Last Wednesday, Mayor Glenn Jacobs spoke to the Fountain City Business & Professional Association luncheon about a special project he hopes to complete as he leaves office in September 2026.

The project, Operation Hero’s Hill, will create a community of tiny homes and support services for homeless veterans. The current design is planning 20 tiny homes. Although this has been done in other parts of the country, Jacobs’ project is unique because high school students are actually building the tiny homes.

Mayor Jacobs said, “So we are not only helping those who have served our country, but also getting young people involved with this, especially in the skilled abilities of the construction trades, which I believe is very, very important.” He reminded the listeners of the statistic, 25% of the homeless people in America are veterans.

The mayor also reminds that for the rest of their lives, the kids who work on this project are going to be able to drive by there and say, “I built that.”

Jacobs and his team have a location, but the federal government requires the site to be approved through multiple channels before it can be acquired in full.

To accommodate the 526 square miles of students involved in the project, the homes will be built on trailers at the schools and then transferred to a waiting foundation at the site location. Finishing work will then be completed at the site.

Once homes are completed, they will be turned over to KCDC, who will work with the Veterans Administration on vouchers for the folks who don’t have a home.

The veterans will not only have shelter, but the project also aims to ensure they receive support in returning to the workforce, which for many of them may include some of the wraparound services necessary to prevent them from returning to the streets.

The goal, then, is for a homeless veteran to get the security of a home, to get back into the workforce, and to eventually become self-sufficient.

Mayor Jacobs outlined how the community can get involved:

  • Construction inclined? Construction help can be used to support the builds.
  • Monetary support can help with materials, furnishings, and other costs.

The mayor was asked what he plans to do when he leaves office in September: “Glenn Jacobs is going to go fishing.”

We also had the privilege of hearing from Whitney Fitzsimons, Knox County Parks & Recreation, who said their job is to make where we live, work, and raise a family a place where we feel like we can engage and interact with.

Fitzsimons described how Knox County Parks & Recreation is undertaking a whole-court renovation process. She said they have put QR code signage at each current court to survey the community on their priorities for park renovation.

She also detailed the dog parks around the area and the additional ones being planned.

An immediate request from her was to be aware of the water trails crews who work the Beaver Creek. In order to move debris, the crews have to enter the creek at the launch, boat up the creek, remove the jam, and pull the debris back down to the launch.

There are 44 miles of the creek, with 90% of the creek touching somebody’s backyard or their business’s backyard. It would be helpful to have access through the private yards.

The last announcement of note:

We will have a city council meet and greet on Tuesday, September 30, 7 p.m. at Fountain City United Methodist Church choir room to hear from the two candidates for District 4: Jeff Tallman and Matthew DeBardelaben.

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