Fri
Aug 31 2007
12:25 pm
Infante slams parks funding
By: Tao4Now

Mayoral candidate Isa Infante held a press conference at around 10:30 this morning at Mary Vestal Park.

Seh's not happy about parks funding, and says it's an example of the way our city government spends too much on the wrong kinds of development.

"The city cannot have it both ways," she asserted. "They cannot collect the citizen's tax money, and also expect them to bring out their own shovels and their own mowers."

More on the story, including an audio snippet of her remarks, at the South Knox · Seymour Times. (link...)

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frenchharp's picture

Neglect

Submitted by frenchharp on Fri, 2007/08/31 - 5:16pm.

This park has been neglected since Haslam has been in office. I was there today. The infield is overgrown and has been since he has been in office. There are swatiskas painted on the sidewalk. A large tree is blocking the greenway and has been there a while. A broken beer bottle on the lawn, a tire, trash, no trash can, etc. It will be on WATE channel six this evening.

michael kaplan's picture

"There are swatiskas painted

Submitted by michael kaplan on Fri, 2007/08/31 - 6:44pm.

"There are swatiskas painted on the sidewalk"

That reminds me that the 3rd Creek Greenway had insults to John Kerry spray-painted on the sidewalk before the 2004 election. These were never cleaned off.

Worst, though, are the large signs installed at the entrance to Ft. Dickerson Park warning that the park is under video surveillance. Like, welcome to South Knoxville. Most parks in other cities have simple signs telling visitors what they can't do: NO loitering, NO littering, NO drugs, etc. No need to scare people -- unless that's the agenda of the police. IMO the signs are completely inappropriate for a city park.

And the garbage cans at Ft. Dickerson are always overflowing.

How about a little less South Waterfront and a little more TLC of existing public assets?

Stick Thrower's picture

Trash cans

Submitted by Stick Thrower on Fri, 2007/08/31 - 8:52pm.

Not to necessarily take this discussion away from the all-important Mayor race, but--seriously--all Knoxville parks could use more garbage cans. It's ridiculous. I'm sure it's somewhat of a hassle to have to collect trash from cans not located RIGHT AT the parking lot, but it has to be easier than cleaning up litter and dog crap that accumulates in the parks... Sequoia Hills park along the river off Cherokee Blvd. only has trash at either end of the mile-long park, and anyone who has ever walked along the path knows the result.

I really don't get it. There's a "Don't Litter" campaign going on in Tennessee, and making it just *slightly* easier for people to put the trash in a can would help a lot. Set up a volunteer adopt-a-park program to remove the bags like on roadways. I'm sure there would be plenty of groups or individuals to pick up the slack.

bizgrrl's picture

Set up a volunteer

Submitted by bizgrrl on Fri, 2007/08/31 - 9:09pm.

Set up a volunteer adopt-a-park program to remove the bags like on roadways.

Excellent idea. Also, how about memory plaques for donated garbage cans like they do everything over here in Blount County parks :)

frenchharp's picture

WATE coverage

Submitted by frenchharp on Sat, 2007/09/01 - 12:57am.

I am glad they covered the story; however, I think the city missed that the infield is overgrown and shouldn't have grass in it at all. The greenway path is blocked by a large tree and there are swatiskas painted on the sidewalk.http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=7013608

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