To subscribe to this newsletter via email, fill out this form
http://eepurl.com/b2Rk9T.
You will then receive an automated email. Reply to this automated email to secure your free subscription.
|
|
|
1. West Hills Hosts Spring Celebration
2. NAC Meets Tomorrow
3. Knoxville Participates in City Nature Challenge
4. Register Now for Neighborhood Small Grants Program Workshops
5. Plan to Attend Neighborhood Exchange Gatherings
6. Parks and Recreation Organizes Public Meetings This Month
7. PARC Offers Community Listening Sessions
8. Trees Knoxville Hosts Volunteer Forester Course
9. City Seeks Input on Five-Year Consolidated Plan
10. The Mobility Plan Review Deadline is Coming Up
11. Knoxville
Neighborhoods Calendar (click link for online calendar)
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Published by the City of Knoxville’s Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, we report news important to Knoxville’s residential neighborhoods. Include your neighborhood- related event or meeting in this space. Call 865-215-3232. News deadline: 12 noon on Fridays.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
1. West Hills Hosts Spring Celebration
Join the West Hills Community Association as they celebrate the 2025 Dogwood Trail season on Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the West Hills Greenway, 409 Vanosdale Rd. This event is hosted by the
West Hills Neighborhood Association in conjunction with the
Dogwood Arts Trails and Gardens Program.
There will be a West Hills volunteer dedication ceremony, makers/art vendors, local food trucks, chalk drawing, games, music, giveaways, a student art contest, and
Knox County Master Gardeners.
For more information, please visit the Dogwood Arts
website. |
|
|
2. NAC Meets Tomorrow
The
Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) will meet tomorrow, April 9, from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Community Room of the Public Works Building, 3131 Morris Ave.
NAC members will hear from the City’s 311 / 211 Director, Russ Jensen, about mental health services provided through
East Tennessee’s 211 line.
Consisting of neighborhood leaders from around the city, the NAC serves in an advisory and partnership capacity to:
-
Give advice and feedback on the programs and policies of the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment,
-
Bring neighborhood issues and concerns to the attention of the Mayor and City Administration,
-
Propose responses and solutions to the Administration to address these concerns; and
-
Serve as a sounding board for city initiatives and proposals affecting neighborhoods.
The NAC advises and provides input only to the Mayor and the City Administration. As a matter of policy, it does not advise Knoxville City Council, Knoxville-Knox County Planning, and other elected and appointed bodies. All are welcome to attend.
The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary
aids and services.
To request language translation services, contact the City’s Human Resources Department at tit...@knoxvilletn.gov
or 865-215-3100. For disability accommodations, contact City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at
sc...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034 at least 72 hours before the meeting. |
|
|
3. Knoxville Participates in City Nature Challenge
The City of Knoxville will once again participate in the City Nature Challenge.
The
Tennessee Butterfly Monitoring Network and
Zoo Knoxville, in partnership with the City of Knoxville,
Discover Life in America,
Harvey Broome Group of Sierra Club,
Seven Islands State Birding Park, and
Ijams Nature Center are coordinating the 2025 City Nature Challenge for the Knoxville area on Friday, April 25, through Monday, April 28.
The City Nature Challenge is where cities all over the world collaborate to observe as much wildlife – wild plants, animals, fungi, insects, etc. – as possible in a four-day period. Ijams Nature Center is hosting a myriad of events on Friday and Saturday so
that folks can observe many kinds of wildlife.
There will be a night hike to spot amphibians and one to spot nocturnal critters. There will also be walks to identify fungi, trees, birds, wildflowers, beetles, bees, and butterflies. See
Ijams Nature Center’s website for the different workshops, schedules, and links to register. If you register for one of Ijams’ workshops for the City Nature Challenge, you will get free parking at Ijams for the day.
Seven Islands will also be hosting a hike. More information about this hike will be shared in future publications.
What does it mean to observe wildlife? In this case, it means to take photos of and upload to a website. You do not need to know what species something is. All you need to do is take photos and upload them to iNaturalist.
