Knox County crew works to restore pumping system at Schumpert Park
Dogs like the pond at Schumpert Park; probably more than the Parks & Rec maintenance crew
This is beautiful. Borrow a dog and visit Schumpert Park.
A new section of concrete eliminates a trip hazard at Ball Camp Park
Knox County crews repair damage to Birdie Lane in Halls
Knox County crews install guard rails on Campbell Station Road.The New Harvest Park Farmers Market wrapped up last week. We had a pretty successful year but opted to keep it fairly low key with no major events, like the annual Blueberry Festival, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That said, everyone was respectful to the vendors and staff and physically distanced from each other.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the good folks at Nourish Knoxville for all their help in overseeing the market. We entered into a contract with the non-profit more than a year ago and they’ve been top-notch!
The market opens back on April 22, 2021, and will run every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. through September. We also hope to bring back the big events next summer.
In the meantime, Nourish Knoxville will host a winter market beginning Jan. 9 at the Mary Costa Plaza on Howard Baker Jr. Avenue next to the Knoxville Coliseum.
In other Parks and Recreation news, we had another crew in the pond at Tommy Schumpert Park earlier this week, fixing the pump that irrigates the fields. The park remains open and everything should be up and operating again. We also had folks at Ball Camp Park again, fixing more trip hazards along the concrete walkways.
The county’s splash pads will remain open and operate daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 11, at Carl Cowan, New Harvest and Powell Station parks.
That said, Knox County Senior Centers are closed right now, but we hope that changes soon. The Board of Health holds sway over the centers’ status and could address the issue in the coming weeks.
On a side note, Chuck Severance, a member of the Three Ridges Golf Advisory Board, issued the following statement:
“Mark Brown and his staff have worked hard with the increase in players and range participants, and his deli staff has been super busy, along with Tammy Dibble and the Junior Program. I can’t say thank you enough for all the hard work from both the Clubhouse Crew and the Golf Course Maintenance Team, great job!”
The county’s Engineering and Public Works Department also has been busy – busy saving taxpayers some money.
Knox County entered into a new landfill disposal contract that is expected to save more than $1 million over the 10-year contract period.
The county and city of Knoxville partnered on a joint effort to take advantage of the savings. Waste Connections was the winning bidder.
“This is another example of the County and City solid waste and procurement offices working together to generate a lower price for all residents on a service we both need,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “This is also a great example of the public and private sector working together on a common goal.”
The county will pay $19.93 per ton to dispose of material – a $3.60 decrease from the current price. The new contract was expected to take effect Oct. 1.
In other Engineering and Public Works news:
- Guardrail repair on Campbell Station Road
- Guardrail repair on Northshore Diver as a result of storm late Monday night
- Roadway repairs on Birdie Lane
- Tree removals on Mayes Chapel Road and Brownlow Newman Road as a result of storm late Monday night.
Mike Donila is communications director for Knox County government.