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.

Tags: community, development

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