Check it out.

Summer on Broadway in Downtown Maryville and FreedomFest in Alcoa at the Duck Pond.

The weather will clear up. Enjoy the day!

Little River Trading Co. had their official season grand opening today at Louisville Point Park. They have a nice assortment of kayaks and stand up paddle boards for rent, including tandem sit on top kayaks, and the rates are reasonable.

Details at KnoxViews

TDOT has announced a public meeting to gather public input on the plans for an Alcoa Highway Bypass, a 6-8 lane road proposed through Alcoa and Rockford.

The City of Alcoa originated in 1918 as the first planned community in the State of Tennessee. A planned community is any community that was carefully planned from its inception. In the original plans, Alcoa, Inc., included one acre of park space for every 100 city inhabitants. In addition, between 1918 and 1924 approximately 300 shade trees were planted along city streets and parks. This type of planning has gone by the wayside.

Please help us out. We do not need a colossal roadway through our communities. The proposed Alcoa Highway bypass will come too close to the treasured Springbrook neighborhood and community park. It will take away the Pine Lakes Golf Course. It will also negatively affect the Northwood, Glenmore Estates, and Cedar Hill neighborhoods as well as five other impacted areas. Very little noise abatement is planned. All of the existing Alcoa Hwy in Knox County and the majority in Blount County is being widened. Why can't the just widen the existing highway in the Alcoa area?

The meeting will be held:
Thursday, May, 18 2017
5 - 7 PM

The meeting location will be held at the Alcoa Public Works building.
725 Universal Street
(off of N. Wright Road/E. Edison Street, just north of Springbrook Road and east of Springbrook Park )
Alcoa, TN 37701
865-380-4800

TDOT will take written comments, a court reporter will be available for verbal comments, and you can speak with TDOT representatives.
Reference the Blount County SR-115 (US-129) projects (Alcoa Hwy Bypass) in your comments.

Please attend to express your opinion for NO Alcoa Highway Bypass.

I would love a New Urbanist town center in the City of Alcoa. I really like the Northshore Town Center. We can only hope they do not destroy the vibe and beauty of the Alcoa community during this process.

The City of Alcoa originated in 1918 as the first planned community in the State of Tennessee. A planned community is any community that was carefully planned from its inception. In the original plans, Alcoa, Inc., included one acre of park space for every 100 city inhabitants. In addition, between 1918 and 1924 approximately 300 shade trees were planted along city streets and parks.

For nearly ten years the City of Alcoa has been promoting a new urbanism town center. So far we have nothing except the mass clearing of a beautiful stand of pine trees five years ago. It was said the trees were cut down to provide passersby a view of the developement, which initially only included a Sam's Club. Sam's Club is no longer on the horizon and who wanted to see a Sam's Club anyway?

Five years ago, as part of the growth plan city officials wanted to direct the new development traffic through the heart of Alcoa, Springbrook Park and community. The community worked hard and pulled together to prevent this from happening.

Besides the fact, seven years ago Pellissippi Place off of Old Knoxville Hwy (Maryville Pike) near Hunt Road opened with expectations for "for a combination of tech-based businesses and research companies, quality hotels and conference centers, residential dwellings, river features, biking-hiking trails and retail stores." As of now there may be two businesses in Pellissippi Place.

Yesterday, the City of Alcoa broke ground (again?) on the new (?) development, which is "the result of the partnership of the city, private developers and Arconic, formerly ALCOA Inc., to bring a combination of commercial, retail, office and residential offerings."

I want to be happy. But some of the "success" of this project is dependent on the first phase of a new eight lane road through Alcoa. The completion of this road is unacceptable, in my opinion.

I want to be happy. But if the first possible commercial business was going to be a Sam's Club, how can I think this development will be new urbanism?

I want to be happy. But "Under a development agreement Alcoa inked with ACDP in November, the city is responsible for managing all the infrastructure including streets, water, sewer, electric, storm drainage and street lighting." Is the city stretching their assets and capabilities too far?

We can only hope something good will eventually come from these ever changing plans.

A woman jogging in the Shannondale retirement community, off of Montvale Road in Maryville, happened to see an older woman lose control of her car and drive into a pond. The jogger screamed for help but did not have time to go for help. The car was sinking. She jumped in the water and held the woman's head above water until rescue personnel arrived.

Such a brave lady. We can't thank you enough for your efforts. You are a hero.

Raccoons with either distemper or rabies are a problem in Blount County, primarily in the City of Alcoa. Local officials think the problem is distemper, but it hasn't been confirmed.

According to Alcoa animal control, seventeen or eighteen raccoons have had to be euthanized in March. In the past, they have only had to euthanize two or three raccoons a year.

The strange behavior of infected raccoons includes being out in the day, walking in circles or lying on the ground. They might also be foaming from the mouth, even if suffering from distemper and not rabies, Harrison said.