What are the steps to observe and document?
-
Download the iNaturalist app at
www.iNaturalist.org to your smartphone
-
Create an account for yourself
-
Take photos of the wildlife from different angles, if possible, using the app.
-
Any observations done in our area over that four-day weekend count in our region’s totals.
What if you don’t have a smartphone? You may still take photos with a camera and then upload them to iNaturalist later.
|
|
|
4. Register Now for Neighborhood Small Grants Program Workshops
The
Neighborhood Small Grants Program (NSGP) strengthens neighborhoods in the City of Knoxville by supporting a wide range of community-based initiatives through grants and technical assistance. The City of Knoxville has funding available under the NSGP to
be awarded in early 2026 for projects carried out in calendar year 2026.
To be eligible to apply for a grant through this program, a representative from your organization must attend one of the three mandatory workshops:
-
Pre-Application Workshop A - 10 a.m. Saturday, April 19, 2025 (Zoom)
-
Pre-Application Workshop B - 6 p.m. Monday, April 21, 2025 (In person)
-
Pre-Application Workshop C - 5 p.m. Thursday, May 1, 2025 (Zoom)
The person who attends the workshop must be the primary contact for the application if the group chooses to apply for the grant.
Awards to support one-year projects can range from $500 to $5,000 or $6,500 if partnering with another neighborhood, public school, umbrella neighborhood group, or non-profit. To be awarded $6,500, the applicant must have previously participated in the NSGP
and turned in all required paperwork/documentation on time and in full.
To register for one of the workshops, please contact Hayley Howard at
hho...@knoxvilletn.gov. |
|
|
5. Plan to Attend Neighborhood Exchange Gatherings
Mark your calendar and plan to attend one of the following Neighborhood Social Exchange gatherings hosted by the
Office of Neighborhood Empowerment (ONE).
-
Thursday, May 15, from 5-7 p.m. at the Larry Cox Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail
-
Friday, May 16, from 1-3 p.m. at the City County Building, 400 W Main St. Suite 546B
The Neighborhood Social Exchange is an opportunity for neighborhood leaders to network with one another, provide updated information regarding elections and boundaries to ONE, and to receive information about programming offered by our office. This is also
a great opportunity for new groups interested in learning more about organizing their neighborhood.
This exchange of information and ideas will be coupled with food, fun, and games. Come and see what resources and programming are available to you and your neighborhood!
For more information, you can call 865-215-3232 or email Shannett Riley at
sri...@knoxvilletn.gov. |
|
|
6. Parks and Recreation Organizes Public Meetings This Month
The City of Knoxville’s
Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting six public meetings throughout Knoxville to get your input on their Master Plan.
This is a 10-month community planning process, designed to identify parks and recreation needs in the city, anticipate future demands, and build a shared vision for improvements to the parks and recreation system.
Meetings will be held on the following dates:
-
Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at the Deane Hill Community Center, 7414 Deane Hill Dr.
-
Monday, April 14, at 6 p.m. at the South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike
-
Thursday, April 17, at 6 p.m. at the Dr. E.V. Davidson Recreation Center, 3124 Wilson Ave.
-
Monday, April 21, at 11 a.m. at Safety City, 165 S Concord St.
-
Tuesday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the John T. O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St.
-
Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. at the Cumberland Estates Community Center, 4529 Silverhill Dr.
If you would like staff from Parks and Recreation to come to your next neighborhood meeting and give a presentation on the Master Plan, please contact Aaron Browning at
abro...@knoxvilletn.gov.
If you cannot make a meeting, you can still give your input through a
survey or the
interactive map.
The Master Plan will help guide investments in parks, greenways, community centers, and programming over the next decade.
To learn more, you can go to their website
www.playknoxvilletn.com.
The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary
aids and services.
To request language translation services, contact the City’s Human Resources Department at
tit...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-3100. For disability accommodations, contact City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at
sc...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034 at least 72 hours before the meeting. |
|
|
7. PARC Offers Community Listening Sessions
Join the
Police Advisory Review Committee (PARC) at one of the following community listening sessions to share your thoughts on policing and what you would like to see from PARC.
