I was curious about this issue but did not understand what this was all about until I read Sandra Clark's article in the Halls Shopper. Even WBIR and the Knoxville News Sentinel have coverage. Is this another insider trader scam from KCDC? The big question, why is this being run through the system so fast? Why is the price of this land $ 29,000 per acre? Riddled with sinkholes and having no sewer or water connections that is very expensive land for East Knox County.

Chamber CEO Mike Edwards on WBIR-TV, “Sometimes you have to do what’s best for the entire community.” Okay. I guess that explains it. Business as usual.

Sandra Clark writes, “We’ve had too many white elephants from The Development Corporation (KCDC) – the Farmers’ Market; the Rifle Range Road industrial park, now a bird sanctuary; the Coster Shop property.”

KCDC really needs to be investigated. There needs to be some guidelines on the extent of KCDC's power. The idea to spend 30 plus million dollars on an undefined industrial park that has no customers is foolish in a time when the Knox County budget is bursting at the seams. Knox County had a 500 million dollar budget when Mayor Ragsdale took office. Today’s Knox County budget is 575 million dollars. What will next years budget be? We are watching the “Don Sunquist spend happy never worry about tomorrow type of politics”. Spending is out of control in this administration.

How many times must we go through the “If you build it they will come” scam?

The new Hardin Valley High School is being nickeled and dimed to death while Knox County has already spent 5 million dollars to create jobs in Blount County with the Knox County investment in the Blount County Business Park. Now in less than 8 weeks the Ragsdale administration instructs KCDC to spend another 30 million dollars? When does this spending orgy end?

The idea that low paying jobs are more important than educating children shows how screwed up the priorities of Mayor Ragsdale's administration are. This is all so the Mayor can claim credit for creating new jobs and run for Governor.

Can Knox County afford Mayor Ragsdale's gubernatorial ambitions?

All Knox County taxpayers SHOULD be concerned about this waste of money. Building huge industrial parks is SO last century - it is almost impossible to fill them and the taxpayers get hosed. The Dev Corp has made one mistake after another - why do we keep giving them money?

There will be more on this proposal in Thursday's Metro Pulse (or Wednesday's for you web readers). I believe it's a more thorough look at the story than what has appeared in the media so far, but I'm biased since I wrote it.

WVLT weighed in with this report , which contains at least two errors --  the Midway Rd site does not have utility hookups, sewer lines will need to be extended from Straw Plains, and, as Matt Edens pointed out, KCDC and the Development Corp are different beasts.

btw, the new MP is the 15th anniversary edition. I stopped by the office yesterday and got to hold a copy of Vol 1, Iss 1 in my mitts. There was an ad for a restaurant on Market Square called The Flying Tomato. Though the name is unfamiliar, the typeface is easily recognizable. 

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Sandra Clark has a powerful column today in the Shopper and writes what many people have come to know, "Midway development is 'just plain wrong'".

Some of the important highlights:

"The county would have to widen this road," Wayne said, pointing. The road would connect the backside of the park to Strawberry Plains Pike. Up ahead, two milk cows walked outside the fence like they were on a Sunday stroll. Nobody was in pursuit and ours was the only car in sight.

"County can't fix roads that need it and they can't build schools, but they can spend money up here where no one wants them," Wayne said.

He's been talking with the neighbors who sold options on their farms.

"“Not a one of them has been offered anything close to $30,000 per acre. Some got $15,000 and some got $20,000," he said. “Where did the rest of the money go?"

Mike Edwards and Todd Napier of The Development Corporation said $11 million will be spent to acquire the roughly 360 acres and another $20 million will be spent to develop it.

Wayne eyed the rolling terrain and said, "You don’t have to be a civil engineer" to understand that it will be tough to flatten the ridges and level the sinkholes. He waved at the cemetery, "They didn’t want that either."

Wayne is not a kid. He went with Loy Smith to the opening ceremony for the Midway Road interstate exchange."We all knew it would develop. But we never expected the government to put in a big industrial park out here."

Wayne pointed to a house where the owner had sold options. "She doesn't care if it goes through or not."

Edwards has said if County Commission doesn't vote to rezone the land on Aug. 28 his options will start to expire, possibly killing the deal.

Wayne said only three commissioners have even visited the property, as far as he knows - John Mills, Mike McMillan and Diane Jordan. Mills and McMillan will vote on Aug. 28. If the vote is deferred for 30 days, then Phil Ballard will replace McMillan. All have said they will oppose the rezoning.

I was curious if anyone supported the Midway Industrial Park. There is one person.

Why is this not a surprise?

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So how did the vote go? Who voted against this?

If there was any doubt that this Midway Industrial Park is a very bad idea for the taxpayers you may want to give this a read:

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Nothing like an unsigned editorial from the Knoxville News Sentinel to show the sheer stupidity of another failed taxpayer giver away.

The editorial states, "In the buildup to the recent election, the men and women running for County Commission seats, regardless of party, pledged their support to economic development and education."

On the same Knox County Commission meeting the decision will be made to fully fund the Hardin Valley High School so overcrowding can be solved for three other High Schools. There is not enough money to purchase the 11 million dollars of land for the industrial park and fund the school.

Guess what will happen?

The Midway Industrial Park is the subject of Robin Wilhoit's show Sunday morning "Inside Tennessee".

The vote was 16-3 for approval. The 8th District Preservation Association will file an injunction today. It will be settled the old fashioned way.

In court.