town view: Mayor Ron Williams
New mayor looks ahead in ‘State of Town’ report
It’s finally fall, which is a great time of year to be in East Tennessee. As your new mayor, I can also say that it’s a great time to be in Farragut. Many positive things are happening right now in our community, and there are other exciting things on the horizon.
Knox County has begun the process of renovating what will be the Farragut Community Center and the West Knox County Senior Center at the corner of Jamestowne Boulevard and North Campbell Station Road. The community center will offer something we’ve never had before in Farragut — a mid-sized event space, available for public rental. The center’s gymnasium and classroom space will also be available for rent. Affordable rental space guarantees that the center will be the site for numerous happy events in the coming years.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Campbell Station Inn has undergone a major facelift. Now that the porches and additions have come down, the brick has been repaired and the cinder block outbuilding has been removed, the inn looks much like it did in the 1800s. The next phase will include an attractive new plaza around the inn, a restroom facility and new driveway access. I look forward to the process of determining the future use of the inn and watching the outdoor space develop.
There will be opportunities for the public to tour the building in early 2019. Keep an eye on townoffarragut.org and on the Town’s social media for those dates.
A little further down the road, plans call for major changes at McFee Park. To help move this process along, we’re looking for build sponsors for the most-requested features — a dog park and tennis and pickleball courts. This will be an opportunity for an individual or business to leave a legacy in a much-loved Farragut park.
The Town continues to explore potential sites for a new town center. I’m imagining a mixed-use development with retail, office and residential space, an outdoor venue and possibly a boutique hotel. Such a development would be both a tourist attraction and a local gathering spot, so I really want to help make this dream a reality for Farragut.
If you haven’t done it yet, take a moment to look at farragutannualreport.com. In addition to budget information, you’ll see beautiful photos that highlight the people and places that make Farragut a wonderful place to live. I’m proud to be mayor of this fine town with a bright future.