Many of them will no longer act afraid of humans.
...
Residents who encounter them are asked to stay away from the animals and call the Blount County Communications Center non-emergency dispatch number at (865) 983-3620.

Be careful out there.

Jackie Hill has done a lot for the City of Alcoa. She is taking it up a notch to speak with U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan in response to his lack of communication with his constituents.

Thank you, Jackie Hill, for all you have done. Keep up the good work.

Alcoa's Public Works and Engineering Department will start installing the new sidewalks between North Linden Drive and the red light at the Hunters Crossing/Louisville Road intersection today, Jan. 24, and will continue for four months, the city announced in a press release Friday. The scheduled completion date is May 26.

This is wonderful news. The greenbelt and sidewalks currently deadend at this location. Many bike riders and pedestrians who want to go to the shopping center have a treacherous section to traverse. Many thanks to the city for this project.

The Blount County Democratic Party will hold the January meeting on the 19th.

When: Thursday, January 19, 2017
Time: 6:30 PM
Where: Martin Luther King Center 209 E. Franklin St. Alcoa

In driving through downtown Maryville yesterday we noticed the Dead End BBQ is closed. We were surprised but not. We never got around to visiting the restaurant. We had been to the one on Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville. At the beginning were excited to get to the one in Maryville but it was so crowded early on we couldn't get in. Then, we never tried again.

We are sorry to see them go. They spent a lot of money on the location. Although, the location may have been its downfall. It was a the intersection of Broadway and Hwy 321, which is very busy and made it hard to access the restaurant.

It's sad for the employees. According to the Maryville Daily Times, the owner said closing "wasn’t just a snap decision", but they didn't tell employees until yesterday, the day of closing.

TVA's Little River boat ramp has been shut down. We have seen no notice as to why it is shutdown, but we have a good idea.

NOTICE - Area and Boat Ramp Closed to Public Use -
DO NOT ENTER - TVA

According to a report in the Maryville Daily Times, in October, 2016, a Knoxville man was "cited after performing public sex acts at Louisville boat ramp." A man fishing near the boat ramp was very upset after being approached by a man who exposed himself and was masturbating as he continued to walk closer.

We used to go to that boat ramp a lot when we were young. We haven't been there since we've returned to Tennessee because of these kinds of problems. The boat ramp is quite secluded and cannot be seen from the road. It's sad that the fix is to close the boat ramp.

Glass recycling will no longer be available in 2017. Eff. Jan. 1, 2017, the City of Alcoa will no longer accept glass in curbside recycling. The City of Maryville will no longer accept glass at the recycling centers effective Feb. 1, 2017. Glass is not accepted at the Blount County recycling centers.

According to the Maryville Daily Times, “equipment is being highly damaged by broken glass and co-mingled colored glass has no market anymore.” ... "the cost of processing and transporting recycled glass is substantially higher than the return it provides in the market. " Recycling providers are no longer taking glass locally.

In addition, in the City of Alcoa, we found that a lot of the items we had been recycling are actually not acceptable. For example,

Bubble Wrap
Food soiled paper products (such as pizza boxes)
Glass - no type of glass is accepted for recycling effective January 1, 2017
Hardback Books
Plastic takeout containers and utensils
Styrofoam
Waxed Cartons (example: orange juice and chicken broth cartons

We were surprised to find out some of these items are not acceptable, especially bubble wrap, pizza boxes, plastic takeout containers and utensils, Styrofoam, and waxed cartons. Our recycling will definitely decrease.

Here is a list for the City of Alcoa of Acceptable and Unacceptable recyclable items. Here is a list of Acceptable recyclable items for the City of Maryville. Maryville has one recycling center. Here is a list of the Blount County recycling centers and the Acceptable items.

The Blount County Democratic Party will hold the December meeting on the 15th.

When: Friday, December 15, 2016
Time: 6:30 PM
Where: Martin Luther King Center 209 E. Franklin St. Alcoa

Saturday, October 8, 2016, the Staples store in Alcoa closed. It was reported in the local newspaper. Somehow I missed it. We were looking up some piece of equipment to purchase and noticed Staples didn't show up anymore on Google. Say what? Oh, it happened over a month ago. We were quite busy on other things.

Another big box building to fill.

Elect results from Maryville Daily Times

Alcoa School Board

Steve Marsh, incumbent - 1,958
Clayton Bledsoe - 1,556
Charles Cameron, incumbent - 1,176

Johnelle Jackson, incumbent - 1,121
Tamara Griffin - 1,058
Matt Brewster - 990
Charlie Garcia - 491

Alcoa City Commission

Ken White, incumbent - 1,911
Jim Buchanan - 1,814

Stephen Biggar - 1,548.