Thu
Nov 29 2007
11:41 am
New dog park proposal gets a lot of support
By: Carole Borges

The Parks and Recreation folks proposing the new dog park were surprised at the large turnout at the Emporium last night. People from different parts of the city came to support the new dog park at the corner of Summit Ave. and Central. Community members had plenty to say and questions to ask. Amenities and rules were discussed, and the police said they would be thrilled to have the area used for something positive.

This park would be one of the five new ones planned by the city. Pet-Safe Village is helping with the planning, as they have given funding to the dog park initiative. Mayor Haslam has said he wants to make Knoxville "the dog friendliest city in the nation". Hurrah for him! Great for residents and tourists alike.

It was nice to meet Jennie Huetell the young woman who first started a grassroots campaign to get dog parks in Knoxville. The Dogwood Park at Victor Ashe was the result of her efforts. It's always good to meet a "regular person" who manages to bring about beneficial changes in the community. It took a lot of hard work, but Jennie insists she had a lot of help. Her website can be found at (link...)

Wouldn't it be nice if they named this new park after her?

Topics:
bizgrrl's picture

Favorite quote from the KNS

Submitted by bizgrrl on Thu, 2007/11/29 - 2:01pm.

Favorite quote from the KNS article. Requests were made for how the dog park should be handled. Someone suggested "requiring all males on the site to be neutered".

"You mean the dogs, right?" quipped Bill Lyons, the city's senior director of policy and communications.

Carole Borges's picture

That did get quite a laugh...

Submitted by Carole Borges on Thu, 2007/11/29 - 2:42pm.

KNS said 30 people. That was curious. It seemed more like 75 to me. Standing room only. The comments on the KNS article show just how dumb and mean-spirited their readers tend to be. There was support there too though. I think this idea is a winner.

Bill Lyons's picture

You have to get the wording just right!

Submitted by Bill Lyons on Thu, 2007/11/29 - 2:34pm.

Well, you never can be too careful. Get a little sloppy with the wording, throw in some overly aggressive enforcement with a penchant for literal reading, and Fidette might not recognize her owner's voice. That might necessitate another semester at obedience school.

Someone suggested "requiring all males on the site to be neutered".

redmondkr's picture

Carole,

Submitted by redmondkr on Thu, 2007/11/29 - 2:25pm.

Carole,

There is an 'x' missing in your link's URL. Try this one.

I wondered why a dog lover would have a site titled Knodog.

Visit us at

Wearybottom Associates

Carole Borges's picture

Than for the correction...

Submitted by Carole Borges on Thu, 2007/11/29 - 2:28pm.

I usually try the links, but felt bleary eyed this morning...

No-kno-dogs just wouldn't do!--haha!

Pam Strickland's picture

Wouldn't it be nice if they

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 1:23am.

Wouldn't it be nice if they named this new park after her?

No.

Parks and schools and streets and any number of other things should not be named after people who are still alive. It's just wrong. Maybe when they get old and feeble and they clearly are on their way out, it's a nice honor. They renamed my elementary school after the long-time principal when he was near death. It was probably good for him to hear that appreciation. But folks who are going to be around for a while yet, can just wait for the naming afters to get started.

Yes, I'm a person who thinks that it's wrong to have Victor Ashe Park and Philip Fulmer Way and any number of the ridiculous naming nonsense that are in this town.
Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Carole Borges's picture

"Parks and schools and

Submitted by Carole Borges on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 9:38am.

"Parks and schools and streets and any number of other things should not be named after people who are still alive. It's just wrong."

Oh, I didn't know that. What about Todd Helton Drive? He's my neighbors' grandson & he's still alive?

I guess one reason cities might be reluctant to name streets after living people is that they still have a chance to disgrace themselves? Once they're gone, they can't do anything that might tarnish their reputation.

Is that the reasoning behind the "dead only" rule about naming?

As usual I'm a little ignorant (well to be kind let's say naive) about the complexities of political machinery, but I'm always curious about these things and want to learn.

I know you're very savvy about poltics, Pam. Thanks for bring up "the dead people only" point.

Pam Strickland's picture

Part of it is politics, yes.

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 5:27pm.

Part of it is politics, yes. And that's the reason that most of this crazy town has all the crazy names. And part of that is that, yes, you never know what people are going to go on and do before life is over. There are a few examples out there in the world have some major embarrassments for these names. No, I'm not saying that this dog park lady is going to do something notorious, making her infamous instead of famous, but you break a general rule for one person who everyone agrees is deserving -- Peyton Manning Pass -- and then you end up breaking it for one thing and then another and sooner or later someone gets embarrased.

Part of it is I learned somewhere growing up in Roane County -- it could have been from family or in school or reading somewhere that it is inappropriate to name things after living people. Babies being the exception, I suppose. But naming something after someone would indicate that they have achieved everything in life, and there's no other magnificent way to honor them or nothing left for them to achieve. So, I guess from that point of view it's a philosophical matter.

Sorry about the rant, but since returning to East Tennessee this naming thing has become one of my major pet peeves. No pun intended.

Dog parks are great. I like the contest idea.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

redmondkr's picture

....the complexities of

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 11:12am.

....the complexities of political machinery....

That may be what gave the city a whole 600 feet of Jimmy Carter Drive.

Visit us at

Wearybottom Associates

Stan G's picture

And Then There's

Submitted by Stan G on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 12:19pm.

(link...)

When Ed claims that his is longer and wider than Randy's, who's going to be thinking about Knoxville streets.

Victor did not hold to accepted conventions.

R. Neal's picture

I heard a story, haven't

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 11:56am.

I heard a story, haven't been able to confirm, that the president of Krystal, whose headquarters is in Chattanooga, threatened to move out of town if they named the street his HQ is on MLK Blvd because he refused to have his company address at MLK Blvd. So there is supposedly a one block stretch of MLK Blvd that is named something else, just for him. At least that's the story I recall. Anyone else heard that one?

Stan G's picture

Sounds legitimate

Submitted by Stan G on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 12:18pm.

The Krystal Company's postal address is 1 Union Square.

In Knoxville, Chris Whittle wanted his new building on Main Street, so Main Avenue became Main Street which does not fit the pattern used to name downtown Knoxville Streets.

R. Neal's picture

Well what do you

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 12:25pm.

Well what do you know...

(link...)

Guess I didn't google hard enough last time I tried to track this story down.

R. Neal's picture

Sorry, didn't mean to derail

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 12:29pm.

Sorry, didn't mean to derail the discussion about the dog park.

I'm all for dog parks. This would be a fine place for one, whatever they name it.

Bill Lyons's picture

Dog Park Name

Submitted by Bill Lyons on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 12:53pm.

There was some pretty favorable reaction to the suggestion that we have a contest for the best name, maybe with some sort of prize. The contest process as well as some of the suggestions that some creative folks would come up with could be pretty entertaining.

Carole Borges's picture

I thought that was a fun, creative idea...

Submitted by Carole Borges on Fri, 2007/11/30 - 2:03pm.

Some cities have official guidelines for naming parks. This one is from Fairfax County. You need to scroll down thru the left hand box until you come to the NAMING PARKS section.
(link...)

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