-
West District – Wednesday, April 16, from 6-8 p.m. at the Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave.
-
East District – Thursday, May 15, from 6-8 p.m. at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center, 124 S Cruze St.
PARC invites residents to attend these sessions held across KPD’s three districts (the Central District’s meeting already occurred) to share thoughts on policing. Your voice matters! Your input will help shape a safer, more accountable and transparent future
for Knoxville. While residents are encouraged to attend their district’s session, attendance is open to all.
The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to
comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides translation,
interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services.
To request language translation services, contact the City’s Human Resources Department at
tit...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-3100. For disability
accommodations, contact City ADA
Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at
sc...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034 at least 72
hours before the meeting. |
|
|
8. Trees Knoxville Hosts Volunteer Forester Course
Trees
Knoxville will host their second Volunteer Forester program in the series starting next week.
The spring Volunteer Forester program starts on Wednesday, April 16. This free certificate program offers a unique opportunity to learn about trees from industry professionals. To earn the Volunteer Forester II Certification, participants must attend at least
three out of the four scheduled classes.
Classes run for two and a half hours on Wednesday evening over a four-week course.
-
Wednesday, April 16 – Ecology and Geography of East TN
-
Wednesday, April 23 – Tree Identification
-
Wednesday, April 30 – Tree Response to Environmental Factors
-
Wednesday, May 7 – Outdoor Tree Pruning Experience
You may register
here. |
|
|
9. City Seeks Input on Five-Year Consolidated Plan
The
City of Knoxville is seeking public input on drafts of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Year One (2025-2026) Annual Action Plan. A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. at the Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave. The meeting
will also be held virtually via Zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the City’s
website the day prior to the meeting.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the draft plan during the meeting. All are welcome to attend this public event.
People may also provide feedback to Linda Rust by email at LR...@KnoxvilleTN.gov, or
in writing at P.O. Box 1630, Knoxville, TN 37902. All comments received through the end of the public comment period will be included in the final plan submitted to HUD.
For more information about the Consolidated Plan Timeline, visit the City’s
website here.
The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary
aids and
services.
To request language translation services, contact the City’s Human Resources Department at tit...@knoxvilletn.gov
or 865-215-3100. For disability accommodations, contact City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at
sc...@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034 at least 72 hours before the meeting. |
|
|
10. The Mobility Plan Review Deadline is Coming Up
The
Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has shared a draft of
Mobility Plan 2050 for public review, along with an
Air Quality Conformity Report. TPO asks that residents review the documents and share their feedback by Tuesday, April 22. All plan documents and an accompanying project list as well as ways to provide your feedback can be found at
knoxmobility.org.
The long-range transportation plan allows federal money to be received for projects and is updated every four years to account for changes in community and regional priorities, technology, project costs, and available funding.
During the planning process, the TPO examined all modes of transportation within and around the Knoxville region to identify projects that prioritize safety, modernization, congestion management, and efficiency. The plan then guides investment that will help
shape our region over the next 25 years, ensuring that the best long-term decisions are made for Knoxville residents, employers, and visitors.
Last fall, local jurisdictions submitted applications for potential projects to be included in the plan. Projects were selected and prioritized after consideration of both technical analysis and public input.
All projects and related information can be found in the draft appendix, and public input that was received as part of the planning process is available at
knoxmobility.org/feedback. From that page, viewers can access summaries from two rounds of outreach, as well as an interactive map with comments related to congestion, maintenance, bicycle and walking facilities, and more.
|
|
|
11. Knoxville
Neighborhoods Calendar (click link for online calendar)
To add your neighborhood event or meeting to the Google calendar, call 865-215-3232.
Other Calendars
Additional online calendars that cover events outside the neighborhood realm include:
The City of Knoxville requires a permit to operate a short-term rental property. Details and a list of short-term rental permits are located on the City’s website
here.
|
|
|
