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1. Fountain City Invites Community to Free Fishing Day Event
2. BBB Cancelled; POH is This Friday
3. Mayor’s Youth Council Application Deadline Approaching
4. Public Service Trades Mowing for Growing
5. Provide Input on How to Improve Connectivity Across the Tennessee River
6. Safety City Opens This Week
7. Learn Hands-Only CPR at Safety City Knoxville
8. What’s Next Knoxville
9. Planning Commission Posts Preliminary Agenda
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1. Fountain City Invites Community to Free Fishing Day Event
Fountain City Town Hall invites residents and visitors to enjoy a fun-filled day outdoors at the Fountain City Lake (“Duck Pond”) during Bobby Wilson Fishing Day on Saturday, June 6, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Registration opens at 8 a.m. (all ages welcome)
- Winners announced at 12:30 p.m. (must be present to win)
Participants and attendees are encouraged to arrive early and bring their own lawn chairs and fishing gear. Fishing rods and bait will be provided to the first 30 Fountain City youth residents who need them.
TWRA staff will also provide demonstrations on how to tie and bait hooks, along with tips and techniques that may help participants during the tournament.
This free community event is hosted by Fountain City Town Hall in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and HawgMolly Fishing.
The event is open to all ages and skill levels and is designed to give families, children, and first-time anglers the opportunity to learn more about fishing, conservation, and outdoor recreation in a welcoming community setting. Also, Tennessee’s Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day falls on Saturday, June 6, which means you can fish without a fishing license in Tennessee.
Fountain City Town Hall extends special thanks to Home Federal Bank and Mynatt’s Funeral Home for supporting this free community event and to Cultivate for providing coffee for the event.
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2. BBB is Cancelled; POH is This Friday
The Better Building Board meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 28, has been cancelled as there is no business for the board this month.
The Public Officer Hearing is scheduled for Friday, May 29, at 9:30 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St.
One property on the agenda for new business is:
- 2231 Knollcrest Ln. (including accessory structure)
Six properties on the agenda for boarding are:
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.
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3. Mayor’s Youth Council Application Deadline Approaching
Open to rising 9th-12th graders, this program allows students to:
- Engage in local government
- Develop leadership and advocacy skills
- Collaborate on community issues
In this role, you will help elevate all youth voices through consistent communication with young people living in Knoxville.
Learn more information and apply through the City of Knoxville’s Empower Knox website.
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4. Public Service Trades Mowing for Growing
The City’s Public Service Department is transforming select City-owned lots into pollinator-friendly wildflower gardens.
Public Service Central Manager, Robbie Corum, led a four-person team to install three pollinator gardens in 2025, adding a fourth in 2026. They plowed the lots, placed stakes, and fenced off the areas where the seeds were planted.
Horticulture Manager, John Hooper, selected seeds for plants that will attract pollinators and benefit the community overall. Teams sowed columbine, foxtail grass, aster, and varying coneflowers, with hopes to incorporate more after determining the success of the founding gardens.
“The main goal is to reduce the vacant mowing space and instead work towards adding transformative gardens that will capture the attention of native wildlife and even some monarch butterflies,” Hooper said. The City of Knoxville participates in the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge.
By reducing the amount of mowing space, it frees up time for the Public Service sector to devote resources to other projects, while also increasing the native species that thrive throughout the community.
Fountain City resident, Carol Shane, has done her duty to promote wildlife in her own backyard, taking the steps to earn the title of a “Certified Wildlife Habitat,” designation by the National Wildlife Federation. Residents, neighborhoods and cities can be certified; Knoxville has been a Community Wildlife Habitat since 2017.
“It’s really not that hard,” she said. “You really just need to have some care for the plants and animals around you.”
The application required that she have a source of water and food for wildlife – in her case, that was a birdfeeder and birdbath. Other needs in a certified yard would be cover for critters, places for animals to raise young, and sustainable gardening practices. This could be having trees and/or shrubs and leaving the leaves in the fall to overwinter in place.
