presstalk 671-TALK
• I am a very appreciative resident of Farragut. I read with dismay (the morning of this call) an April 18 opinion (Presstalk) regarding the McFee Park issue (of spending up to $8 million on upgrades). The (caller) suggested that it is ridiculous and financially irresponsible to spend the money on this park when such things as drainage and stormwater issues and roads and infrastructure would be more appropriate.
This person has not considered the long-term effects of the revenue that would be produced by the expansion of McFee Park, clearly. This revenue could be utilized for the things the (caller) outlined, such as drainage and stormwater and roads and infrastructure for a long period of time. These issues are not one-time fixes, but require process and attention to detail that has to take place many, many times over the course of the years to come. The funds gleaned from McFee Park would pay for those issues for years to come indeed. I cheer on McFee Park because of the revenue that it will provide to this community.
• My opinion about the wall on Campbell Station Road: we had a wonderful artist in this area, Bobbie Crews, who we talk to quite often downtown, and she does murals that are absolutely amazing. What about hiring someone who can do a mural about Farragut on that wall? I don’t know who owns the wall, and if that would be feasible or not. And about the speeding down Campbell Station Road and Old Stage Road, it is ridiculous. I think something does need to be done in the neighborhoods. Speed bumps are annoying but they’re effective, so maybe that is a way to go. I don’t know how that impacts emergency vehicles. But mainly on Old Stage Road, and all the neighborhoods that come off of there, traffic lights would be amazing to have at McFee and maybe Dixon roads, just so people know, “oh, there’s a traffic light coming up, I better slow down.” The speed limit is 30 and 35 (mph), people do 60, so this is very, very unsafe.
• I’m calling about the lengthy write-up on Nikki Goeser’s presentation to the Farragut Gun Club (April 18 issue, page 1A). I’ve very sorry for her loss, and the man who killed her husband had been stalking her. So perhaps measures to prevent stalkers from having weapons could have prevented this tragedy. There’s no guarantee that she could have protected her husband if she had a gun with her in the bar. There are many tragedies where guns are accidently discharged in public. Business owners should be able to decide if patrons can bring in firearms. My family supports such businesses because we want to avoid accidental shootings and violence as much as possible. More guns do not lead to less gun crimes. This is something people can easily look up.
