by Joe Sullivan
Given the budgetary constraints facing Mayor-elect Bill Haslam, next year may not be the time for big new undertakings on the city's part. But on a smaller scale, there are several initiatives that are worthy of city backing and can hopefully go forward even in a year of minimalism. Among them: the Jackson/Depot redevelopment plan that is languishing; transformation of Fort Dickerson; and creation of a botanical garden and arboretum on the site of the former Howell nurseries in East Knoxville.
Any new initiatives would be in addition to projects that the outgoing Ashe administration has already set in motion and to which Haslam is committed. This list is headed by the remaining elements of Kinsey Probasco's Market Square redevelopment plan: namely, a garage just to the west of the square and a cinema on Gay Street that would be connected to the square by the recently completed extension of Krutch Park. The cinema may or may not remain incorporated into a transit center that would be federally funded for the most part.
Lest it sound like any further downtown redevelopment efforts will be minimal, County Mayor Mike Ragsdale's ambitious plans must also be taken into account. Ragsdale's next budget is expected to include provision for a new downtown library and for mixed-use development of the State Street site that the county acquired for its aborted Justice Center. A much-needed new Discovery Center is envisioned as one element of the State Street plan.
Because the city's budget is being much more severely pinched by state funding cuts and pension funding requirements, Haslam can't be expected to match Ragsdale's boldness, as much as he might like to. A property tax increase may well be required just to sustain city services, and the city's borrowing capacity for capital projects is constrained by the $162 million in debt incurred for the new convention center.
Still, it would be lamentable if the city can't find ways to make relatively modest investments in undertakings that promise a big return in terms of enhancing Knoxville's vitality and its quality of life. Hence, the list that follows of commitments involving no more than $1 million each that I believe fit that profile.
 Jackson Avenue Redevelopment—More than a year ago, City Council approved a plan that would require owners of blighted properties on Jackson Avenue and Depot Street to restore them or else face condemnation. But the city failed to provide any funding to put teeth into the plan.
The original focal point was the historic McClung warehouses whose deterioration is worsening to the point that restoration could become impractical unless it's undertaken soon. Their owner, Mark Saroff, has heralded numerous plans over many years for converting the warehouses into loft dwellings, but none of them has ever gotten off the ground. Saroff can justifiably insist that he's entitled to the same sorts of incentives the city has afforded developers of other historic downtown buildings. But along with carrots the city also needs a stick.
Unless Saroff is able to proceed, on the order of $1 million may be needed to acquire his properties for resale to someone else who has the wherewithal to do so.
Fort Dickerson Park—Although it commands a high hill overlooking downtown from the south side of the riverfront, the attractions of this 90-acre park have been lost on most Knoxvillians. Here stand the fortifications from which Union forces repulsed a Confederate attack in 1863, representing Knoxville's best preserved Civil War battle site. Then, there's the old quarry whose shimmering water makes it one of the most scenic spots in town.
Yet inaccessibility has deterred visitation and contributed to Fort Dickerson's notoriety as a rendezvous for casual homosexuality. The park's entrance on the west side of Chapman Highway is located in a way that makes it very difficult for northbound drivers to enter and, even more so, to exit the park.
For the past year, a task force chaired by South Knoxville's city councilman, Joe Hultquist, has been working on plans to enhance the park's amenities in many ways. But everything starts with creating a new entrance aligned with Woodlawn Pike where a traffic light with a turn signal would solve Fort Dickerson's accessibility problem.
Hultquist estimates the cost of constructing the new entrance at $600,000. He also believes that attracting lots more people to make good use of the park will deter bad uses.
Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum—The Howell nurseries in a secluded section of East Knoxville represent an idyllic site for something Knoxville has been sorely lacking. A non-profit organization has acquired the 44 acres that already nurture an abundance of diverse trees and shrubs. Close to $900,000 in private contributions has covered most of the acquisition cost, but there's still a balance due. And the organization's president, Jim McDonough, reckons that an additional $1.2 million is needed for master planning and then adorning the site with flower gardens as well as providing for parking and a visitors center.
That's much more nearly within the realm than the $6 million that another group unsuccessfully sought from the city for an ornate garden and pavilion at Lakeshore Park. And it's not as if McDonough is looking to local government for the entirety of his organization's additional funding needs. He has high hopes of getting a federal grant, and a further private fund-raising campaign is planned once an executive director is in place and the master planning is completed. But a start-up contribution from the city could facilitate progress toward enriching the Knoxville scene for residents and visitors alike.
December 11, 2003 Vol. 13, No. 50
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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