Happenings in and around Old North Knoxville

Neighborhood Cleanup Cleans Up

On Saturday, November 9th, Mike Stringfield, Work Project Coordinator with the State
of Tennessee's Dept. of Probation and Parole, and 10 probation worker helped 7 residents of old North Knoxville clean up the neighborhood prior to Home Tour. The trash was placed in dumpster provided by the City of Knoxville. Work began about 8:30 a.m. and went to about noon, when a lunch of BBA, pork, baked beans, slaw, and brownies was served. Ever street in old North was walked and about 30 bags were filled with trash. Thank you to residents Lauren Rider, Katherine McNicholas, Margo Kagan, Andy and Joann Anderson, and Beth and David Booker. And thank you to Mike Stringfield and his worker. A spring neighborhood cleanup is being planned. Contact Beth Booker at or 524-8515 to help.

What it takes to be Old North News Editor (by David Booker)

(Note from webmaster: a new editor has been identified, who will be profiled in the March-April newsletter.) I measure creating the Old North News newsletter this way. Of the 52 weekends in a year, about 14 of them are taken up doing the newsletter. Or you could say about 50 hours every two months. This includes attending the monthly neighborhood meetings, of which there are 11 in a year and can run from one hour to two hours in length. If you don't attend the monthly meeting, you will miss out on a source of information, and with certain exceptions, don't expect the information to come to you. In that regard you will be just like a newspaper reporter covering a beat, and your beat will be Old North Knoxville.

You will be responsible for writing at least 90 percent of the articles, taking at least 90 percent of the photographs (or finding other appropriate graphics), doing all the layout, taking the newsletter to the printer, getting it back, and tabbing and labeling close to 800 copies. I have been fortunate to have neighbors volunteering with the tabbing and labeling, and depending on how many can make it, it can take from one to three hours, or usually between one and two hours.

Even more fortunately, another neighborhood resident keeps the data base of names and addresses, but you will also be responsible for helping to keep it updated, though this is now a minor of the responsibilities.

Tools required: a computer. Tools recommended: a digital camera (I have used my own.), a desktop publishing program (the neighborhood does have a copy of Microsoft Publisher you can use, but I have used my own copy of PageMaker.), a graphics program (I have used my own copy of Photoshop.), and a PDF generating program such as Adobe Acrobat. (Again, I have used my own copy.) The Acrobat is so almost any print shop can open your files and print the newsletter. Not ever print shop has Publisher or PageMaker or whatever else you may use. Plus, creating  a PDF of the newsletter to print from means it is less likely the printer will accidentally mess anything up. Another recommended tool is an e-mail account. lt is almost a required tool. 

Traffic Calming Plan Approved

The ballots have been returned and the votes have been counted. Residents and proper owner of old North Knoxville have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the traffic calming planned. Neighborhood wide, 51%of the ballots were returned. of those, 95% of the people said yes to the plan developed by the neighborhood in conjunction with Bill Cole of the City of Knoxville Traffic Engineering Division, and David Watson, director of the East Tennessee Community Design Center.  On the streets where the devices will be placed, there was a 97 percent favorable response. Several people who responded added comments that they thought there should be even more devices than in the present plan. 

The letter certifying the votes on the plan has been sent to Bill Cole, who is in the process of putting together the specifics of the traffic calming devices and then will put the plan out for bid. At present it looks like it will be late spring or early fall of 2006 when the work gets underway. Old North Knoxville Traffic Calming Committee Chairman Tim Sparer and the committee are getting together ideas for planting in the traffic circles that will be on East Scott, Glenwood, and Grainger Avenues. Full-sized trees are not allowed, but trees such as the Crape Myrtle or Japanese Maple are being considered. Also, hard objects such stone, brick, or statuary cannot be used for safety reasons.

Over three year in the making, the plan went through several public meetings and was even put
on hold for over 1.5 years while the City of Knoxville looked at traffic calming citywide. Chairman Sparer says thank you to all who helped bring the process this far. "But it's not over," he adds. "For example, if you have suggestions of how to fill in  the traffic circles, let me know." He can be reached at or call 633-6579.

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