Historic Old North Knoxville

Recently, it has come to the attention of several Old North Knoxville residents and others concerned about the future of the downtown area that a major redesign is in the works for Krutch Park.  These pictures were posted recently on the k2k mailing list to show trees that have been marked for removal.  (To subscribe to this mailing list, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for "k2k") 

Trees marked with "X" are coming down. 

In response to an email to Bob Whetsel's office regarding this, Mr. Whetsel wrote this letter which was posted on k2k:

"In response to your concerns about Krutch Park let me first state that I and everyone in city government that I know of think Krutch Park is one of the great assets of our downtown and we would never consciously take actions that would harm the area. Our concern is always on what things we can do to enhance and maintain this jewel in our park system. Below is a brief explanation of were the City is now heading with the above mentioned goals in mind.

"Last year several people inside and outside of city government were becoming concerned that it was time to refurbish Krutch Park. There are problems with the water feature, the fencing is showing some age, the rocks and walkways need some attention and the tree canopy has gotten so thick that it is causing problems.

"Regarding the trees, the lack of sunlight which can enter the park has been severely reduced as the trees have matured and this makes it continually more difficult to grow plants that will bring color to the park. Secondly, coming from a different angle, the park has become a favorite roosting place each fall of migrating starlings who's droppings have become a maintenance nightmare and a potential public health risk. With this in mind our Parks and Recreation Department has worked with Landscape Architect Mike Fowler to develop an improvement plan for the area. One of the possibilities is to remove almost all the Bradford Pear trees in the park. This would solve the sunlight issue which is where the planners are coming from and it would also help with the starling problem since the Bradford Pear is their favorite roosting tree. Furthermore the Bradford is a weak limbed tree with a short life expectancy. If this action were taken some of these Pear trees would be replaced with different type species and it would give the other trees in and around the park room to grow and spread. If this course of action is followed ( a final decision has not been made) there would still be an abundance of trees and shade in the area. If you will notice the Park is encircled by Willow Oak trees that are growing very well and will be providing shade for the street and the park for years to come. That is where we are are and your comments would be appreciated. Feel free to call at 215-2060."