Community redevelopment

July 28th, 2010 by David

Downtown Vestal, the community design center has been working with the community and the city of Knoxville on a plan for redevelopment of Vestal for somewhere around 10 years. It is becoming a reality.Taken from the Knoxville News Sentinel 7-28-10.

While the waterfront upgrade in South Knoxville seems to be stalled, the downtown upgrade in the Village of Vestal is busily on the move. Sidewalks and curbs are being placed alongside the intersection of Martin Mill Pike and Ogle Avenue, and the King Tut Grill is getting a major makeover.

I spoke with Rogers Doughty, who is with the city’s Community Development Department, and he confirmed that the work is being done by the use of federal Empowerment Zone funds, with a 20 percent input by the business owners. The federal funds, which were made available some years ago, must be used by Aug. 15; otherwise, the money will disappear – pffftt!

So, that’s what’s creating all the digging, shoveling, painting and paving that’s going on in downtown Vestal. The Laundry Room has been freshened up with a nice coat of yellow paint, and work is continuing on the interior of the building just north of the King Tut Grill, which is now titled “The Shops at Vestal.”

As for the grill, Doughty says the front of that building has been pressure-washed, and additional painting is planned. The bars will be taken off the windows and replaced with nearly impermeable plastic sheeting. The front also will sport a new door, awning and sign. That work is being done, Doughty says, by Von Settlemyer of Model Construction, whose company also did the improvements to the “Shops” building.

The grill owners, Monir “Moe” Girgis and his wife, Seham Girgis, are checking into sprucing up the interior of the restaurant as well, Seham says, but she wants to wait until they make final decisions before publishing any details.

Harry Allen, who owns Allen Biermakens, has had new windows and new gutters put in, plus a new heating system.

“They also put in a new parking lot for me,” he said, “with a ramp from the lot, so when I get a shipment that needs to be carried in on a dolly, they can get it in here without any stairs.”

The space on the northwest corner of the intersection (where the filling station used to be) will be planted in grass, Doughty says, and serve as a “green spot” until eventually being marketed for a business site.

Further down Martin Mill toward Chapman Highway, Doughty says, the old Gibson Upholstery shop, which you may have noticed has had a really nice upgrade, will now be the office of a fellow named Todd Greene, who runs a sports agency.

So, the times, they are a-changing, neighbors – and I think that’s exciting, don’t you?

n Another nice change that’s been going on for several years in our part of town is the number of people who have been following the advice of the child on the TV commercial to “Reduce, reuse and recycle.”

I see a lot of folks at the Goodwill recycling center on Moody Avenue – just this morning I ran into Bob Huff, who was the principal at Mount Olive Elementary when my children went there. I also had a nice conversation with Linda Wallace, who looks after the place and keeps it tidy. She is well-liked by all of us who frequent the place, and she told me today that she just celebrated a big birthday in June. So, next time you drop by to stash your stuff, remember to wish her a “Happy Birthday” and tell her how much we appreciate her.

Barbara Asbury is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.

Posted in Community Events, Community Issues, ETCDC Projects | 1 Comment »

UT Solar Decathalon

July 16th, 2010 by David

Living Light Update: Team Works Toward Construction, Seeks Sponsors
July 07, 2010

Living Light, an interdisciplinary team at UT Knoxville, was accepted into the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011 competition. Here’s an update on the steps that group has taken to prepare for the imminent construction of their “off the grid” house.

During mini-term, a group of 10 architecture, engineering and graphic design students took a Solar Decathlon course creating design narratives for both the struc¬tural trailer and other systems to be used in the house. Following the class, the first step was hiring student workers for the summer months to maintain the momentum from the academic year. At the end of May, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) sponsored a group of students and the principal investigators on the project to travel to Washington, D.C. for the DOE’s Schematic Design Review. There they received detailed information necessary to construct the home within the competi¬tion guidelines and have any questions answered. The group returned energized and extremely excited about the task ahead.

Riding off the energy of their trip to Washington, D.C., the group focused on two main areas. The first, working with the graphic design students to develop a brand for the project. This will be used on all printed material as well as the team’s web¬site which is the next deliverable coming up in August. A promotional video was created from the documentation of the teams work throughout the spring semester. They also have begun a small publication about the design.

All other efforts have been concentrated on developing partnerships with companies and organizations who can supply the project with products and ex¬pertise needed during the construction process. Thus far, Blaine Construc¬tion has agreed to donate in-kind services up to $75,000, serving as the team’s contractor. Procore and Multivista made in-kind donations of their programs and services. Owens Corning also has committed to donate all fiberglass insulation used within the house. They will provide a monetary donation of $20,000 as well. The team is working closely with UT’s Devel¬opment Office in the pursuit of other funding opportunities.

The relationship with ORNL has only strengthened as the Living Light project progresses. Dr. Bill Miller of ORNL is currently teaching a course in mechanical engineering studying the thermal efficiency of the building envelope (roof, floor, and walls). Once a week, members of the engineer¬ing team visit the studio with Dr. Miller to give updates on their work this summer, running tests on energy use of the building. He also has taken a group of architecture and engineering students out to TVA and ORNL’s Zebra Alliance Houses in Oak Ridge on two different occasions. These homes test some of ORNL’s energy efficient technologies in marketable homes designed by Barber McMurry Architects. The team also has partnered with Delft University in the Netherlands for structural expertise and Finnish lighting designer Julle Oksanen.
There are several other projects in the works for Living Light as well. Electrical engineering Ph.D. candidate Bailu Xaio is working to create a schematic design for the cylindrical photovoltaic array (roof top solar power system). Dr. Stan Johnson is working with a team of mechanical engineering students to create the schematic design of the air-to-air heat pump (heating and cooling system). Professor Edgar Stach and a team of architecture students are working with world renowned German structural engineer Manfred Grohmann to design the transportable steel building skeleton (steel cage trailer frame with detachable hitch and axle components). Professor James Rose and a team of students from the College of Architecture and Design are working with local engineer Maurice Mallia to design an easily transportable deck, ramp, and landscape system.

