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Seven Days

Thursday, March 28
A four-year, citizens' group effort to conciliate enmity between the Knox County Sheriff's Department and the Knoxville Police Department has been abandoned, its chairman is reported as saying.
Although the sheriff catches most of the blame, he is not expected to have re-election difficulties against write-in candidates Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, neither of whom will promise to be less recalcitrant in dealings with the city.
City officials report that they're considering hiring a consultant to study whether the downtown needs a new hotel to support the convention center. The question arose because downtown hoteliers saw an occupancy rate of barely more than 50 percent last year and are opposed to the city's seeking another hotel. No. Really?

Friday, March 29
All but two of the downtown's parking lots come under the ownership of Central Parking Corp. of Nashville, raising the question of a monopoly and its potential for raising parking rates. Nobody points out that if the rates get high enough, people may actually have to think about improving the mass transit system and pedestrian access to the city's center.
The Lady Vols are crushed by Connecticut in the NCAA women's basketball semifinal. UConn coach Geno Auriemma is heard humming "Rocky Top" as he heads to the locker room to prepare for the final.

Saturday, March 30
The AP reports that the Bradley County Commission, which already voted to post the Ten Commandments, declines to take up a Cleveland High School student's request to post the Five Pillars of Islam alongside. The Commission chairman explained that the Commission's agendas are "full." He declines to answer the question: "Full of what?"

Monday, April 1
Alabama gets its fourth major automobile assembly plant in 10 years, during which Tennessee, which pioneered bringing auto manufacturing to the South in the 1980s, got no new car plants. Yeah, but we've been whipping 'Bama pretty damn regularly on the football field. Reckon they'd trade the next new plant for a couple or three Tide wins.

Tuesday, April 2
The Tennessee Senate schedules its vote on a ban on unsolicited and unwanted advertising faxes. We at Metro Pulse support the measure, and not just because we sell print advertising in order to exist. At least, we say that's not the only reason.

Knoxville Found

(Click photo for larger image)

What is this? Every week in "Knoxville Found," we'll print the photo of a local curiosity. If you're the first person to correctly identify this oddity, you'll win a special prize plucked from the desk of the editor (keep in mind that the editor hasn't cleaned his desk in five years). E-mail your guesses, or send 'em to "Knoxville Found" c/o Metro Pulse, 505 Market St., Suite 300, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Last Week's Photo:
Not so much of a "What is this?" as a "Where is this?" was last week's Knoxville Found photo. The object pictured is, as it states, a marker indicating the site of Fort Adair. The marker can be found off Old Broadway, north of I-640, in North Knoxville. John Adair, for whom the fort was named, was a man of many firsts: a member of the first Knox County court, a member of the first board of trustees for Blount College (later the University of Tennessee), a member of the first bench of Elders for First Presbyterian Church, and the only foreign-born member of Tennessee's first constitutional convention, held in Knoxville in 1796. The first correct response came from J.B. Bunnell, who receives a bendable Leafy Seadragon toy (courtesy of the Tennessee Aquarium's upcoming seahorses show) in recognition of this achievement.

Meet Your City
A calendar of upcoming public meetings you should attend

POLICE RELATIONS FORUM
Thursday April 4
5:30-7 p.m.
L.T. Ross Building, 2247 Western Ave.
Forum on "Community-Police Relations: Strengthening the Ties That Bind," sponsored by the National Conference for Community and Justice. With representatives from Citizens for Police Review, Citizens Police Academy, Knoxville Police Department, Police Advisory and Review Commission and Sincere Seven.

TVA WORKSHOP
Tuesday April 9
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Loudon County High School
Loudon, Tennessee
Workshop to hear public comments on TVA's reservoir operating policies.

METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
Tuesday April 9
6:30 p.m.
Central High School
5321 Jacksboro Pike
Workshop to hear public comments on MPC's Agenda for Quality Growth for the city and the county's General Plan.

METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
Thursday April 11
1:30 p.m.
City County Bldg.
Main Assembly Room
400 Main Ave.
Monthly meeting.

KNOXVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday April 16
7 p.m.
City County Bldg.
400 Main Ave.
Regular meeting.

Hard Times at Ijams

Nature center cuts staff

Because of ongoing funding problems, Ijams Nature Center has eliminated the positions of director of education programs, onsite field trip coordinator, and receptionist. Executive Director Diane Madison says the layoffs came after a year of deliberation by Ijams' board of directors.

The decision was a result of "taking a hard look at our operations...[A]lmost since this park was started it has operated at a deficit," says Madison. "All of the programs we offer are offered at or below cost...[the] fees that are charged don't begin to cover our costs...At some point, hard decisions have to be made." Says Ijams board Chairman Rick Murphree, "This was part of a very comprehensive review of what we do and how we do it, to try to make it more efficient."

Ijams board member and City Councilman Joe Hultquist confirms these assessments. "I knew as of the last board meeting that it was coming," he says. "There just isn't enough income...to support that many staff." The duties of the eliminated positions will be divided among other employees.

