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ISSUE 27 VOLUME 25
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FARRAGUT, TENNESSEE
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013
SERC’s Singletary offers tips for the Town ■
HEATHER BECK hbeck@farragutpress.com
Farragut’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen was challenged to help Farragut-named schools raise more money and given talking points to hawk to local businesses at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 14. Mike Singletary, of Farragut’s School Education Relations Committee,
called the talking points “a modest initiative on how to improve the funding of Farragut schools without further tapping into the Town treasury, so to speak.” “Great schools are great for business and for quality of life,” he added. Farragut donated $22,000 apiece to each of the Farragut-named schools, plus Hardin Valley Academy, in the last fiscal
year, as well as $10,000 each to Hardin Valley’s and Farragut High’s education foundations. “The schools, after all, are the Town’s calling card,” Singletary said. On behalf of the SERC, Singletary said the schools should be getting more support from local businesses. “The leaders of our Town are occasionally in a position to tell the schools’
story, so to speak, to businesses and industrial people, and we would like to encourage them to identify and partner with, or adopt, a Farragut school of their choice,” Singletary said. “We hope you can ask them to maintain and enhance the excellence of our schools,” he added. The talking points include the fact that financial gifts to schools often go to schools in impover-
ished communities. “I was in a civic club in West Knoxville for a number of years, and the civic club gave a large grant for three years ... to a school, but they didn’t give it in West Knoxville. They gave it to an East Knoxville school. “And when I joined a civic club in Farragut, I found roughly the same thing,” Singletary said. “I’m just thinking that the
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Heather Beck/farragutpress
Lisa Mellon, co-owner of Games & Things, 10706 Kingston Pike, plays a game of billiards with customers and visitors Friday night, March 1, for the business’s second annual Game On Against Cancer to benefit Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Visitors could bid on sports-related items in a silent auction and go head-to-head in games such as billiards, blackjack, cornhole and shuffleboard with local celebrities including Bill Landry and Missy Kane.
Inaugural ‘Intro to Farragut’ draws good base
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hbeck@farragutpress.com
A dozen people showed up for the inaugural Introduction to Farragut reception Tuesday night, Feb. 19. Most of the participants are Farragut residents, though only a few have previously been involved with Farragut committees or as volunteers. Many are new to the area and almost all cited as reasons for their interest in the class a desire to learn more about the city in which they live. “I wanted to find out everything about Farragut,” said Martha Cook, a retired schoolteacher who
moved to Farragut in March of last year. Carla Werner, who relocated to Farragut from Maryville five years ago, had similar motives. “I saw this as a way to figure out why Farragut does what it does,” she said. Neil and Sue Fischer have been Farragut residents for 13 years and said while they read names of elected officials and Town staff in the newspaper, they wanted to get to know who they were. “I’m interested in the future of Farragut and how they can build on the legacy of what’s been here,” Neil said. Sue added she wanted to
learn more about the governing process of Farragut and how duties were divided among Town departments. Carla Lyle, who has served as a volunteer with Farragut Business Alliance and the Town’s Education Relations Committee, said, “I feel there’s so much more to learn.” Her involvement planning community events for Farragut and working with the schools “has spurred my interest ... and I want to be involved,” she added. Matthew Bryan said he and his wife recently had moved to Concord Hills, where they were planning to raise a family.
See SERC on Page 3A
Farragut Board decides not to alter sign ordinance
‘Game On’ to fight cancer
HEATHER BECK
businesses and people who can afford to support those, think of the Farragut schools,” he added, even though Farragut is an affluent community. Other talking points include ideas that parents who choose to live in Farragut so their children can attend local schools shop in Farragut, that
“We wanted to get plugged in ... meet some folks, learn things and get involved,” he said. Nancy Howard, a Knoxville resident, said she was taking part in the class because of her employment at Proton Therapy Center at Provision Health’s campus. “I plan for Farragut to have a presence,” for patients coming to Proton Therapy, Howard said. Town administrator David Smoak welcomed the inaugural class, which will meet once a month until July on topics including Farragut’s history, government relations, public safety, and education and economic development.
HEATHER BECK hbeck@farragutpress.com
Farragut’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen denied Costco a larger sign on a small, angled wall above the store entrance during its meeting Thursday, Feb. 14, but not without dissension among Board members. “There needs to be a reasonableness in the interpretation of the ordinance,” Alderman Bob Markli said. He was the lone vote in favor of Costco’s request to change Farragut’s sign ordinance to allow wall signage at a 2.5:1 ratio of sign area to wall length, as opposed to the existing ratio of 1:1. “I notice how pusillanimous and small that sign seems,” he said. Costco was requesting the ordinance change to allow them a much larger sign on the angled wall that identifies the entrance to the store. The ordinance change would have applied to every business in Farragut, not just to Costco. “What would you say to all the other businesses who complied to the 1:1 ratio?” Mayor Ralph McGill asked Markli. See BOMA on Page 2A
Farragut development fares well during recession
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HEATHER BECK hbeck@farragutpress.com
Farragut Municipal Planning Commissioners heard an annual update on development — both commercial and residential — in Farragut at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 21. “Considering the overall economy, I think Farragut has done very well,” Mark Shipley, Farragut Community Development assistant director, said. Shipley said commercial activity had dropped from its high activity before the recession, but for Farragut’s size, the Town saw a fair amount of new retailers being built. Ninety-three building permits were issued by Farragut in 2012 — a measurement of new, principal buildings that underwent construction last year. That includes Costco, Publix and Longhorn Steakhouse, among others. The majority of building permits — 84 — were for single-family, detached homes. Six building permits were for commercial or office buildings and three for institutional buildings. The total number of permits was the highest in 2012 it’s See REPORT on Page 3A
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