)
Community Room, Solid Waste Transfer Station, 1033 Elm St.
Natasha Murphy, 936-0139

Saturday, July 11 — 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lonsdale Multicultural Community Market (Second Saturdays)
Pavilion, Lonsdale Park, 1317 Louisiana Avenue
Latino Task Force and Lonsdale United for Change
Emma Cosigua, 201-207-8801, or Rosie Noriega, 865-405-0931

Monday, July 13 — 1:30 p.m.
Montgomery Village Residents Association (Second Mondays)
4600 Joe Lewis Rd. #175
Ronnie Thompson, 604-6492

Monday, July 13 — 3 p.m.
Northgate Resident Association (Second Mondays)
Social Hall, 4301 Whittle Springs Rd.
David Wildsmith, 219-0417

Monday, July 13 — 5-6 p.m.
Cold Springs Neighborhood Watch (Second Mondays)
Michael Meadowview Neighborhood Watch (Second Mondays)
CAC East Neighborhood Center, 4200 Asheville Hwy.
Michael Meadowview: Marian Bailey, 525-5625
Cold Springs: Terrell Patrick, 525-4833

Monday, July 13
Fountain City Town Hall (Second Mondays)
Board Meetings: 6 p.m. Monthly
General Membership Meetings: 7 p.m., April, September, November
Church of the Good Shepherd, 5337 Jacksboro Pike
Daniel Dunn, 387-6390, [email protected]

Monday, July 13 — 6 p.m.
Lyons View Community Club (Second Mondays)
Lyons View Community Center, 114 Sprankle Ave.
Mary Brewster, 454-2390

Monday, July 13 — 6:00 pm
Vestal Community Organization (Second Mondays)
South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Old Maryville Pike
Katherine Johnson, 566-1198

Monday, July 13 — 6:30 p.m.
Community Potluck
Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization (Second Mondays)
Central United Methodist Church, 210 Third Ave.
Liz Upchurch, 898-1809, [email protected]

Monday, July 13 — 6:30 p.m.
Historic Old North Knoxville (Second Mondays)
St. James Episcopal Church, Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway
Andie Ray, 548-5221

Monday, July 13 — 7 p.m.
Belle Morris Community Action Group (Second Mondays)
City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Belle_Morris
Rick Wilen, 524-5008

As you know the rains have come and the weeds have grown.  If you can donate a little time to pull a few weeds, there is a group meeting at 9 AM on Friday, June 5 at the Alcoa triangle to get the weeds out.  Please join us.  Many hands make the work quick and easy.

I’ve noticed lately a possible water leak form the irrigation system in the “Triangle”. There’s a constant wet area where you transition from the South bound Alcoa Hwy to Montlake. I stays wet long after the sprinklers have turned off. Just thought I’d pass on my observation so someone could take action.