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Eye on the Bumper
If shopping center parking lots on Broadway up north and Chapman Highway down south are any indicator, Sen. John Kerry is doing better up there than down yonder. The count on a weekend day at Northgate Plaza (K-Mart on Broadway) was three bumper stickers for Bush-Cheney to four for Kerry-Edwards. At Chapman Square, outside the Kroger, there were four Bush-Cheney stickers and no, nil, zero, zilch Kerry-Edwards decals. There were eight “Support our Troops” or American flag decals at each site, but “Power T” stickers outnumbered all political message decals more than two to one, and the four lonely NASCAR stickers showed up only at Chapman Square.
Market Squared
The installation of two historic markers in Krutch Park signifies the end of the City of Knoxville’s construction on Market Square. The last phase involved four markers placed in the square, two adjacent to Gay Street and the final pair in the park. Carved in Missouri Red Granite, each holds a quote descriptive of its location. The total cost of the project neared $50,000 after materials, installation and clean-up.
The city consulted with several groups for suggestions on each marker’s content. Cardinal Construction Company vice-president Jason DeBord says the delay in installation was the result of the involvement of multiple people working to make certain that the right sentiments were expressed by the markers.
Included are quotes from Cormac McCarthy and James Agee that romanticize Market Square in its heyday, and an anecdote from Robert J. Booker illustrating the Civil Rights movement and lunch counter sit-ins.
Sticks Stuck
The Development Corp. of Knox County makes information available to any business that’s interested in locating in the county. You can get demographic information on the website. You go to www.knoxdevelopment.org/localstatistics.html, and there are categories for labor, demographics, taxes and the like.
Well, you could. But if you click on the links, you get a page that says those pages are not available. At least that’s the way it’s been for weeks and still is as of this writing.
We want to assure all potential industrial prospects that we do indeed have labor, demographics and taxes. And they are all very favorable. Take our word for it.
In the Dark?
There is grumbling at the city, complaints that there is an inordinate number of street lights out these days and that KUB is woefully behind replacing them. One source says the number is in the thousands. Officially, a city spokesman said that number is too high and that the city engineering department does not keep a running tab of the number of lights that are out.
KUB honcho Mintha Roach says a total of 462 lights have been reported out and that work orders have gone out. Total number of streetlights is 27,000 in the city and 32,000 outside the city. Roach says 25 percent of KUB’s workforce has been in Florida helping out with hurricane damage and that the system’s first priority is to restore power for customers who are out. They’ll get to streetlights when they can.
No Comment Requested
For the first time in 16 years, Knoxville property owners got a tax notice without a nice little note from the mayor. Never one to pass up a free postage opportunity, former Mayor Victor Ashe would include a letter with each tax notice and a comment card. The city would typically receive 800 to 1,000 cards in return, which would then receive a reply from Ashe.
Tax notices this year, from new Mayor Bill Haslam, did not include a note or comment card. The mayor’s office declined the opportunity. Perhaps, with a 34-cent property tax increase, the city didn’t want comment cards. But Haslam missed a golden opportunity: “Dear Taxpayer, Victor spent all the money.”
Don’t Vote for Yourself?
Commissioners Larry Stephens and Tank Strickland ran against each other for vice-chair of the Knox County Commission for the coming year. When it came Stephens’ chance to vote, he voted for Strickland rather than vote for himself. Strickland won by one vote.
Stephens is a football coach who refused to leave the team to attend a recent special commission meeting to select a new chair, leaving the body deadlocked in a 9-9 tie. He is not expected to run for re-election.
Raise a Glass
This year’s Knoxville Brewers’ Jam is a tribute to the late Tom Rutledge, the man who organized the event for the past five years. Tom was an ardent champion of craft beers, and brought quality and variety to the festival that he held near and dear to his heart. Many of us had grown to love running into him, as he could often be found at the Preservation Pub or Barley’s, chatting with folks and beaming warmly. Shortly after last year’s Jam, Tom died abruptly. He was too young. Held on a crisp sunny day last fall at the Preservation Pub, his unique memorial service—one he would have loved—was a testimony to his impact on his community. As he did in life, Tom packed the house with a myriad of faces, all laughing through their tears, and sipping microbrews. Tom’s parents, who spoke eloquently at his memorial, will present a check on Saturday to Community Shares, the charity of the event. The Brewers’ Jam will be a rowdy affair as usual, and Tom wouldn’t want it any other way. Here’s to you, Tom.
October 14, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 42
© 2004 Metro Pulse
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