Pickleball, tennis for McFee Park?
Farragut resident Cindy Blanco promotes establishing pickleball in Town to Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen at its meeting Thursday, June 14.
More than a dozen residents turned out to ask the Board to continue with McFee Park expansion plans and add tennis and pickleball courts.
“I know that we have a lot of people here who are very supportive of McFee Park (expansion plans), and I am supportive,” Alderman Louise Povlin said, but added, “I have great concern about the cost of this project, particularly in light of what we heard today (about other needs in the Town).”
Povlin had asked for a pedestrian-activated signal at Grigsby Chapel Road crosswalk, estimated at $35,000, and an extended lane at Snyder and Campbell Station roads to help alleviate traffic back-ups, which was estimated at $305,000.
“I’m very concerned about declining revenues,” she said. “Six million dollars will cover the road and the field — that’s it. We’re looking at least $10 million to finish out the rest of it.”
Alderman Bob Markli said he also is concerned about the costs.
However, Vice Mayor Ron Pinchok countered the money for Phase III already is in the budget, and the costs only would increase if the Board continued to wait. Pinchok added he has been waiting about eight years for the expansion.
“We’ve talked about public funding — we’ve talked about (finding) other ways to raise money,” he said. “Some of the people here today (in the audience) said they would be willing to help, so I think there are ways to reduce (future costs) of Phase IV.
“We can’t do anything until we get Phase III done,” Pinchok added.
“I understand. We can go back and forth on this,” Povlin said. “This is not against the park project. This is our whole vision.
“We have a Town Center (planned),” she added. “We’ve just had positive meetings … we still don’t have any idea what that process is going forward — we’re going to need to contribute to that because we know we are going to have a contribution to it.
“My concern is we’re spending so much money (on the park) and I know we have money and funding, but we’re also looking at declining funds,” Povlin said. “Town Center, to me, is going to provide a community gathering space … I see that as a priority as well.”
Markli suggested having Phase III done for $3.5 million.
“We need to keep moving ahead and find a way to do it for $3.5 million,” he said.
The 2019 budget has $10.9 million in anticipated revenues, which is 3.3 percent higher than the budgeted amount of $10.05 million for the current fiscal year, Town administrator David Smoak said.
“The Town has continued to see modest increases in its sales tax revenues, which make up approximately 57 percent of the overall revenue for the Town of Farragut,” he said, adding it has projected local sales tax revenues of $6.1 million next year — a 3 percent increase from the current year.
Nevertheless, Smoak said the Hall Income Tax, estimated to bring in $400,000, is being reduced 17 percent by the state for 2019 — the tax will be eliminated entirely in 2022.
“We anticipate other revenue sources should remain stable over the next year,” Smoak added.
On the flip side, he said General Fund expenditures are decreasing 3.2 percent over the current fiscal year budget for a total of $6.9 million. While employee health insurance coverage is projected to increase 2.5 percent, he proposed downgrading the assistant Town administrator’s position to “assistant to the Town administrator” and changing the full-time administrative assistant in Public Works to a part-time position.
“These personnel changes will save the Town approximately $103,843,” Smoak said.
Other changes to the budget include Union and Virtue roads improvements, resurfacing streets, adding a crosswalk and sidewalks along Watt Road, purchasing two Public Works trucks and building a storage shed.
On another note, the Board also approved a cost-share agreement between the Town and Homestead Land Holdings for Virtue Road improvements.
“The Town of Farragut is currently designing for future improvements to Virtue Road from 700 feet south of Kingston Pike to the end of the formal Harville tract (owned by Homestead Land Holdings), approximately 2,850 feet in total length,” Smoak said, adding the developer will pay Farragut a one-time fee of $3,988.01 for each of the 142 buildable lots on the Harville tract.
While it approved, on first reading, an ordinance to add a new zoning district, Neighborhood/Convenience Commercial Zoning, it postponed action on requests to rezone the former Swan property at 12639 Kingston Pike and the Ivey property off Union Road at the request of the applicant, Homestead Land Holdings, LLC.
The Board favored a neighborhood commercial development, which would be a smaller commercial development and not include big box-type businesses, on the Swan property.
