Friday, February 19, 2010

February 19th Update

Fort Sanders Stakeholder Quarterly Meeting Information
Date: March 4, 2010
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Ballroom B, UT's Visitors' Center, 2704 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN

Please make plans to attend this meeting updating last year's stakeholder meetings. An agenda will be posted next week here on the blog. Also please note the location is different from the previous meetings; parking is available on site at UT's Visitors' Center.

Also this week, City staff received more good news from the Tennessee Department of Transportation regarding the Cumberland Avenue Streetscape Project. The Environmental Division has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The project as proposed will not directly, indirectly or cumulatively have any significant environmental impacts. This assessment has been forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for their review and approval. The next step for the streetscape project, once reviewed and approved by FHWA, will be the detailed design of the street. We will keep you posted on this process and let you know about any public meetings for the detail design. I would like to thank our consultants, City Engineering and TDOT for all their hard work and efforts to compile the necessary information for the Programmatic Categorical Exclusion for this project.

Thanks for your continued interest and have a great weekend.

Friday, February 12, 2010

February 12th Update

Good news!

The city of Knoxville has recently been informed that the Tennessee Department of Transporation (TDOT) has selected the Ft. Sanders Sidewalk Improvement request for Fiscal Year 2010 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Funds. This decision was based on a recommendation from the Knoxville Regional Transporation Planning Organization (TPO). The funds will be used to repair, replace and install sidewalks in the northwest portion of the neighborhood. I would like to thank TDOT, the TPO, and City Engineering for their assistance and guidance with this project. The grant amount is $250,000 and is programmed to be fully funded by TDOT. More information will be forthcoming as this project gets developed with the state.

Have a great weekend! Happy Valentine's Day, Happy President's Day, and thank you for your continued interest in all things that connect to Cumberland Avenue!

Friday, February 5, 2010

February 5th Update

City staff attended the Cumberland Avenue Merchant's Association (CAMA) Meeting this week and provided a project update. The City is still in a public comment period on the draft form code and streetscape concept designs. There were several new attedees at the meeting and everyone was glad to see additional businesses represented at this meeting. The next CAMA meeting will be March 3, at 3:00 pm in the Old College Inn.

Ft. Sanders Stakeholder Meeting is scheduled for the first Thursday in March at 3:00 pm. This meeting was requested at the conclusion meeting of the Ft. Sanders Long Range Planning process and is anticipated to be a quarterly meeting throughout the year. Additional information and meeting location will be provided on the blog closer to date.

KUB announced that on February 1st, that the small parking area will close at the south end of the Third Creek Greenway near the Neyland Greenway intersection in association with a planned PACE 10 wastewater collection system improvement project in this area. The wastewater project will replace 2,100 feet of wastewater trunkline
along Third Creek. KUB will also construct a 6.5 million gallon wastewater storage tank at the west end of the Kuwahee Wastewater Treatment Plant. The overall project is scheduled for completion by spring 2011, weather permitting. For more information, please contact KUB Community Relations: (865) 594-7988

Have a great weekend and don't forget tonight's First Friday events downtown!