In preparation for the summit, five town hall forums are being held in the region to discuss tourism issues impacting the Smokies and its gateway communities

Link...

Tomorrow morning at the library from 10:00 until noon we have a unique opportunity to voice our concerns and listen and learn what it means to be a gateway community.

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has long been a great resource to those who understand that in order for tourist to get to the Smokies they must pass through our communities and what they see in route is just as important was what they see when they get to the Park.

The Planning Commission will hold a called meeting to begin revision of the Policies Plan and other plans of the County on October 30 at 5:30 P.M. in Room 430 of the Courthouse.

You may have missed the announcement of this very important meeting since it is not listed under the Meetings listing on the county website. It is rather hidden under the Plans listing.

Why are we changing the Blount County Policies Plan? Have the residents of this county changed their opinions as to what they want for Blount County? Do we no longer love the rural beauty or have we made the choice to become the bedroom for Knoxville and Oak Ridge?

Could it be....... 411 South as strip mall city or Pollywood West?

Could it be....... because SBUD is now in the sewer bid'ness?

Could it be....... to offer even more protection to Townsend and The Privileged Side of the Smokies?

Read the documents then come to the meeting.
Link...

My bad. I have not been following the CAPPE issues real closely. Yesterday I watched a news report on local TV regarding the proposed PPE. I was surprised to see two options for the PPE. It was a graphic, not well explained, but appears there is one option with a direct route to 321 and a second option with a curved route. Interesting, I thought. What is this about? Thus, I decided to review the previous BlountViews post regarding the TDOT public meeting held October 25th.

In reading the post I was stopped cold.

CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.) must NOT pit one bad project against another.

From the CAPPE post here at BlountViews:

Alternative (1) is preferred, as there are other higher priorities for transportation improvements in our county. The Alcoa By-Pass will do much more to address safety and Level of Service, as will the Montvale Road improvements.
...
Let’s use our limited highway funds for projects like the Alcoa Highway By-pass that will ensure safety for many, not for a project that will exacerbate our transportation problems.

(Emphasis added by the author.)

The Alcoa Highway By-pass is a horrible idea. It will add a scar to a unique, "planned" community developed nearly a century ago with direction toward community and green space. Has anyone seen what the James White Parkway has done to South Knoxville? I guess it is now time for the citizens of Alcoa to create their own corporation to fight not only TDOT and whatever other government organizations looking to add an Alcoa by-pass, but we appear now be forced to fight an organization that was trying to do good things for the community. I am appalled!

Oh, and by the way. CAPPE's statement regarding the proposed R&D park off Maryville Pike, "The campus-like atmosphere of the Research & Development Park at the Jackson Farm will be disrupted by building an interstate highway through it. Give us a break. The R&D park was plannned with the knowledge of the proposed PPE. If the planners thought it was a bad idea, they should not have invested in it.

More to come.

CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.) members are preparing for the upcoming TDOT meeting on October 25 at Heritage High School from 5-8pm. For initial analysis, see below. For background, see Link...

Also worth noting is that TDOT gave less than 3 weeks notice for this meeting, in violation of their own policy to provide 30 days notice for all public meetings. See Link...

At the Oct. 25 meeting TDOT will present the ‘Purpose and Need’ for the PPE as well as ‘initial alternatives.’ The public will have opportunities to comment on the Purpose and Need and the alternatives. Written comments can be sent to TDOT for 21 days after the Oct. 25 meeting.

What are we thinking?

Our director of schools has interpreted data collected about public preferences for a single high school as a clear indication that people desire a common experience. (See R. Neal's post below for link to full article)

I have another interpretation. People’s preferences for a single high school indicate a confused sense of nostalgia and a failure of leadership.

Nostalgia: People’s visions of a small-town high-school life are really less about having a single high-school that unifies than having a school small enough that they are truly known as people. Cheering on a town’s single football team against "foreign" rivals (from just down the road) is, quite frankly, a shallow way to build a shallow sense of community. Strong community spirit comes from pride in a community’s choices…in this case, we have a chance to be proud of how we plan for every young citizen to have a great education.

