Don't Buck the Tower
In response to an "Ear to the Ground" item in the May 20-27 issue entitled "When the Pate hits the Fan," I would like to address several points made in these paragraphs.
First, the specific tower planned in Sequoyah Hills was never intended to be lit with any type of strobe or beacon light. It will be a dark tower. Secondly, the residents of Sequoyah Hills have been one of the most vocal groups for the past 15 years about the lack of quality mobile phone service in that neighborhood. There is no more appropriate place in the Sequoyah Hills area than the planned site. Although my company is not building this specific site, I have surveyed that specific location and have noted that the base of that structure will be totally, completely screened from view from all directions. Not only does this site meet all Knoxville regulations, the site actually makes a lot of sense.
As a member of the wireless telecommunications industry for the past 12 years and a resident of Knoxville for much longer, I have always made special efforts to work with community leaders to find acceptable siting solutions that are agreeable with everyone. In some instances, such as Sequoyah Hills, one structure that will work for all wireless carriers that is located in a commercial zone and not adjacent to any residences only makes perfect sense.
As far as the zoning ordinance, I was a member of the telecommunications subcommittee that worked on rewriting the ordinance for Knoxville and Knox County earlier this year. This committee which consists of industry representatives, community residents and activists, and attorneys worked very hard to come up with acceptable zoning solutions that everyone can live with.
It is my belief that when the residents of any given neighborhood have all the facts, they will view this structure as the technology based advancement that it is, rather than automatically bucking against the word "tower."
David Markey
Director of Tech Ops
Knoxville/Chattanooga
Juice Enough
I must disagree with Mark Shetterly's letter ["No Juice?"] in your April 1 issue—I greatly enjoyed Jack Neely's article about the Yellow Pages ["I Am Curious (Yellow)," Vol. 9, No. 11]. It may not be front-page breaking news, but it was extremely enjoyable, and was worth more to me personally than yet one more article about how Knox politicians are screwing up. And it's the only article from Metro Pulse that I have ever clipped out and sent to a friend (so far, anyway).
Janette Kennedy
Seymour
P.S. Perhaps this letter will please Mr. Shetterly—he's succeeded in stirring up some controversy after all.
The Biannual Nice Letter
You've done it again: another great issue of Knoxville's gutsy weekly (Vol. 9, No. 18). What could have been a boring list was certainly spiced up with all the humor and sarcasm of the Best of Knoxville reviews. Who wrote that lovely one about Jack Neely anyway? His "Secret History" column was interesting as usual. And three "Yikes!" columns!! Now those things were a great idea. Jewel boxes are ridiculous, and I LOVE Scott McNutt. Maybe one day I'll actually meet him. Thanks again for some good reading.
Jenny Lowe
Maryville
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