Excitement is the watchword for the Broadacres Homeowners Association. The group met March 13 at Powell Branch Library. Jerry Sluder is the new president.
Traffic calming headed the agenda. John Sexton, a professional engineer with Knox County, outlined procedures for obtaining speed humps. He said four requests have come to the county’s Department of Engineering & Public Works.
Traffic engineer John Sexton talks about traffic calming.
First, the county defines an area that includes all homes impacted. For instance, if traffic calming is installed on Berkshire, a collector street, the property owners whose homes feed into Berkshire would get to vote.
Next, a committee of residents works with county engineers to determine where humps would be installed. Sexton said they are typically placed 300 to 600 feet apart with consideration for sight distance, intersections, driveways, etc.
“We want them to be effective without overkill,” said Sexton.
Next, the committee must get at least half of the property owners in the affected area to sign a petition asking for a vote; the county then sends a mailed ballot and requires a 70 percent positive vote before installing. The area currently considered is east of Berkshire.
Shauna Hunt is chairing the design committee.
Margaret Massey-Cox, treasurer, said the bills are paid and the association has over $6,000 on hand. The association has no dues; residents are members. Families make voluntary donations for landscaping and lighting at the entrances and other projects adopted by the group. Send “non-dues” to Broadacres HOA, P.O. Box 1101, Powell, TN 37849.
Sluder said dogwood trees will be planted at the subdivision’s entrances. He urged residents to pick up trash, especially at the entrances.
Andrew Sharits gave his traditional real estate report. He said 46 homes were sold in Broadacres through the Association of Realtors’ MLS in 2017.
“The average sales price was $196,846 with an average square footage of 2,303. This represents a $19,832 increase over the 2016 average and a $28,268 increase over 2015.
“A strong economy and low housing inventory were large factors in the price increase. 2018 should to be another great year for our home prices.”
Caris Conner, the association’s vice president, has planned seasonal events: a “night out” picnic in the summer, a 5K race in the fall and Christmas decorations for winter. Reach her at Caris.conner@gmail.com.
Aaron Harris is secretary and Kathy Fitzgerald edits the newsletter. Former president Steven Goodpaster is an advisor and historian.