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Parks raises concerns before strategic plan passes
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved its 2026-27 strategic plan during its meeting Thursday, Feb. 26, despite concerns about ambiguity raised by resident Kim Parks. “I want to begin by saying that strategic planning is important. Vision matters. Priorities matter. Words matter,” Parks said. “… And that’s exactly why I am here because the language used in the 2026 Strategic Planning Priorities document deserves closer examination. “The document opens with a beautiful vision … but when we move from vision to implementation, the language becomes broader and in some cases, more ambiguous. “For example, the plan states the Town will ‘identify properties that could be strategically rezoned to commercial.’ That single sentence carries enormous weight,” she said. “Which properties? Under what criteria? At whose request? With what public input before identification occurs?” The resolution for the strategic plan stemmed from a Board workshop retreat in January. “The Town of Farragut initiated its first strategic plan in 2010 and hired Raftelis Consulting to facilitate updating the plan in 2017 and 2023,” Town administrator David Smoak said. “The Farragut strategic plan helps identify the vision, mission and values of the organization and guides decision-making by prioritizing critical success factors the Town needs to pursue over the next few years. “Each department in the Town will set its priorities for the year based on these critical success factors, which will also help guide the Town’s budget priorities heading into FY2027 and beyond,” he said.
Read MoreLet it rain: Admirals snap 43-year state tournament drought
SEVIERVILLE — At the end of any drought, there is rain. And that is exactly what J.P. Burris walked into Monday night, as his Farragut players doused him with water after their 57-50 win over Sevier County High School in the Class 4A Sectional round on March 9. With the win, the Admirals snapped a 43-year drought to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1983. It is the fourth state tournament berth in program history, as all three others occurred within a six-year span: 1978, 1980 and 1983. Now, after more than four decades, the Admirals will return to the pinnacle of high school basketball in Tennessee. And they will do it with five seniors who have led the way all season long. “We’re just a brotherhood here,” senior Britton Lewis said. “We have shirts that say family, and Coach Burris has done a great job with that. We knew that was our goal, to go to state. And he’s kept us accountable to that.” “Man, that means the world to me because it’s my group,” Burris added with a smile. “I hope that doesn’t sound selfish, but this is the group that came in with me. They bought into what our staff asked, telling them they would reap the benefits. And tonight they did.” Lewis led the Ads with 15 points on the night. Fittingly, four of them came during two straight fast breaks during the run that put the game away. “Britton is just Britton,” Burris said. “That steady hand, he guards the other team’s best player, and he can go get you a bucket when you need one. I thought he was really big when we put together that run to end it. You trust him, and he delivers.” Two other seniors, Parker Lane and Reid Vining, delivered too with 12 points each. Lane knocked down a 3-pointer to break a 40-40 tie and hit multiple free-throws late, while Vining nailed a layup as part of the Admirals’ final push. Fellow senior Aidan Foshie added 11 points of his own, including a clutch 3-pointer and a free throw that marked the last point of the game. And Dan Lanning scored three points, two of which came amidst Farragut’s first run when they responded to a 6-2 deficit with a 19-2 run to close the first quarter. Altogether, those numbers put all five seniors as the Farragut’s top five scorers on their biggest night in Admiral uniforms. Yet even in an evening when they reached new heights, Farragut’s players found familiarity in their circumstances. After jumping out to a 21-8 lead, the Admirals withstood a second-quarter push from the Smoky Bears to take a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime. Still, Sevier County was not done. Far from it, in fact. The home squad staged a quick 11-4 run out of the break, tying the score at 35 to send the purple-clad gym into bedlam. Lane regained the lead with a pair of free-throws, only for Sevier County’s Parker Newman to hit a 3-pointer for the Smoky Bears’ first lead since the first three minutes of game time. Foshie coolly responded with a triple of his own, but Sevier County knotted the score at 40 once more. That set the stage for one final push — and this time, Farragut took firm control with a 17-10 run to salt the game away. “They weathered the storm again,” Burris said. “This team has been so resilient all year.” As the clock plummeted toward zero, players and fans began jumping around and hugging one another. Farragut girls basketball starter Trinity Curry waved a blue flag, causing Vining to duck to avoid contact. Lanning and Lane bear-hugged near the claw logo at mid-court, and Lewis embraced multiple assistant coaches. Finally, after the players returned to the locker room, Burris walked in and tore off his shirt — an eager acceptance of the shower he knew about from the moment he stepped in the door. The liquid soaked the navy “STATE BOUND” shirts each player wore, but no one cared. All that mattered was what the water represented and, now, what lies ahead next week: a date with Walker Valley at 11 a.m. CT inside the Murphy Center next Thursday, March 19. “It’s more than just basketball with this group,” Burris said. “They’re good people, and I’m so glad they have earned this opportunity.”
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