WATE:

The first phase of the project will require the demolition of three apartment buildings that sit adjacent to the east end of the school, across Cedar Street.

...There's also a long term plan that would take an entire block of homes on South Cedar Street, including Jeff Weaver's, but the city still doesn't have enough money to buy them.

Residents express concerns about uncertainties, getting a fair value for their properties, and more.

The software, Cartes du Ciel (or Sky Charts) is a fun tool for amateur astronomy.
Available at Link... for free.
You set it up for location with the icon that looks like an observatory.
For Maryville you can use the location of an overlook on the Foothills parkway: N 35° 37.594', W 83° 57.079', Alt. 2406
Use the icon that looks like a clock to set the time. Here in the eastern time zone we are at -4 hours (for Easter Daylight Time)offset from Universal Time.

The big image above is for May 4th facing south at about 10:00 PM
Some easy and familiar star patterns are given names and are called asterisms Link.... They include Orion the hunter who is just setting in the west. Three bright stars make up his belt. Next Gemini, the twins, up and to our left of Orion. Two bright stars mark the heads of the twins and roughly parallel rows of stars descend below towards the west, south west, horizon. Gemini has a wandering visitor this month, the red planet Mars. Mars is marked on the chart with a circle and a projecting arrow. To the south rests the regal Leo- lion and king of beasts. His mane and the bright start at his heart are usually the easiest stars to see in the lion's part of the sky. They look like a big reverse question mark. However, the presence of Saturn near the usually more solitary star at the bottom of the question mark confuses the lion's shape slightly. To the east is a very bright and red star, Arcturus. It can be found by "arcing along the handle of the big dipper towards the south"

From Link...

Arcturus is a ged giant star. Our sun may become like this in about 5 Billion years. One day our very atoms may be touched by the sun!
The moon is nearly full just now and is challenging the stars, but on any clear night the Heaven above Earth can be enjoyed.
Amateure astronomy is even better in person... Link...

Forrest Erickson

Public Stargaze at Tamke-Allan Observatory in Midtown on 2/16/08 beginning at 7 p.m. There will be presentations beginning at 7:30 p.m. on light pollution and the loss of our night skies.

Everyone is invited!!! Great family FREE fun!!!

Also, on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 everyone is invited to come see the last lunar eclipse until 2010. Festivities begin at 8 pm.

Please see Link... for more details!

We made up 93 treat bags. They're almost gone (and lots more are still coming). I was going to make a hundred, but, uh, some of the contents disappeared during assembly.

Best exchange so far: Are you Donald Trump? No (rolling eyes), I'm Harry Potter!

Best costume so far: A skeleton mask that spurted blood from the skull and trickled down the face when we handed out the treat.

UPDATE: Costume runner-up: The entire Kiss Band.

UPDATE: Exchange runner-up: Kids dressed as warriors, one as a ninja with a sword and the other in camo. Dad dressed as a Rabbi. The Mrs: What's with the weapons and war and a Rabbi for peace? Dad: It's all about the duality.

My bad. I have not been following the CAPPE issues real closely. Yesterday I watched a news report on local TV regarding the proposed PPE. I was surprised to see two options for the PPE. It was a graphic, not well explained, but appears there is one option with a direct route to 321 and a second option with a curved route. Interesting, I thought. What is this about? Thus, I decided to review the previous BlountViews post regarding the TDOT public meeting held October 25th.

In reading the post I was stopped cold.

CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.) must NOT pit one bad project against another.

From the CAPPE post here at BlountViews:

Alternative (1) is preferred, as there are other higher priorities for transportation improvements in our county. The Alcoa By-Pass will do much more to address safety and Level of Service, as will the Montvale Road improvements.
...
Let’s use our limited highway funds for projects like the Alcoa Highway By-pass that will ensure safety for many, not for a project that will exacerbate our transportation problems.

(Emphasis added by the author.)

The Alcoa Highway By-pass is a horrible idea. It will add a scar to a unique, "planned" community developed nearly a century ago with direction toward community and green space. Has anyone seen what the James White Parkway has done to South Knoxville? I guess it is now time for the citizens of Alcoa to create their own corporation to fight not only TDOT and whatever other government organizations looking to add an Alcoa by-pass, but we appear now be forced to fight an organization that was trying to do good things for the community. I am appalled!

