The Orlando Business Journal says that Ruby Tuesday is considering relocating its corporate HQ to Orlando. According to the article, Orlando city council yesterday approved $315,000 in state and local incentives for the move.

The article says they are also looking at Knoxville or Atlanta. Any relocation would be a huge blow to downtown Maryville.

Ruby Tuesday herehired a former Darden exec as their new CEO a few years ago. Darden HQ is located in Orlando.

Come hear local author and educator Kim Trevathan talk about
his adventures paddling East Tennessee’s waterways and working on the new blueways map.

Monday, February 23, 2015
at the Blount County Public Library
Refreshments served at 6pm
Presentation begins at 6:30pm
followed by question and answer session
Program concludes at 7:30pm

A native of Murray, Kentucky, Kim Trevathan has been teaching journalism, creative nonfiction, and fiction writing at Maryville College for 15 years.

His books are “Paddling the Tennessee River: A Voyage on Easy Water” (2001), “Coldhearted River: A Canoe Odyssey down the Cumberland (2006), and “Liminal Zones: Where Lakes End and Rivers Begin (2013).”

All three books were published by the University of Tennessee Press. His outdoor columns have appeared in the Daily Times and the Metro Pulse. Kim serves on the board of the Little River Watershed Association.

Kim Trevathan’s presentation is a free community education event open to the public. The presentation is hosted by CAPPE, Inc. as part of our 2015 Annual Meeting. CAPPE’s 2015 Annual Meeting will convene after the public program concludes.

(link...)
cappe@saveitdontpaveit.org

TDOT has announced a public meeting to discuss the plans for an Alcoa Highway Bypass, a 6-8 lane road proposed through Alcoa and Rockford.

The meeting will be held:
Thursday, February 12, 2015
5 - 7 PM

*** UPDATE ***
The meeting location has changed/been corrected.
It will be held at the Alcoa Public Works building.
NOT at the Alcoa Municipal Building
in the lunchroom of Alcoa Public Works
725 Universal Street
(off of N. Wright Road/E. Edison Street, just north of Springbrook Road and east of Springbrook Park )
Alcoa, TN 37701
865-380-4800

TDOT will take written comments, a court reporter will be available for verbal comments, and you can speak with TDOT representatives.

Please attend to express your opinion for NO Alcoa Highway Bypass.

Anyone with questions regarding the meeting or if you cannot attend, please contact TDOT representatives:
Paul Beebe (paul.beebe@tn.gov)
or Mike Russell(mike.russell@tn.gov)
TDOT
7345 Region Lane
Knoxville, TN 37914
Office Voice - 865-594-2442
Fax - 865-594-2441

A few days ago a monitoring tag which was applied and recorded by J. P.* at the Great Smoky Mtns Natl Park Cades Cove, Blount Co., TN on 10/04/2001 was found on the forest floor at Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca el Rosario by Jaime Maussan. Anytime any of the Monarch Watch tags are found is wonderful but finding this one 14 years later is really amazing.

The City of Maryville is looking to add a dog park. The search is on for a site. PetSafe is providing a $100,000 grant to assist with building the park.

They are looking for a site of four acres or more. They have considered sites on Sandy Springs Road near the fire hall (too small), in Pearson Springs Park (flooding problems), Amerine Park (no Greenway access), and somewhere in the Greenway at the Alcoa city limits where the trail divides the area.

They would like to have a site near parking lots that already have access to the Greenway trails.

Contact the Mayor or a member of the City Council with your ideas for a dog park location. The phone number for the Municiple Center where the mayor and city council are located is 865-273-3900.

"Sam's has cut the number of new stores it plans to open, but Alcoa is not one of them," said Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson."

This is as we hoped. Now, we need city management to think bigger, to partner with developers who can think bigger, to truly work towards a new urbanism town center.

What about a senior living facility as a starting point instead of putting them in the most rural area inaccessible to shopping, medical, etc.?

Because of the new Kroger Marketplace project near Hastings Book Store and the Foothills Mall, Buddy's BBQ in Maryville is forced to relocate. According to an employee, Buddy's BBQ will move to Hwy 321, W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, just South of McDonalds.

In an early report it was said there would be no down time, i.e. the new restaurant would open before the old one closed. However, the employee we spoke with said there now may be a couple of months down time because the new location won't be ready before the current location is required to close.

Thanks to Buddy's BBQ for staying in Maryville. We encourage residents to seek them out at their new location.

Blount County Parks & Rec announces the lighting of the City of Alcoa Christmas Tree in the Upper Fields of Springbrook Park where the trails will be lit with luminaria.

There will be special music, refreshments, visits with Santa Claus, and hay rides for the children. Event is free.

Monday, December 1, 2014 (Rain Date: Tuesday, December 2)
6:15 PM

Springbrook Park
Upper Field

Of the 35 voting precincts in Blount County, nearly 30% had a majority voting no on Amendment 1.

