presstalk 865-671-TALK (8255) or editor@farragutpress.com
• I watched the Sept. 22 (Farragut) Mayor and (Board of) Aldermen meeting, and a Farragut resident spoke in Citizens Forum that on Aug. (20) a neighbor of his was walking along Virtue Road on the walking trail with his child in a stroller, and the child was struck in the head by an errant golf ball from the No. 5 tee on Willow Creek Golf Course. … (At issue is) the height of trees that were not removed by the road construction on Virtue Road (and) the size of the replacement trees.
You can see the replacement trees will offer no protection for drivers and pedestrians from errant golf balls for at least 10 years, if not longer. Another speaker in Citizens Forum spoke of a person with a new car whose windshield was destroyed by an errant golf ball at the same location.
A net needs to be put up to protect the public from golf balls. In the same Mayor and Aldermen meeting, $258,156 was approved for a colored crosswalk on Kingston Pike in front of the baseball field at Farragut High as a public safety issue. The Town of Farragut has an $18 million surplus. Can some of that money be used to protect the people who use Virtue Road? This is a public safety issue that needs to be corrected. We do not have a walkable community yet on Virtue Road. I hope the Town will respond and fix this.
• I was calling in reference to the article about Town light codes (page 1A, Sept. 21 issue). There was this comment in there from one of the (Farragut Municipal Planning Commission) Commissioners (who) was concerned that the proposal brought by the Farragut Neighborhood Preservation Partnership would prohibit businesses like Topgolf (from necessary lighting).
From day one, the Partnership has stated, “We are only trying to protect eventual homes, families and neighborhoods; that there should not be lighted ballfields in residential areas. We have never tried to keep anything out of a commercial area — and never would try to keep anything out of a commercial area — because that’s an entirely different set of rules. And (the Commissioner) was (told) that during the meeting. I’m just sorry that was not mentioned in the article.
• As far as Presstalk (last) week (Sept. 21 issue), someone called in and said, “We are all excited about the Hy-Vee store coming to Farragut.” I had to laugh, because when Hy-Vee had their little Town Hall-type meeting back in June, out of all the people who stood up to ask questions and speak, only one person wanted Hy-Vee to come in and move to (the site they have targeted along Kingston Pike about one-quarter mile west of the Pike’s intersection with Campbell Station Road).
Everybody else felt it would be a major burden to the neighborhoods in the vicinity because of increased traffic, because of noise. It would be sitting, if that’s where they put it, right next to several neighborhoods. It would (require) an additional curb cut along Kingston Pike in an area that already has too many curb cuts too close together. Hy-Vee has the opportunity to come into Farragut and buy land down Kingston Pike — or even over on Watt Road, which would be a better fit. That is something that needs to be discussed. And if you don’t think it would bother residents near (the proposed site), you’re not one of the residents (inaudible) it would affect.
(Editor’s Note: a few of those asking questions during Hy-Vee’s “Town Hall-type meeting,” which was held in Farragut Community Center, didn’t automatically say they were against Hy-Vee coming to Town, but did ask questions skeptical of Hy-Vee’s plans).