The Solar Decathlon not only provides an invaluable educational experi¬ence to students and professionals involved with the project but also brings international exposure to the university. Thus far, 30 architecture students, 12 engineering students, and 6 graphic design students have worked on the project. They are collaborating with professionals across the globe to produce a single home which by design can be easily transport¬ed. Following the competition, the intention is for the home to tour the state educating people on energy efficient design for our climate. The design has already been used to educate the local Green Building Council on their design strategies. The team is looking into taking their design to Madrid, Spain, speaking to an even broader audience, for the European Solar Decathlon in 2012.
The support from the University of Tennessee, ORNL, and the Science Alli¬ance is critical to the success of Living Light in the Solar Decathlon and for that the team is incredibly grateful.
If you are interested in supporting the project or becoming a corporate sponsor of Living Light, e-mail livlight@utk.edu.

For more information about Living Light and the Solar Decathlon 2011, visit http://sd2011.utk.edu/.

The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007 and 2009. The next event will take place in fall 2011. Open to the public and free of charge, the event takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Visitors can tour the houses and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today. For more information on the Solar Decathlon competition, visit http://www.solardecathlon.gov/.

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Ken Moffett’s “Transparent Color”

July 14th, 2010 by Kathy Proctor

Local architect Ken Moffett, a Design Center member and volunteer professional advisor, has an exhibit of his watercolors entitled “Transparent Light” at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery from July 10 to September 10. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 16 from 6 to 7:30 PM at the church.   The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 8 PM and Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at 2931 Kingston Pike.

Ken has generously donated an original watercolor each year to the ETCDC’s 500 Block Silent Auction, which have always been highly sought by our party attendees. He has provided design assistance on a number of projects at the Design Center over time.  His most recent contribution has been a rendering for the Wall Avenue Streetscape proposal.

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KC Library Editorial

July 9th, 2010 by David

Lawson McGhee Library, the flagship of the Knox County Public Library system, is run-down, overcrowded with both patrons and books, and wholly inadequate to meet the 21st century needs of the third largest county in Tennessee.

It’s time to launch an effort to build a new central library, one worthy of the aspirations of our community.

Can Knox County taxpayers afford the estimated $45 million (give or take a million) price tag? Not without the help of local philanthropists who understand the value a library brings to a community. They could do worse than follow in Col. Charles McClung McGhee’s large footsteps.

It was McGhee, one of Knoxville’s wealthiest citizens, who gave the city its first Lawson McGhee library as a memorial to his deceased daughter. The first Lawson McGhee Library opened its doors on October 28, 1886, in what is now known as the Rebori Building on Gay Street.

Built in 1971, the current Lawson McGhee building on Church Avenue no longer can house the library’s collection of materials or host the library’s special events.

Usage is on the increase, despite the growing use of the Internet, but capacity is dwindling. Books are stacked on floors throughout the building – if they haven’t been sent to storage, that is. Employees are crammed into offices. Patrons often must sit on the floor to read or wait to use computers. The need is obvious.

Library officials have been working with the East Tennessee Community Design Center to develop plans for a building with nearly twice the current space. They’re considering three locations, none of them ideal but any of them better than what we now have.

There’s no money for a new library, however, and little stomach among county officials to go $45 million further into debt to pay for construction. A dedicated property tax increase, even one limited by a sunset provision, isn’t a realistic option.

That’s where Knox County’s philanthropists – be they individuals, corporations or foundations – can help. There is a long tradition of philanthropic support for libraries. In addition to Knoxville’s McGhee, industrialist Andrew Carnegie famously funded libraries all across the country. For years during segregation, a Carnegie library served Knoxville’s black community. Carnegie libraries are still in use in Harriman and Etowah, Tenn.

The Knox County Public Library could use modern-day McGhees and Carnegies, people who grasp the idea that a library is more than a book repository; a library also is a chapel of democracy where rich and poor, young and old, the learned and the curious can gather in one place. Our community is blessed with such people.

The recession has drained resources away from nearly everyone and money available for charitable giving, no matter how noble the cause, is tight. Just like tax dollars.

If we truly value education and lifelong learning, however, we should find a way to fund a new central library that will be a reflection of our community’s ideals and a symbol of our hopes for the future.

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Northgate Terrace

July 6th, 2010 by David

The City of Knoxville through a Neighborhood Small Grants Program funds projects that build relationships among neighbors and at the same time  enhances the neighborhood. This program is administered by the East Tennessee Foundation for the City. As one might imagine many groups applying for these grant funds are not an IRS registered nonprofit organization, and as a result cannot be the recipient of public funding. In many (14 to be exact) cases the Community Design Center has provided fiscal sponsorship so these organizations can receive funding for their projects.

One such group is the residents association for Northgate Towers in Fountain City. Residents applied for and received a grant in support of a community garden for use by residents of the tower, and a rock garden contained within the facility entrance lobby.

July the residents held an open house to showcase the result of implementing both ideas. There are 21 garden spots in the community garden with 26 gardeners participating. Bobbie tells me she barters with other gardeners so they all have access to the different vegetables being raised.

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