Arguably, the best feature of public schools is that students come into close contact with ideas, identities, abilities, and beliefs that are different from their own (this feature is much harder to come by in private schools). This close contact challenges students to either defend their ways of thinking and being in the world or to change their ways of thinking and being in the world. Course content gives them the tools and practice they need to think through these challenges. In a word, this is education.

Large secondary schools do not allow for this close contact. Rather, stereotypes and narrow thinking are encouraged as students must spend their time simply trying to carve out a space for themselves amid the masses.

Failure of leadership: There is nothing surprising in data showing that people are resistant to and fear change and that people will choose the option that proposes the least amount of change. It is easy for us to sacrifice (other) people’s homes to cobble on to a high school we're afraid of changing in any meaningful way. It is hard to think through new ways of educating our children.

Great leadership helps us imagine new ways of moving forward and helps us not be afraid of change.

Where is our great leadership?

Don't you just love it when you don't hear about changes in our local utilities until after they have been approved?

On Aug 2, 2007 SBU went before the Utility Managment Review Board seeking to extend their services to include sewer systems. It was approved. The hearing this Thursday is just a dog and pony show because according to the UMRB permission has all ready been granted by the State. Now all SBU needs is the farce of a public hearing and the mayor's signature.

Remember who elected him? This is a developer's dream come true.

Back when the Sports Complex was such a hot issue the topic of on-site wastewater systems came up. Folks complained about this and that and the fact that the county has zero control over them.

We still don't.

Just because SBU has been granted areas which can amount to the rest of Blount County as a sewer district ( for areas not covered by any other wastewater utility) does not change a thing with all those systems currently in place. Unless of course those privately held companies either sell or give the systems to SBU.

GIVE? I nearly dropped the phone when the gal at URB in Nashville told me that. This does make sense in case a small utility fails and can not pay for repairs. Then again, the TRA is responsible in making sure that does not happen.

Why do I call this a developer's Christmas? It is. All wrapped up in a bright red bow. When dealing with these smaller private / public utilites the developer is the one who pays for all the equipment then the developer has to give that to the utility. With SBU being the utility they will have the authority to set the rules on who pays for what.

Can I make this any clearer? Nothing has changed the face of Blount County the way on-site sewer systems have. Mountain top development was nearly impossible on the scale we see it today.

I was ask if it is possible that SBU can make the developers pay for the building of these new on-site and other type of wastewater treatment facilities then the developer would give the system to SBU to operate. Yes. They could.

That is the one of the questions we all need to ask. How will SBU work to control urban sprawl in Blount County?

UPDATE! This Thursday there is a public dog and pony show on whether South Blount Utility will get into the sewer games!

notice of public hearing on supplemental petition of south blount county utility

district of blount county, tennessee, for authority to furnish sewer and sewer disposal services
all members of the public take notice that a public hearing will be held on september 20, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. eastern daylight time, in the county commission courtroom, 4th floor, blount county courthouse, maryville, tennessee on the supplemental petition of south blount county utility district of blount county, tennessee for authority to furnish sewer and sewer disposal services pursuant to t.c.a. § 7-82-302 (e). the address of the principal office of south blount county utility district of blount county, tennessee is 808 w. lamar alexander parkway, maryville, tn 37801
all interested members of the public are invited to appear and participate in the hearing.
jerry cunningham, county mayor of blount county, tennessee
sept. 13, 2007

Well look who is getting into the on-site sewer bid'ness.

Link...

4. PRELIMINARY PLAT: HICKORY COVE SUBDIVISION; TAX MAP 25 &
36, PARCEL 218; 112.5 ACRES AND 127 HOME SITES; ZONED R-1,
RESIDENTIAL AND AGRICULTURAL; HOLROB – HOWARD MISER
STATION PARTNERSHIP; VISION ENGINEERING

There will be a decentralized sand filtration sewer system that is going to be maintained by the South Blount Utility District.
A home owners association will be created to maintain the common areas of the development. The interior roads of the subdivision will have sidewalks, which will hopefully be able to connect with Middle Settlement Elementary on the western side of the property. Mr. Wantiez stated that the Blount County Street Department would not

Ed McMahon, an expert on sustainable growth, will give a presentation on preserving community character. The presentation will be at the Airport Hilton in the grand ballroom. The event is free and open to the public. See the Maryville Daily Times for more details.

Here's a preview of some of the topics that may be discussed.