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ISSUE 50 VOLUME 27
FARRAGUT, TENNESSEE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
Town unveils new playground upgrade at MBL Park ■
TAMMY CHEEK tcheek@farragutpress.com
“Awesome” and “beautiful” are just two of the adjectives Farragut officials used to describe the new playground at Mayor Bob Leonard Park before cutting the ribbon Thursday, Aug. 13, at the park. “It’s awesome,” Sue Stuhl, Farragut Parks & Leisure Services director, said about the playground’s completion. “It’s really different and exciting. “We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls
and Facebook messages, so we know the kids will be excited about this [playground],” Stuhl said. “This is another great day for the town of Farragut,” Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill said, describing the new playground as “state of the art.” “It’s a great addition to our park system, and we’re glad we are getting a lot of great use of it already,” Town administrator David Smoak said, pointing out children playing on the equipment. “This is just awesome,” Alder-man Ron
Honken said. “You know, the parks are one of the greatest assets in our community. They get a lot of use, and we are blessed to be able to do this.” The playground’s replacement was funded in part by a state Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant from Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, April Johnson, recreation services coordinator with TDEC Recreation Education Services, said. “April had a lot to do with the grant for
Crowd turns out Back to school for annual ‘Fun with the Fleet’
■
this project,” McGill said and told Johnson, “We appreciate what you do.” ”We are very grateful to TDEC to be able to put up this equipment because we only had to pay half [of the cost],” Vice Mayor Dot LaMarche said. “[The playground is] beautiful, it’s futuristic and it’s an asset to the community.” Johnson said the Town staff worked hard on the grant-writing process for the playground replacement project. See PARK on Page 2A
Zachary wins state house primary ■ ANTHONY ELIAS
TAMMY CHEEK
aelias@farragutpress.com
tcheek@farragutpress.com
Rain did not stop Farragut and other area youngsters from attending Fun with Farragut Fleet for a chance to play in police cars, fire trucks and Farragut Public Works equipment. About 150 to 200 children turned out for the town of Farragut-sponsored annual event, Saturday, Aug. 15, at Mayor Bob Leonard Park, Chelsey Riemann, Farragut public relations coordinator, said. “Our kids love trucks and tractors, and we thought it would be a good experience for them to see what they’re like,” Kim Carter of Knoxville said. “We had no idea it was going to rain.” Children scrambled into backhoes and on to tow truck beds, honked horns and petted Knox County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officer Argo, and more. While many children climbed on the equipment, others played on Mayor Bob Leonard Park’s new playground or checked out Knoxville Moms Blog’s tent, which offered goodies for children. “Despite the unexpected rainy weather, we were very pleased with the turnout at the event,” Riemann said. “The kids enjoyed climbing on all of the equipment and trucks, especially annual favorites like the Knox County Sheriff squad car, as well as new vehicles, such as the First Utility District TV van and vac truck. “We were also thrilled to have our new
Tammy Cheek
First grader Zachary Hay step off the bus at Farragut Primary School off North Campbell Station Road in Farragut as school comes back in session Thursday, Aug. 13. Classes began for many students
Small business owner Jason Zachary had little time to reflect after last year’s Republican primary election loss to U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan. After winning the Republican primary nomination for the vacant District 14 seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives Wednesday night, Aug. 12, Zachary was proud to. Zachary defeated Republican primary opponent Karen Carson, 2,397 to 1,742 — 58 percent of the 4,139 votes — according to unofficial results. “It has been a busy three years,” Zachary said. “The Lord called us, our family, to a journey about four years ago and not really understanding why, I ran for Congress. That was not what we expected or what we hoped, but he has proven himself faithful and kind of put his stamp [on] why he called me to run for [legislature], which now gives me the ability to serve the people here in the 14th District and to be able to represent them. “It will truly be the honor of my life to be able to represent the people of Southwest Knox County in Nashville.” Carson, who did win ballot majorities at A.L. Lotts and Rocky Hill poll centers, 134119 and 73-38 respectively, said she’s proud of the way her campaign was run and wouldn’t do anything differently. “I think, while the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for,” Carson said, “There’s See HOUSE on Page 2A
See FLEET on Page 4A
Continental returns to FMPC with revised plan
■
TAMMY CHEEK tcheek@farragutpress.com
Various Farragut homeowner association board members and residents, who have joined together as Farragut Citizens for Responsible Growth, are preparing their opposition to a rezoning request, which would allow apartments north of Farragut Church of Christ and north of Kingston Pike at Peterson Road. About 50 residents gathered for a citizens meeting to discuss the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission upcoming Aug. 20 meeting for which the rezoning request is on the agenda and has
been planned for a vote Thursday, Aug. 13, in the Community Room of Farragut Town Hall. “This is going to happen, and it’s going to happen very, very soon,” Martin Ritter of Fox Den subdivision said. “I was told [FMPC and Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen] will vote on the issue,” Michael Wilson, a Baldwin Park resident, said. “The Town leadership needs to know we don’t want this [rezoning].” Continental Properties Company Inc. has an option to buy the 19.66-acre Parcel 69, owned
by Doug Horne, president of Horne Properties Inc. and Republic Newspapers Inc., parent company of farragutpress. Continental requested the property be rezoned from R-2 to R-6 to develop The Springs at Farragut, upscale apartments. Last June, the company withdrew its rezoning request but has since submitted a new request and site plan. Gwen Wheeler, development associate with Continental Properties was present at the citizens Aug. 13 meeting, but declined to comment. See CONTINENTAL on Page 4A
The Springs at Farragut revised rendering
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