Amendment 1: Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representative and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the lif of the mother.

The majority of Blount County voters said Yes to Amendment 1. However, for several Blount County precincts No was the majority on amendment 1.

Beech Grove (480-No (53.5%), 417-Yes)
Board of Education (658-No (50.04%), 657-Yes)
Everett (307-No (52.7%), 276-Yes)
Martin Luther King (244-No (64.4%), 135-Yes)
Maryville College (314-No (53.1%), 277-Yes)
Maryville High (884-No (51.4%), 836-Yes)
Maryville Junior (755-No (53.6%), 653-Yes)
Maryville Municipal (409-No (52.5%), 370-Yes)
Rockford (426-No (51.1%), 408-Yes)
Walland (230-No (50.8%), 223-Yes)

At least there are some areas of Blount County thinking of the consequences of their vote. If we get lucky, as time passes this thoughtful population may grow.

Blount County early voter turnout was up 4.8% from 2010. In 2014, 12,284 voters cast their votes early compared to 11,720 in the Nov., 2010, election.

For the state, early voter turnout was down 14.6%, 629,485 early voters in Nov. 2014 versus 736,885 in Nov. 2010.

Davidson (-9.1%), Williamson (-9.5%), and Shelby (-22.8%) counties all had a decrease in early voter turnout. Knox (0.16%) and Hamilton (0.77%) counties had very slight increases.

Roy Garrett of the former Roy's Records in Maryville performed with family and friends this morning at the Foothills Fall Festival. Here are some video highlights, including some music clips, speechifying and tributes with some great stories about Roy, and a special spontaneous moment starting around 12:00 in if you want to fast forward.

Click image for a few more pics...

The weather was once again perfect for the Blount Co. Maryville-Alcoa Parks and Rec Songs by the Brook free summer concert series at Springbrook Park in Alcoa. Lots of folks came out for an evening of outstanding entertainment with performances by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day and The Bus Driver Tour with Ian Thomas.

Turnout was the best yet for this final concert in the series. It's a great program for the community and we hope they can bring it back next year.

Special thanks to Blount Co. Maryville-Alcoa Parks and Recreation organizers Scott McMahan, Missey Wright, and Springbrook Recreation Center Director Phil Eakins for all their hard work putting together Songs by the Brook to highlight area talent and our beautiful Springbrook Park.

Also thanks to all the sponsors, including McGhee Tyson Airport, Alcoa Aluminum Company, Alcoa Tenn Federal Credit Union, Crestview Dental Care, Innovative Garden Care, Insurance Partners, Inc., Ogle's Auto Center, Southland Books and Cafe, Sweet P's BBQ, and WDVX, and the vendors including Bread of Heaven BBQ and the Maryville Farmer's Market.

Here are a couple of video clips of performances by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day and The Bus Driver Tour...

PREVIOUSLY:

Songs by the Brook another big hit

Songs by the Brook series kicks off at Springbrook Park

Blount County Parks and Recreation is holding the third and final free concert in Springbrook Park Thursday, September 25, 5:30 - 8:30 PM.

Songs by the Brook

The series focuses on Americana, folk, and blues genres, featuring performances by regional and local musicians.

Bread of Heaven will be onsite for for food and drink sales. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink.
No Alcoholic Beverages allowed.

Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, sunscreen.
No pop-up tents or other large structures.

Pets are welcome!

September 25 musicians - Pistol Creek Catch of the Day, The Bus Driver Tour featuring Ian Thomas

What: Rural Preservation Party October 5 with Pistol Creek Catch of the Day!
When: Sunday, October 5, 2014 - 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Smithview Pavilion

Imagine a lovely fall afternoon filled with fun activities for all ages, delicious home-baked treats, live music and an exciting auction. This is the annual Rural Preservation Party, a family-friendly event hosted by CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.)www.saveitdontpaveit.org .

This year’s Rural Preservation Party is scheduled for Sunday, October 5 from 2pm to 5pm at Smithview Pavilion ((link...)

Home-town favorites Pistol Creek Catch of the Day (link...) will perform starting at 2pm.
The Second Annual Hands-free Donut Eating Contest and other fun activities are scheduled throughout the afternoon.
CAPPE’s famous bake sale will offer an array of home-made cookies, brownies, and other tasty treats. Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the afternoon. The live auction will begin at 4pm.

The City of Alcoa originated in 1918 as the first planned community in the State of Tennessee. A planned community is any community that was carefully planned from its inception. In the original plans, Alcoa, Inc., included one acre of park space for every 100 city inhabitants. In addition, between 1918 and 1924 approximately 300 shade trees were planted along city streets and parks. This type of planning has gone by the wayside.

Come on people. Can anyone say the word Plan?