Well, Well, Hello, Mary Lou
I am very disgusted and sadly disappointed in the Ear to the Ground item which appeared in your [Oct. 25] issue. This unsigned opinion is negligent in that it misrepresents several facts:
1—Yes, I am running for re-election in 2002.
2—No, I have not "squired" any developers "through the process." Developers know how to get zoning matters before County Commission. That's their job. The developers of the proposed shopping center in Halls have hired Arthur Seymour, Jr., and he needs no coaching.
3—No, I did not suggest Larry Smith for the MPC. Tommy Schumpert appointed Larry without any consultation with county commissioners.
Why didn't you call me for a quote? You know where I am, and I've always told you the truth.
Mary Lou Horner
County Commissioner, District 7
Knoxville
Unitarian Edificially Offended
I find your [Oct. 26] issue with its cover story about Knoxville architecture just a little ironic, especially in light of an "Ear to the Ground" piece the week before [Oct. 19]. In its typically snide tone, that writer wrote disparagingly of the AIA Society Design Award given to the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Kingston Pike.
Despite the fact that the church administrator sent a copy of the press release announcing the award to your publication, you chose to print only one line from a Nashville Tennessean article, and nothing from the award itself. Had you bothered to read the announcement, you would have understood the several notable qualities of the church which were recognized by the panel of jurors, headed by Robert Ivy, editor-in-chief of Architectural Record, who chose five buildings out of 70 projects that were examined.
Jack Neely correctly points out [cover story, Oct. 26] that many buildings in Knoxville do not seem to have aesthetics as a primary concern. However, our congregation had as one of our goals that the building be aesthetically pleasing and that an art gallery be integrated into the worship, fellowship, and religious education spaces. The result is a well-lighted gallery that has been home to many splendid exhibits and that has become a premier place for area artists to display their work.
Of course, beauty, we know, is in the eyes of the beholder. Therefore, it is no surprise that some in our community do not admire our building. The reasons cited in the "Ear to the Ground" column, however, seem especially petty. I don't know of too many commercial buildings that are curvilinear in shape or that place parking as far from street view as possible. And if the building clashes with "the historic residential neighborhood," I wonder if the Jewish synagogue and temple, the First Church of Christ Scientist, and even Second Presbyterian, four buildings quite different in character, are considered to be part of the "neighborhood."
I invite a writer from Metro Pulse to examine the AIA Design Award more closely, to interview Kim Hinton or some members of the Building Design Committee, and to have a good look at the building, both inside and out.
Ginna Mashburn
Knoxville
Ignore the Election; Read to Kids
Thanks for a very comprehensive and upbeat article [Insights, Nov. 9] about Knoxville's Promise/Child Watch initiatives for young children.
With all the election craziness, your plea for books and readers (for young children) will hopefully fall on fertile ground and give folks something to do while the suspense goes on and on...
Ann S. Ince
Knoxville
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