The park costs roughly $700,000 annually to operate, and the city of Knoxville funds only 10 percent of Ijams' budget, explains Madison. Murphree adds, "Most of Ijams is city-owned, and it contracts with Ijams to manage the park, so they do support us. Now, other nature centers around the country get more support from the public sector...But it's risky to depend on one source of funding too much, because it can go away at any time. So we try to diversify..."

An example of disappearing funding is $25,000 that for the previous five years the city had paid annually to Ijams to satisfy an unfunded federal mandate for environmental education. This money is not part of Ijams' budget this year. "The educational emphasis of the mandate has shifted to commercial and industrial environmental education and inspection," says City Engineering Planning Chief Brent Johnson. "We went back to the Ijams folks, and they were pretty frank with us that they wouldn't be able to meet the new requirements."

In addition to city funding, Ijams' budget is made up from grants and donations. Membership fees also contribute, but Madison says the amount is small. "We get out...and try to attract people, but membership stays low."

Madison recognizes that the park's financial difficulties are similar to those now facing other nonprofit organizations. "I'm sure almost every nonprofit in the city is in the same position. I'll have four requests for donations from somebody else in my mailbox when I go home." Murphree concurs. "The public sector is under funding pressure as well. Every bit of money that comes in is probably scrutinized to make sure it's being put to the best use possible." Whether Ijams can continue to offer all the programs it currently provides remains to be seen. Hultquist says, "[I]t's my understanding that [the layoffs] will mostly affect the outreach efforts. Due to budget cutbacks [at the state level] and perhaps safety issues, schools have cut back drastically on the number of students that come to Ijams for field trips. That's the reason for increasing the emphasis on outreach—since they can't come here, go to them." Regarding possible program cuts, Madison says, "I hope we can continue to offer all the programs...but, when you lay off 25 percent of your workforce..." she trails off. "I hope at least the people who use the park will join Ijams and support it," she concludes.

—Scott McNutt

The Candy Plan

The PBA considers what to do around the new convention center

The Public Building Authority is looking at the possibility of selling the Candy Factory to a private developer and is putting off building a large amphitheater on the south lawn of the World's Fair Park.

With the convention center almost built, the PBA is turning its attention to the things around it. As a result, earlier plans are being rethought.

Although a partially covered amphitheater was planned for the south lawn, the PBA only got one proposal for building and operating it—from SMG, the company that will be running the convention center, says Dale Smith, PBA chief executive officer. "[The proposal] just wasn't that economically appealing, with the city donating most of the money and the site, and SMG contributing $1.5 million, to what we think is a $6 million facility," Smith says. "I recommended to the city that we just don't do that now. I think we have a better chance of getting a good proposal in a year or two when the convention center is up and running."

Instead, the PBA will landscape the south lawn as a grass slope—much like it was before—where concerts and festivals could be held. The Tennessee Amphitheater, a World's Fair relic previously slated for demolition, will instead get some minor renovations, mainly painting, cleaning, and lighting and sound improvements.

The park renovations are expected to be done in October, with the exception of tree planting, which will happen next winter. The Clinch Avenue Viaduct is scheduled to be open to traffic in late June, but it could be open to pedestrians in May, Smith says.

For the Sunsphere, the PBA is negotiating with SMG about opening a restaurant. And it is talking with the city about reopening the observation deck to the public. The Sunsphere will also be cleaned up and the maintenance structures around the base of it will be put underground, says Smith.

With the Candy Factory, the PBA is considering two options, Smith says. The building could be sold to a private developer, reserving space for the Knoxville Museum of Art and community use. "I think the focus would be on retail and restaurant use as much as possible," he says. Residential development is not being considered.

Smith says the PBA has recommended a building assessment, to analyze the building's structure, code compliance, handicap accessibility, and space. The study will cost about $25,000 to $30,000 and take about 60 days to complete.

"There aren't even as-built drawings of that building. It's been around so long, and altered so much," Smith notes. "If we offer it for sale, every potential buyer is going to need that information." The city will also need the information, if it decides to manage the building itself, he adds.

Who will pay for the study is undecided. It might come out of the convention center budget, but Smith says the PBA is waiting for direction from the city. Ellen Adcock, the city's director of administration, says the city will fund the building assessment in some way.

One potential buyer of the building, Ellis Bacon, owner of the Chocolate Factory, is waiting on the city before deciding what to do. "We don't know what's going on. We're just sort of waiting for someone who has the authority to make a decision to make a decision," he says. "I really wish we could move ahead. It's sort of like we had really hoped a lot of these decisions and renovations and remodeling would have been in time for opening of the new convention center. That's not going to happen, so we really would like to see it happen as soon as possible."

A decision on the future use of the adjacent Victorian Houses will have to wait until after a decision is made regarding the Candy Factory.

—Joe Tarr