VOL. 11 NO. 9
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Cemetery tour lesson in
FIRST WORDS
Avon Rollins: words of wisdom
Farragut history
By Reneé Kesler
The Beck Cultural Exchange Center, “the place where African American history & culture are preserved,” bid its final farewell to Avon William Rollins Sr., former executive director of Beck, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016. Renee Kesler Mr. Rollins was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement and was always willing to share words of wisdom. While I was privileged to have the opportunity to engage in numerous in-depth inspirational conversations with Mr. Rollins over the years, perhaps the crowning moment for me came exactly Rollins Sr. five months prior to his death. On Thursday, July 7, 2016, at Beck, I had the privilege of moderating a conversation with eight extraordinarily wise and insightful people: Dessa E. Blair, Robert J. Booker, Luther W. Bradley, Ether R. Jackson, Theotis Robinson Jr., t h e Rev. W. Eugene Thomas, Lawrence B. Washington and Avon W. Rollins Sr. The documentary “East Tennessee Voices: Eighth of August Celebration of Emancipation,” was produced in partnership with East Tennessee PBS and the East Tennessee History Center. The documentary highlighted the significance of the 8th of August in Tennessee history. It was Aug. 8, 1863, that Military Gov. Andrew Johnson freed his own slaves in Greeneville. Further, in keeping with Emancipation Day or the Day of Freedom, in Knoxville, Chilhowee Park was open to African Americans only one day a year, Aug. 8, and this continued until 1948. As you might imagine, during the filming there were amusing bloopers. If you could have been a fly on the wall you would have witnessed heartwarming laughter and real entertainment. At one point the filming had to stop because we could not halt chuckling at a gesture made by one of the eight. To page A-3
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A wide swath of land is devoid of graves in Pleasant Forest Cemetery. It marks the site of the original cart path, where a casket was shuttled from a horse-drawn hearse on Concord Road to a cart that was wheeled down the path to the burial site. Photos by Suzanne Foree Neal Story on page A-3
By Suzanne Foree Neal Hundreds of drivers pass Pleasant Forest Cemetery every day and may not know how much history is buried there. Without names like Russell, Campbell, Hackney, Martin and many others, Farragut would not be what it is today. Their descendants still live here and bury loved ones in family plots mingled with names of newcomers who have adopted Farragut as their own. There’s a Tennessee governor buried there – Archibald Roane – and the town’s first mayor, Bob Leonard.
A nonprofit board of 12 keeps the cemetery running. Fees held in a trust fund the cemetery’s care. Retiree and volunteer Michael “Mike” Karnitz is custodian and tour guide. Walk with him through the cemetery and he’ll give you what he calls the “thirdgrade tour” of markers, some field stones, others so weathered to read inscriptions requires a dusting of flour, to ones of gleaming granite. The Russell family has a plot at Pleasant Forest Cemetery. Caretaker Michael “Mike” Karnitz, shown in the distance, checks out a new burial space donated by Noah Myers, who owns the former Hackney family To page A-3 farm. The Campbell Station Road extension cut through the property, leaving a small section next to the cemetery.
Union Road improvements coming By Margie Hagen Residents along Union Road connecting from North Hobbs to Everett Road will soon see construction begin to widen lanes, add curb and gutters and create a 12-foot-wide multi-use greenway path along the north side. The proposal submitted by Kimley-Horn was approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in a unanimous vote. Currently at about 15 feet in width, Union Road has long been considered in need of
improvement by the town. The project will expand the road to include two 12-foot lanes along the approximately one and a quartermile section. Horizontal and vertical road alignment and a bridge over Little Turkey Creek will be part of the work. Town engineer Darryl Smith recommended approval and reviewed the bidding process, stating, “Selection was made from seven firms through letters of interest. We graded them based on qualifications as requested by the state, and Kimley-Horn came out on top.”
The total fee for the design is $473,185. Based on the 80-20 match of federal and local funds, the town’s portion will be $94,637. The cost is higher than other recent projects like Everett Road. According to Smith, “Union Road has a bridge, which significantly adds to the cost.” Other factors include the environmental approval process and hydraulic modeling for the bridge design. To page A-3
Assessor’s office is set for reappraisals By Sandra Clark The real estate market has perked up, just in time for state-mandated reappraisals. Property Assessor John Whitehead says the overall result must be revenue-neutral (the commission can’t use reappraisals to sneak in a tax increase) but that doesn’t mean an individual’s property value, thus real estate taxes, won’t rise or fall. The county commission is obligated to adjust the tax rate after Whitehead certifies the reappraisals on May 20. Whitehead outlined the appeals schedule for the Powell Republican Club, meeting Feb. 16 at Shoney’s. Reappraisals will be completed in March. Notices will go out the first week in April, and Whitehead’s staff will hear informal appeals during April. “You can text, email or phone. We may get 1,000 calls per day,” he said.
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Whitehead will open three sites for the informal appeals – Fountain City and Cedar Bluff branch libraries and his office in the City County Building. The month of May is “cleanup,” with notices sent again to property owners whose appraisals were changed. “On May 20, we certify our tax roll to the county Board of Equalization. Then you can appeal to Whitehead them.” Taxpayers still unhappy can appeal to the state Board of Equalization, which will conduct hearings in Knoxville. A fourth appeal can go to the state Appeals Commission in Nashville. The final step is the full state Board of Equalization. “It’s like the U.S. Supreme Court,” Whitehead said. “Nine out of 10 cases
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they won’t hear; they’ll just affirm the Appeals Commission.” After this chain of appeals, taxpayers can file a lawsuit in Chancery Court in Knox or Davidson County. In response to questions, Whitehead said Knox County has some 190,000 parcels. He said it’s toughest to appraise farm land because there are so few comparables. Whitehead has worked in the assessor’s office for 38 years, joining the staff of the late Edward Hill after returning from Vietnam. He sat out eight years while Phil Ballard served two terms, and returned to office in 2016 after a narrow Republican Primary victory over Ballard’s chief deputy, Jim Weaver. “I’m having a good time,” he said. “We’ve got a great group with everybody pitching in and doing a good job.” Info: knoxcounty.org/property or 865-215-2360.
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