Oh, and by the way. CAPPE's statement regarding the proposed R&D park off Maryville Pike, "The campus-like atmosphere of the Research & Development Park at the Jackson Farm will be disrupted by building an interstate highway through it. Give us a break. The R&D park was plannned with the knowledge of the proposed PPE. If the planners thought it was a bad idea, they should not have invested in it.

More to come.

I guess this is old news. After all, Vulcan's giant hole off Court St. in Maryville severed Duncan Branch creek over 10 years ago now. It is still sad to me, though, and to those who grew up in the area and played in the creek as children.

Duncan Branch was a spring-fed creek that is found on maps that date back over 100 years. It flowed year-round with clear, clean water. Then Vulcan expanded the quarry right over the stream bed, and now the creek flows into the hole.

The picture below was taken during Vulcan's open house on 9/11/07 (complete with free BBQ). The quality isn't very good; the light was fading and it was taken through the tinted windows of a moving bus. Still, if you look carefully you can make out the little waterfall (see circle, and close-up view). That's what's left of Duncan Branch, flowing into the hole.

Keep in mind that this picture was taken during one of the worst droughts in recorded history. A few years ago I questioned a quarry representative on the lack of water in the creek, and his response was "Sometimes springs dry up." Right.

Unfortunately, TDEC has been of no help (which is really no wonder, since the state mining regulations were written by mining consultants). Their position is that they can only regulate water pollution. The complete elimination of water apparently is not their concern.

Vulcan uses the water that flows into the quarry for their own purposes, for processing rock and dust control. If there is any excess, they pump it into what used to be Duncan Branch creek.

I'm afraid rock quarries don't make very good neighbors. Some free BBQ every few years does not compensate for the blasting, constant truck traffic, clouds of dust, incessant noise, hideous eyesores, and destruction of the environment.

This is a sad state of affairs and, so far, no one is listening. Except for, of course, the residents of the mobile home park being subjected to the loud noises of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners.

What I find fascinating is McSpadden, the owner of the mobile home park (trailer park as written in the paper), is trying to get assistance from the City of Maryville and Blount County to alleviate the problem. Kudos to Mr. McSpadden.

According to The Maryville Daily Times,

...a loud public address system and music, smells and the “toxic” smoke from the recent burnout the Harley dealership sponsored.
...McSpadden said. “I had one lady come out during the event and she thought her house was on fire. The whole house smelled liked burning rubber ... her clothing and everything.”
...Some residents are elderly, some already have respiration a problems and some have young children. They don’t need this. The more people that are there, the higher the noise. It’s getting worse every weekend.”
... noise is not only on weekends but through the week. He told council sometimes he has to get up to go to work at 4:30 a.m. after being kept awake by motorcycles being revved up until 1 and 2 a.m.

McSpadden said “sometimes people can’t even hear their TVs in their houses.”

How did this happen? How is it the City/County governments did not consider the surrounding area when approving the dealership in the first place, then allowing loud, obnoxious parties nearly every weekend? Why can't/don't those governing Blount County/Maryville think before they act? Haven't they heard of zoning? Haven't they heard of noise ordinances? Apparently they've heard about them, they are just not sure what to do about them.

As Flower mentioned here recently, there is ongoing controversy regarding the Maryville High expansion plans. Everyone seems to agree that additional capacity is needed. Not everyone agrees on how to accomplish that.

Architects and planners hired by the City have developed five alternate proposals, at least two of which require taking of nearby property by eminent domain. The neighborhood around the existing school consists of period and craftsman style homes of historical significance to downtown Maryville and its traditions.

One of the proposals, "option E", would take out at least one city block and possibly part or all of another. This is the plan that the City's consultants seem to be pushing.

It would be a shame to further damage the character of this neighborhood. In our opinion, one of the alternatives for a new, second high school would better meet Maryville's needs going forward and preserve what's left of the neighborhoods around the existing school. What do you think?

You can read more about the evolution of the expansion plan here, including links to news articles and a presentation on the five proposals made to City Council and the School Board in June.

This issue will be decided soon, possibly in September, so the City needs citizen input to make an informed decision that protects the interests of all who will be affected. City Council contact info is here, School Board contact info is here.

To give you an idea of the existing character of the neighborhood and what is at risk, attached are photos of some of the endangered homes and others from around the affected neighborhood . Click "read more" to view them...