To me the area around Townsend has just about the right development to enjoy nature and still find some food and a place to stay. I would hate to see Elvis museums and more "luxury condos" invade the area.

Point blank, that is what it is. Look in the TN tax code and you will see taxing events of the sports nature listed under Amusement Taxes.

I don't know if it is the best use of that land or not but I am concerned about changing our zoning laws to permit 55 foot ( plus ) high buildings to blossom all over the countryside.

Any volunteer fire fighters want to express an opinion on that aspect of this? Speak up!

This all ties in with one of your earlier blogs regarding changing the state laws to permit taller buildings to be built within 1,000 feet of a state scenic highway.

I sure do not want to see that happen. Billboard city, here we come.

(link...)

Good golly, the Mayor is not happy at all, is he?

"I fought and served too long in situations they can’t even imagine to have them dictate and impose on others how property owners should use their private, hard-earned property."

Here you will find an occurrence of the mayor telling the truth;

"We are 30 years behind in road improvements. Other than William Blount Drive that was started by the county and turned over to the state in early 1980, the last road that the county upgraded themselves was Sam Houston Road in 1970," he said. "We’re 25 to 30 years behind in major road improvements based on growth happening in the county."

Mayor Cunningham in Blount Today 2/28/07 (link...)

Here you will find him contradicting what he said only a month before;

"It’s not surprising to me a liberal group like the Ravens would oppose that," he said. "They keep crying out their term ‘smart growth’ but give no real definition of it. When I decipher and cut through of what they’re saying, ‘smart growth’ to them is ‘no growth.’"

Mayor Cunningham in Blount Today 3/28/07
(link...)

The mayor, who likes to play cowboy like his hero “W”, should know the real issue that liberals and anyone else whose entire finances aren’t tied up in Blount development is; QUIT TRYING TO PUT THE DAMN CART BEFORE THE DAMN HORSE! QUIT TRYING TO TURN BLOUNT COUNTY INTO KNOX COUNTY! THERE WAS A TIME WHEN DRIVING 20 MILES TO THE CITY(KNOXVILLE) WASN'T A BIG DEAL! BLOUNTS REAL ATRACTION IS ITS OPEN SPACES! 99% OF LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND THE HUNTER GROWTH STUDY TELL YOU THIS! (Sorry for the over use of all caps – but you have to scream to be heard over the developers that are in our mayor’s ear)

In the same 2/28/07 article, Morganton Road was mentioned as the road that needed the most immediate attention. The project the mayor is fervently trying to push is located at HWY 411 and Henry Lane. What road does Henry Lane intersect with on its’ other end? Morganton Road.

Is there a ranch somewhere we could send our "cowboy leaders" out to pasture? Their act has become insufferably old.

um... our cowboys already own that ranch BC :-) Only they get to call it 'greenbelt'...