Halls Fountain City Shopper-News 012411

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Vol. 50, No. 4 • January 24, 2011 • www.ShopperNewsNow.com • 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville 37918 • 922-4136

TDOT gathers input on Gibbs intersection redesign By Natalie Lester

Barney gives ‘Graduation’ a boost Barney Fife (aka Sammy Sawyer) prepares to help give away an iPad at the kickoff assembly for Halls High School’s Project Graduation last week. Several such prizes and much more will highlight Project Graduation, a chaperoned lock-in which is being held at Jubilee Banquet Hall following graduation ceremonies May 19-20. Organizers are also bringing back the popular school fashion show as a fundraiser. Photo by Ruth White SEE MORE PHOTOS AND DETAILS ON PAGE A-5

It’s been talked about for years, but now the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the public are in a more formal discussion concerning the intersection of Tazewell Pike and Emory Road at Harbison’s Crossroads. However, don’t expect completion soon. This spring, TDOT plans a right of way meeting and will distribute plans in the summer. Rights of way will be appraised and acquired in 2012. Last Thursday at Gibbs Elementary School, TDOT presented its plans to widen the road and add two designated turning lanes and bike lanes to each roadway. Attendees were encouraged to leave either written or oral feedback. “There has been a sight distance problem with people coming from Emory Road and actually running into each other,” said TDOT road specialist Michael Yun. “The area is just so congested with two gas stations and (the new) Walgreens.” The intersection was given a Level D road rating by TDOT (A is the best; E is the worst) because of the hill causing the sight problem. “We could leave it alone, add a signal without changing the lanes or widen the road and add lanes,” Yun said. Doing nothing will not solve the traffic problem, Yun said. Merely adding a signalized intersection would help “a little bit” but is not a long term solution given population growth. State Rep. Harry Brooks spoke

David “Red” and Martha Clapp examine a proposal to redo the intersection at Tazewell Pike and Emory Road at a TDOT meeting held last week at Gibbs Elementary. Photo by Jake Mabe

Proposed TDOT Right of Way acquisitions Clear Springs Baptist Church ..................................................0.030 acres LBW Properties/LKM Properties ............................................0.104 acres LKM Properties ..........................................................................0.065 acres LKM Properties ..........................................................................0.079 acres Dana C. Genua ...........................................................................0.022 acres Dana Cales Genua .....................................................................0.056 acres Darrell and Frankie Atkins ......................................................0.122 acres Zola Satterfield ......................................................................... 0.025 acres David and Ella Donaldson....................................................... 0.046 acres Jay and May Wormsley ................................................. 168.7 square feet Larry D. Howerton ...................................................................... 0.12 acres Fred Bright Jr. ............................................................... 255.93 square feet

briefly. He said former County Commissioner Jack Huddleston first brought up the idea of doing the project under a county/ state partnership. Yun added the plans are preliminary and nothing is set in stone. He could not project cost

at this point. “After this meeting, we’ll take the comments that are turned in and find a way to best accommodate what people want while also doing what we need to in regards to safety concerns and to increase the level of service.”

McMillan farm issued notice of stormwater violation By Betty Bean The Tennessee Clean Water Network and stormwater activist James McMillan are accusing Knox County of taking retaliatory action against McMillan, who has long been one of the most vocal critics of local stormwater enforcement practices. Last Oct. 28, James McMillan and another citizen activist, Jamie Rowe, took Dwight Van de Vate for a ride. Van de Vate was in his second month as interim head of Knox County Engineering and Public Works, and Rowe and McMillan, who have spent years documenting stormwater issues, wanted to show him construction sites where they believe enforcement has been lax. Van de Vate later said he was shocked by some of what he saw. On Dec. 24, McMillan’s father, Charles McMillan, re-

TITAN A SELF-STORAGE

ceived a Notice of Violation from the office of Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett ordering him to place a silt fence around a cell tower construction site on his property and threatening him with a penalty of up to $5,000 a day. On Jan. 13, Tennessee Clean Water Network director Renee Hoyos sent Burchett a letter questioning the county’s motives and priorities: “TCWN is very disappointed to learn that Knox County has recently chosen to use its scarce enforcement resources to issue a notice of violation (NOV) to Charles McMillan (see attached). The total area cleared for construction of a cell phone tower on the McMillan property is less than a tenth of an acre. There is no evidence that runoff from this small site has reached a stream or otherwise caused any environmental harm.

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“Even if this is the type of activity that could merit an NOV, it was not appropriate to send the NOV to the McMillans. The construction of the cell tower is being done by an independent contractor to T-Mobile on land that the McMillans have leased to the cell phone company. Thus, the McMillans have absolutely no control over the work being done. This information was readily apparent from signs on the site, and presumably from the permitting file at Knox County as well. “This NOV appears to have no purpose other than to harass a citizen activist. Shannondale farmer James McMillan, Charles’ son, is a well-recognized leader on stormwater issues in Knox County, a volunteer for TCWN and a member of the Knox County Stormwater Task Force. Mr. McMillan has been a frequent and vo-

cal critic of Knox County’s stormwater program and has generally been a thorn in the side of Knox County stormwater staff.” Hoyos said she has heard from Burchett chief of staff Dean Rice, and a meeting has been set for later this month to discuss stormwater issues. “This is nothing but a smear campaign to discredit me,” said James McMillan, who also said he had warned the contractor to install erosion controls but had no control over his actions. Charles McMillan wants his name cleared. He is demanding an apology from Knox County and wants records of the NOV scrubbed from the county’s databases by the end of the month. He said he is disgusted by the county’s actions. “Not a gallon of mud has run off this site,” he said, looking down the hill toward the

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James McMillan stands behind the sign erected by the grading contractor who prepared a cell tower site on his father’s farm. Photo by Betty Bean

spot where White’s Creek meanders through his pasture. James McMillan said he’s not going to stop pestering county officials: “My hopes and prayers are that Mayor Burchett will let

Van de Vate straighten out the stormwater division.” (Note: We requested but at press time had not yet received Knox County’s response to the McMillans’ complaints.)


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