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A Bridge Too Far from Done

For another year, South Knoxvillians labored to keep their South American citizenship up, relying on the fact that the Gay Street Bridge stayed closed for $15.5 million in repair and restoration work.

Really, the beautiful old bridge, built more than 100 years ago on a 19th-century hoss & buggy design that makes it nearly unique in America today, deserved the rest and rehabilitation, its first in more than half a century.

When it's complete and reopened—estimates now are for winter next year—it will be more than just a mecca for structural engineers and architects, it will be one of the most graceful and eye-catching edifices in Knoxville as well as the route of choice for most true South Knoxville traditionalists.

TDOT is a Four-Letter Word

The sheer wait entailed in traffic snarls brought on by the state's redesign and construction projects around the city for the past three or four years began to wane slightly in recent months as projects that have seemed interminable neared completion.

Just watch, though. More is in store. The fresh, new Bredesen administration may be able to keep the road-building lobby in check for a while, as evidenced by the current, "temporary" hold placed on the controversial West Knox Beltway, an I-75 bypass that was almost begun by the Sundquisters on a wildly controversial line up Hardin Valley called the "Orange Route," but the boys and girls in the safety vests and hardhats will be back in force, mark our words.

Day-glo plastic cones are so ubiquitous on our street- and roadscapes, we'll never be rid of them for good. If you don't believe those infernal TDOT minds and their builder cohorts are making ready this very moment to drive a dozer through the parkland and urban wilderness between Murphy Avenue and Chapman or Gov. John Sevier Highways, you're dreaming. Victor's gone. Now who can stop those legalized highwaymen?

A Final Solution for I-40 Downtown

www.knoxblvd.org has ambitions that may seem almost as quixotic as winning the war on terrorism. But the organization founded in mid-year and combining an unlikely array of architects, businessmen, environmentalists, and neighborhood residents proposes to deal with the many problems associated with I-40 downtown by getting rid of it. Their goal was originally to transform the elevated stretch of I-40 downtown into something less offensive—a below-grade parkway or, better yet, a treelined and easily crossable grade-level boulevard—which shifting pass-through interstate traffic to I-640. It's been a longtime dream for some wistful downtowners, but it was refreshing to hear middle-aged people in positions of responsibility discuss those radical options as if either was a genuine possibility. By year's end, though, knoxblvd's goals seemed more modest and, maybe, practical: mitigating the deleterious effects of the interstate on the center of town, and reviewing TDOT's plans for expansion with educated scrutiny.

Parking, Schmarking

For a long time now, downtown parking has been a sprawling, chaotic mess, the urban equivalent of, well... a sprawling, chaotic mess. The troubling truth is that folks who live and work in our center city mostly park as they please, ignoring parking restrictions and leaving scarce options for would-be downtown patrons who need temporary parking.

So this summer, city officials tried a new tack by offering free parking at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum parking garage for a 90-day period extending from July through September. With free regular trolley shuttles from the garage to various downtown locations, the experiment was an effort to solve downtown parking woes by making use of the 2,000-plus spaces at the Coliseum. At the end of the 90 days, fees at the garage were re-instituted at $15 per month, a "bare-bones" rate that marked a considerable drop in the fees charged prior to the 90-day trial.

So how successful was the program at changing the way downtowners park? Let's just say we still have a new downtown parking garage to look forward to.

Sundown, You'd Better Take Care

For a while, it looked like this concert series—which has been such a smashing success and a key to spurring downtown redevelopment—wasn't going to happen. Construction on Market Square was dragging way over schedule and the city, faced with a severe budget shortfall, pulled its annual $100,000 contribution. But promoter Ashley Capps pushed on anyway. A new home was found in the Old City Courtyard, in between Barley's Taproom and the ThInQ Tank. A couple of corporate donors lined up (including Pilot Oil Corp., the family company of mayoral candidate Bill Haslam) and donations were solicited at the gate. And the series was a go. Highlights include the Tom Tom Club, Southern Culture on the Skids, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Blue Highway, Junior Brown, every Todd Steed band, BR549 and Jim Lauderdale, North Mississippi Allstars, John Scofield and Susan Tedeschi.

Capps would like to bring the series back to Market Square next year. Haslam doesn't know whether there'll be city money to fund it, but he wants to see it happen. It would certainly be a boon to businesses developing there.

Fore Kids

Thanks to the new Wee Course at Williams Creek, golf is not just for retirees and business-types anymore. Although this 18-hole, par-3 course is open to players of all ages, the facility was built with youngsters in mind. The concept is part of the First Tee program, a nationwide effort to get inner city kids involved in golf. Knoxville kids who attend any of the 13 schools under Project Grad are eligible to attend the Wee Course programs for free. First Tee's goals are not only to teach golf, but also to instill "life lessons" such as sportsmanship and leadership in its students.

Since its opening, Wee Course has received accolades such as "Best New Facility 2003" by the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association and "Best Par-3 Course" in East Tennessee by Tennessee Golf News. Even so, Club Pro Doug Armor says it is only the beginning. He looks forward to final renovations on the clubhouse, cafe, and landscape expected to be completed in April and also the continued development of youth golf. Who knows, Knoxville could be home to the next Tiger Woods.