While her garden doesn’t fit what most would consider “well kept,” the more natural look replicates an environment that attracts many native species and promotes growth. She encourages others to open their eyes to what could be beautiful, even if it doesn’t look like the traditional suburban lawn.
Residents who want to cultivate a natural landscape and ensure they follow City Codes will want to follow the City’s Natural Landscape Guidelines.
Corum’s crews have laid the groundwork for pollinator gardens on public property, and he hopes the practice can grow with the support of neighborhood volunteers – maybe even start a movement.
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5. Provide Input on How to Improve Connectivity Across the Tennessee River
A lot has changed in just a few years in the compact area where Downtown and South Knoxville meet:
- Thousands of residents now live along the Chapman Highway and Blount Avenue corridors in new apartments.
- The popularity of the Urban Wilderness and Sevier Avenue commercial district has spiked.
- The 127-year-old Gay Street Bridge can no longer accommodate the weight of vehicular traffic but now used by hundreds of bicyclists and pedestrians each day. Many motorists who once used the Gay Street Bridge have diverted to the James White Parkway Bridge, according to traffic count data.
Citywide, who uses which of the three bridges crossing the Tennessee River, and why? Which bridge(s) have the capacity to efficiently move more commuters?
And how do existing and future greenways, bike routes and transit options improve mobility and connectivity?
These questions, along with other questions, are part of the Downtown / South Knoxville Connectivity Study, which will assess opportunities to improve connectivity across the Tennessee River. The study is focusing on lower-cost high-impact improvements that strengthen access and mobility. The study will name issues, opportunities, and priorities that will guide the City’s future planning.
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6. Safety City Opens This Week
Safety City, the miniature Knoxville where second graders learn about safety, will open for summer public hours with a kickoff event on Friday, May 29, from 5-8 p.m.
Families are encouraged to bring non-motorized vehicles and helmets.
Safety City will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting on June 2, thru July 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and will also be open June 3, and July 29, from 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays, June 27, and July 18, 9 a.m.-noon.
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7. Learn Hands-Only CPR at Safety City Knoxville
Join the American Heart Association for a free Hands-Only CPR event at Safety City (2200 Safety City Way) on:
Tuesday, June 2, through Thursday, June 4, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each day.
This hands-on learning experience is open to kids and parents and aims to teach lifesaving skills in a fun and engaging way.
Held during National CPR and AED Awareness Week (June 1–7), the event encourages community members to learn how to respond in emergencies, recognize the warning signs of heart attack and stroke, and help build a “Nation of Lifesavers.”
Families are welcome to attend together, or children can participate with a trusted adult. The event is made possible with support from Pilot Company and is part of a nationwide effort to increase CPR awareness and preparedness. For more information on this event, please visit the American Heart Association’s website.
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8. What's Next Knoxville?
If you’ve ever wondered, “Why did they do that?” or “I wish they would…” then you’re already thinking about the City of Knoxville’s Comprehensive Plan - a long-term guiding document that will direct decisions on land use, transportation, and investment priorities in the city over the next 25 years.
The City of Knoxville is updating theirs, and your voice matters.
There are several ways to provide input on the project website. Please take the survey, share your thoughts, and help spread the word to friends, family, and neighbors.
Stop by and talk to the project team at the What’s Next Knoxville headquarters at 30 Market Square. They are hosting regular office hours on Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m., and Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in May and June.
You can also find them at other local events throughout May and June!
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9. Planning Commission Posts Preliminary Agenda
Knoxville-Knox County Planning posts the preliminary agenda on their website three weeks prior to the meeting for the public to review.
It is good practice to look at this document when it is posted to see if there are any properties in your neighborhood. This gives you a short bit of time to reach out to neighbors to discuss if you want to support or request more information on a particular parcel.
You can submit comments about a case on the website and request to speak during the meeting. Neighbors are encouraged to review the agenda to stay informed about new developments and changes coming to neighborhoods.
The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission meets on the second Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St.
The next meeting will take place on Thursday, June 11.
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To add a 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.
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