Farragut Shopper-News 091211

Page 1

GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | FEATURES A6 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A9 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B

A great community newspaper.

farragut

VOL. 5, NO. 37

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

INSIDE

IN THIS ISSUE New York to Knoxville

www.ShopperNewsNow.com

|

www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

|

twitter.com/shoppernewsnow

Homes of distinction Bridgemore subdivision hosts fundaiser tour BrookWood Construction and Engineers built the third house on the Bridgemore Homes of Distinction tour.

Takin’ it to the streets Madeline Rogero hits the road in search of votes. See page A-4

FEATURED COLUMNIST MALCOLM SHELL

Riding the Fox Motor Coach Line The Fox family had a long heritage in the transportation business, in some cases dating back almost to the horse and buggy days. See page A-6

ONLINE

Cara Haynes, left, is a rider at Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR), which will benefit from the Bridgemore Homes of Distinction. Cara’s mom, Judy, right, and her father, David, own one of the homes on the tour. They will move in after the home show ends Sunday, Sept. 25.

Bridgemore residents Gloria and Ron Fife enjoy the kickoff party for the Bridgemore Homes of Distinction last Thursday. The home show will run each weekend through Sunday, Sept. 25. Tickets are $10 each and all proceeds will benefit STAR.

WoodPointe Construction and Architecture designed and built the second house on the Bridgemore Homes of Distinction tour. More photos on page A-3

Farragut outdoor classroom to develop in phases Town committee re-evaluating project By Natalie Lester While it applied for a grant totaling $120,000 from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Water Resources Program to fund an outdoor classroom at Farragut High School, and received only $10,000, members of the town’s Stormwater Advisory Committee are moving ahead with the project. “Based on the economic environment, I am thrilled we got any funding at all,” town stormwater coordinator Jason Scott said. “We shot for the moon with the proposal, and we didn’t get the moon, but

we got something to get our vision moving.” The committee hopes to turn the property down the hill from Farragut High School on Campbell Station Road into an outdoor classroom. They still plan to complete the project, which will include bathrooms, an amphitheater, walkways and a rain garden, but it will have to be done in phases instead of all at once. “Initially, we hoped to have formal plans put together this year and select contractors,” Scott said. “We hoped it would be built in fiscal year 2012-2013. It’s going to change a little bit now, but breaking it up will allow more community members to be involved.” Farragut High School science teacher Debbie Fraser believes the

classroom, once complete, will be a huge asset to the school’s curriculum. “The science department will be able to do so much with water quality testing and environmental studies,” she said. “We can really assess the issues and talk about how it affects our daily life. It would be a great showcase for the town and for Farragut schools. We don’t want this only for science students either. There will be a lot of opportunity for literature and art students, too.” The project was originally estimated to cost $200,000. The committee planned to have outside support beyond the $120,000 they requested from TDOA.

“Now the balance to be raised elsewhere is much more,” Scott said. The bathrooms will be the most expensive amenity at $100,000. “With the school buildings so close, that may not be something we would need right away,” Fraser said. “Potentially, that could be one of the last things we do.” The committee also discussed starting with mulch walkways instead of semipermeable ones. The official phasing was not determined at last week’s meeting, but the group plans to continue discussion to develop a plan for the classroom. “This project really will be wonderful for everyone involved,” Fraser said.

DO YOU

LIKE? TELL US!

The Shopper-News is now on Facebook! Check us out for updates, photos and more! www.facebook.com/ ShopperNewsNow

10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Darlene Hacker hackerd@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 33,237 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.

Fed bucks feed county government By Larry Van Guilder For fiscal year 2011, Knox County’s budget topped $647 million. According to the county’s chief financial officer, the federal government supplied about 8.5 percent of that amount. John Troyer says the federal contribution to the county last fiscal year was about $55 million, with roughly $41 million going to schools and another $14 million dollars spread around various county departments. With budgetcutting running at a fever pitch in Washington, what do county residents stand to lose if the federal well runs dry? Grant Rosenberg heads Community Development for the county. Rosenberg’s department funds local grant programs through two sources of federal money, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). HUD funds were reduced by 12 percent this

program year, and CDBG were cut more than 16 percent. Rosenberg anticipates more cuts next year in the range of 10-15 percent. The federal money funds a laundry list of programs and services, including money for renovating or building housing for seniors and low to moderate income families. Currently, Rosenberg says, money has been set aside to replace a roof at the YWCA and renovate the Pleasant Tree apartments managed by Child and Family Tennessee. Other recipients include the Volunteer Ministry Center dental clinic, the Helen Ross McNabb Center and the Public Defender Community Law Office. Rosenberg notes that the housing programs provide an additional benefit. When the KnoxvilleKnox County Community Action Committee contracts for construction services, jobs are created or maintained.

Continuing cuts in federal funds will be felt across the board, but arguably hit housing hardest. “It limits affordable housing for seniors,” Rosenberg says, just as the baby boomer generation is hitting retirement age. The school budget is already strained, and the future looks grim enough without additional cuts in federal funds. The current budget includes a one-time boost of $8 million from the Education Jobs Program. The money primarily is used to fund teacher salaries and benefits. According to the line item detail in the school budget, $6.8 million of those funds are directly tied to teacher compensation. To maintain the same level of instruction next year would require an 8-cent property tax increase. The Knox County Health Department received nearly half of the $14 million disbursed to the “rest” of the county apart from schools. Dr. Martha Buchanan

SALES S ALES • SERVICE SERVICE • MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE

manages a $24 million budget, and federal dollars supply about 25 percent of the department’s operating costs. Federal money goes to programs for “everything from TB to STDs to immunizations,” Buchanan says, but she expresses confidence in her department’s ability to carry on even if the spigot is turned off tomorrow. “We’ve got a great team at the health department,” she says, and it may need to “work smarter.” “Fortunately, we’ve had some ‘heads ups’ from our state partners (about possible cuts),” Buchanan adds, and if necessary the department will reorganize and restructure. Every department head in Knox County may not share Buchanan’s confidence, but her forward thinking outlook is a must. Federal funding of state and local programs is in a downward spiral and the bottom is nowhere in sight.

Keep Your Memories SAFE! Preserve those old Pr reels, slides & vhs tapes today!

Family Fami Fa mily mi lyy Bus B Business u in us ines esss Se es Serv Serving r in rv ng Yo Y You u ffo for or Ov Over ver 1 15 5 Ye Years ear as 5715 5715 Old Old d Tazewell T ll Pike Pik Pi k • 687-2520 687 252 5 0

Cantrell’s Cares Financing available through TVA Energy Right program* *Restrictions May Apply

Bring your VHS, slides, film and more into the digital age.

$25 OFF $100 Purchase *Cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Audio & Video Conversion

Expires 9/17/11 SN091211

686-5756

www.DigitizeItNow.com 12752 Kingston Pike, Renaissance Farragut, Ste 103, Bldg E


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.