Withering Gardens at Lakeshore Park

The summer of 2004 saw the rapid rise—and even more rapid fall—of a proposal to commit some $12.7 million in public and private funds for the construction of Lyons View Gardens at Lakeshore Park. The master plan for phase one of the project claimed 30 acres of prime ground from the existing park and included formal hilltop gardens, woodland gardens, a "green" theater, and various other amenities.

Victor Ashe, obviously in legacy-building mode, included the city's contribution in his 2003 budget. When opposition became apparent, he tried to package the garden with various other capital projects—effectively calling the hands of Council members who opposed the expenditure. As the controversy swelled, he later withdrew the request, thereby killing the project.

Although many viewed the gardens as an attractive proposition, many more, including mayoral candidate Madeline Rogero, complained that the project planning did not have a sufficient amount of public participation. The proposal is currently on hold, and could be revisited by new Mayor Bill Haslam.

O'Charley's Outbreak

In September, local authorities traced an outbreak of more than 70 cases of hepatitis A to the Turkey Creek O'Charley's on Parkside Drive in West Knoxville, and a batch of bad green onions.

The scare cost Knox County some $81,000, including more than $50,000 to operate a special four-day clinic and vaccination program at the health department. The Nashville-based eatery reportedly agreed to reimburse the county for the expense.

In the meantime, a handful of related civil suits have also been filed against the company, including one by the family of a Roane County businessman. Mike Smith, head of the Roane Alliance economic development organization, took ill on Sept. 6 after dining at the establishment, reportedly one of his favorite dinner spots. He survived a critical illness, only to take sick again and die shortly after his release from University of Tennessee Medical Center. His family's lawsuit is among more than a half-dozen currently pending against O'Chuck's.

Wonder What Kind of Interest Rate They Got?

It was fought bitterly by some stockholders, but in the end, the manufactured home company Clayton Homes merged with Berkshire Hathaway. The company paid $12.50 a share for Clayton, or $1.7 billion total, which some shareholders thought was too low. Nonetheless, the sale was finally approved by 52.4 percent of voters. Months later Clayton expanded by buying one of its competitors, the bankrupt Oakwood Homes for $373 million.

Oh, Pickle!

Suspicious fires are not unusual in Fort Sanders, which has lost more than its share of old houses in the past couple of decades. And in terms of the number of structures lost, the Fort has had worse years than 2003. But the fire at the Pickle Mansion early one June morning was heartbreaking even to those who don't consider themselves "historic preservationists." Built in 1889 by George Pickle, the grand old brick structure on the 1600 block of Clinch Avenue was one of the neighborhood's most admired homes. It stood nearly at the apex of the hill, right about where the original Fort Sanders was located during the Civil War. It was three stories tall with an enormous rounded porch (and curved windows) and a turret. The third floor was completely destroyed, but the first and possibly the second stories look salvageable. Only one person was living in the home (which was long ago carved up into apartments) at the time of the fire. Police suspect arson. The charred remains wait for someone to rebuild or tear down completely. The Fort also lost several warehouses along Grand this summer—the losses were blamed on vagrants. And four houses were torn down to make way for a hotel along 11th Street. Some call it progress.

It wasn't all bad news, however. A small UT parking lot was turned into a park at James Agee and Laurel.

Some Salvation

Massive flames engulfed the Salvation Army thrift store Oct. 12, the result of a blown fuse from an electric cash register. Flames erupted at the back of the charity and slithered their way forward. The stone frame of the building remained intact, but the remainder was devastated. Clothing and furniture fueled the fire and its thick, black smoke. The Salvation Army lost $125,000 worth of donated merchandise. Salvation Army representative Michelle Bradbury says the Thrift Store is opening a temporary location at 3721 North Broadway in the former Aquatic Specialists space (they are shooting for Dec. 27). "The plan is to build another thrift store on the [site that burned], since we own the land, but it is on unstable ground. There are lots of building issues in order to get it ready," Bradbury says. The temporary location is leased for a year.

Reaching the Summitt

How does Lady Vol head basketball Coach Pat Summitt respond to the loss of her top assistant and recruiter? By kicking booty, that's how, and bringing in what some pundits are calling the best recruiting haul in the history of the known freakin' universe.

When former assistant Vickie DeMoss departed for the head coaching job at Kentucky earlier this year, doubters wondered how it would affect this year's class, given DeMoss' renown as an ace recruiter. Summitt and the rest of her staff responded by beating the streets in earnest and signing the "Super Six," a group widely recognized as the top class in the nation by most recruiting services—some of them are even calling it the most talented group of incoming freshman ever.

Among the six is the nation's top female prep player Candace Parker, a 6'3" forward out of Naperville, Ill, sort of the ladies' answer to Lebron James. Winner of the prestigious Naismith High School Player of the Year award, Parker led her school to a 35-0 record and the Illinois Class AA championship. Parker announced her decision to attend UT live on the ESPNZone from Chicago, a PR coup previously unseen in the women's game.

This year also marked Summitt's 30th as chief of the Lady Vols program. Let it never be said the lady doesn't know how to celebrate.