Kim Frazier loves to talk about the place she’s called home for 25 years — Hardin Valley. It, as she said to the Rotary Club of Farragut last Wednesday, “has both perks and pains that come with growth.”
Frazier is perhaps the foremost advocate for “the Valley” and is passionate about improving her home turf for its residents.
Kim Frazier
She is a founder of the Hardin Valley Planning Advocates and their Facebook page describes what they do: “Our area continues to be the fastest growing in all of Knox County. We continue to advocate for intentional growth with coordinated infrastructure, and have brought much attention to the needs of our community … but our decision makers like hearing from individual residents.”
Those in and around Knox County government have grown accustomed to hearing from Frazier. Ten years ago, residents knew they needed a new middle school, and Frazier and the “team” residents began working on it. In August 2018, the new Hardin Valley Middle School opened. “Doing this kind of work is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.
Her volunteer work at times matches the hours of a full-time job. From where does her passion emanate? “I do this because I was taught to step up when you see a need. If you wait around for someone else, you’ll be waiting a long time. And because people matter the most – above all else,” she said.
Frazier ticked off a few items of interest about Hardin Valley:
- Work is finally underway to rework and upgrade the I-140 Pellissippi Parkway/Hardin Valley interchange.
- Business and community work effectively together on issues.
- A new $50 million sports complex will be coming on the part of Watt Road just north of I-40 with work scheduled to begin soon on the 260-acre project. Plans are for the complex to have 12 turfed fields, indoor arenas, half a dozen or more hotels, restaurants, retail stores and hundreds of apartment units, all privately funded. The sports part will be developed first and the rest in stages.
- There are 11 new transportation improvement projects in the pipeline.
- Families are moving in from New York, California and other states. “Lower taxes and quality of life is what they want,” she said.
Frazier did say that construction has slowed of late due to the recent cost increases for building supplies and materials.
Frazier is hoping the future will include the ongoing work of linking schools and neighborhoods, more road improvements, building common facilities, the creation of pocket parks and a revitalized Melton Hill Park.
If you have any comments or questions about Hardin Valley, you can email Kim here.
Enjoy this slide carousel with additional facts about Hardin Valley.
To explore membership in the Rotary Club of Farragut, email Tom King here or call 865-659-3562. Tom King has served at newspapers in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and California and has been the editor of two newspapers.