Recent talk about a new elementary school in Farragut is not new. Farragut Mayor Ron Williams yesterday shared news with the Rotary Club of Farragut that there will be a new school in Farragut, but it will not be an elementary school.
At a recent two-day workshop, Knox County Schools board member Susan Horn, whose District 5 includes Farragut, said a proposal was presented to the board and discussed. No votes were taken, but she said this will be discussed at a future voting meeting and that it’s a serious proposal.
After Farragut Mayor Ron Williams spoke yesterday to the Rotary Club of Farragut, he stayed late and helped the town staff clean up the Farragut Community Center. His work is never done.
The proposed new Farragut Middle School would be built on property owned by developer Doug Horne behind the old Ingles Shopping Center and just east of The Villages.
The current Farragut Middle School, founded in August 1984, sits on top of the hill at 208 West End Ave. in Farragut. The new middle school will create a domino effect: the existing middle school will become the new home of Farragut Intermediate (grades 3-5) and Farragut Primary (K-2 grades). The current elementary school on Campbell Station Road would be empty, presumably surplus.
Mayor Williams shared some of the school news in his annual presentation to the Rotary Club of Farragut at the Farragut Community Center, updating Rotarians about what is happening in the town. His focus was on six areas.
“The west sector of the town of Farragut is about to explode and it’s starting right now,” Williams said. “There’s a lot happening and a lot more will happen.”
Here are some details he provided:
Watt Road Area:
- Farragut will be getting a second major food market to be built on the northwest corner of Kingston Pike and Watt Road.
- The town’s second Dollar General Store is planned for Kingston Pike approximately a mile west of the current store just east of Old Stage Road. Close to it will be an Advanced Auto store.
- A 200-apartment complex is being built behind Little Joe’s Pizza and it will be fronted by commercial businesses west of Little Joe’s.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) will be starting construction in 2024 on its 30,000 square feet, granite, single-story Knoxville Temple on 4.99 acres at 13001 Kingston Pike. It will be the third LDS Temple in Tennessee. LDS missionary work first began in Tennessee in 1834. Today, there are around 55,000 LDS worshippers in over 100 congregations in the state.
New Town Center:
- Work continues on four high-rise apartment buildings that will have 286 apartments across from the new Kroger. They should be available and ready within a year, Williams said.
- He also mentioned that 58 condo units will be built near the backside of the center close to South Campbell Station Road near the cemetery property.
- A new Chase Bank Building is in progress and four yet-to-be-named restaurants have signed on.
McFee Road Area:
- A new mile-and-a-half walking trail through woods at McFee Park is now open and being used.
- Planning continues for a dog park at McFee Park.
- Boyd Station Road – bordered by Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks on the south and a new large subdivision to the north – will have to be improved to help accommodate increased vehicle trips. The plan includes a new roundabout on Boyd Station.
Tom King is a career journalist and a past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut, which meets each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestown Blvd. If you want more information about Rotary or are interested in attending a meeting or joining, please email Tom or text him at 865-659-3562.