The Maryville Daily Times has an editorial today warning about the dangers of golf carts on local streets. We're not sure why this is a concern all of a sudden. It may be related to a new Tennessee law that went into effect July 1st which allows "neighborhood electric vehicles" on public streets. These are not golf carts.

Here's some background on the new law from The Tennessean

...medium-speed electric- or gasoline-powered vehicles with four wheels can travel up to 35 mph, and can use roads where the speed limit is 40. Golf carts are excluded.

Tennessee joins Montana and Washington as the only states with such a law. Most of the rest follow a 1998 federal law that allows the low-speed vehicles to travel up to 25 mph.

The article also says the vehicles "must meet federal safety standards that require headlights and taillights, turn signals, seat belts, a rearview mirror, a parking brake and a windshield."

The upcoming Pellissippi Place on the Oak Ridge Corridor has not been in the news much lately. The plans are in the works and the project is growing. If it is development they want, then development they will have. As citizens of this beautiful area, it is to our benefit to track the development to ensure it is held to a higher standard than most every other past developement project in Blount County.

The Pellissippi Place Riverwalk

As you can see, the plans show the attractive aspects of the R&D park.

Master Plan 1 calls for a riverwalk (think San Antonio, TX), a square with a fountain, residential, retail, and commercial development. Open space, trails, and walkways are included. There is also a reference to office space over the parkway (as in Pellissippi), which of course is not there and has not been approved.

Check out Master Plan 2 and the Land Use Districts.

Years ago, when the City of Alcoa was originally designed by/for the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), one of their guidelines was to have one acre of green space for every 100 citizens. "It was this vision which gave birth to Springbrook Park..." I don't know if we can expect this vision in the 21st Century. What I do know is we can insist new developement be designed with a vision of green space, trees, walkability, and aesthetics. It has been obvious that when money runs low, this vision is the first to be eliminated. As citizens of this beautiful area we should not let that happen. If they cannot afford the entire vision, they should not be allowed to proceed with any portion of the project.

One other thing, let's hope there are no plans to bring in industry like this at the East Tennessee Technology Park to Blount County.

Maryville Daily Times, quoting Cunningham:

"I hope they're better at this than they have been at phone service."

[..]

"I'm skeptical. Their whole history is to create a monopoly," he said.

Still waiting for DSL in my neighborhood. Five years and counting...

Cool new feature found on the City of Alcoa web-site, GIS Mapping.

The City of Alcoa GIS Mapping is currently promoted for businesses to "review your property boundary and mapped impervious area".

However, you can use it to look up individual property information as well. Check it out at this City of Alcoa Stormwater Utility site.

Blount County bloggers and Web commentators:
For purposes of an article for Blount Today, I am interested in exploring the concept of blogging on county issues and what drives and motivates those of you who offer commentary on this or other Web sites.
I am not so much interested in opinions on the specific issues as I am in the act of blogging itself and why people feel compelled to do it. We would discuss the mostly anonymous nature of the activity, the apparent concerns among many of you about government collusion and what you hope to accomplish by your writings.
Be aware that we do not publish unattributed quotes, so you will be required to give me your real name if you choose to participate. I also will need the screen name under which you have written on BlountViews, though that can be withheld from publication, thus preserving your anonymity. But withholding the screen name is not automatic; you would have to request that.
You also need to know that fairness requires that I talk to people on the other side of the issues also, the ones who are generally the targets of your comments.
I invite your participation because I think it is a modern phenomenon that could see exponential growth in coming months and years, particularly as the presidential campaigns heat up. Obviously, participation is voluntary, so if you choose not to join in, all you have to do is nothing.
If you are interested in being part of the project, please e-mail your name and a phone number where you can be reached to rlwilson2594@charter.net. I will call you back.
Let's see where the conversation leads.
Robert Wilson

TACIR released a report on Tennessee voting systems last week. Read a summary and commentary at TennViews. Also, Joe Powell raises some good questions.

Check the Blount County Democrats website for an announcement regarding this week's First Friday luncheon.