The Neighborly Notice
Vol. 16, No. 45 – Tuesday, December 19, 2023
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Newsletter (PDF version): https://bit.ly/NeighborlyNotice-2023-12-19
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1. City Announces Winter Holiday Schedule
2. No Newsletter for Two Weeks
3. ONE Wishes You a Happy Holiday
4. Historic Zoning Commission Meets Thursday
5. Transportation Planning Organization Seeks Input
6. Can Neighbors Landscape in the Winter?
7. ONE Updates Neighborhood Funders Guide
8. KUB Offers Utility Savings and Safety Tips
9. Health Department Offers Free Diabetes Management Classes
10. Volunteer Forester Winter Session - Coming Soon!
11. Happy Kwanzaa
12.
Knoxville Neighborhoods Calendar
(click link for online calendar)
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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.
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleNeighborhoods
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1. City Announces Winter Holiday Schedule
The City of Knoxville offices, including the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, will be closed Friday, Dec. 22; Monday, Dec. 25; and Monday, Jan. 1.
There will be NO household garbage or recycling collection on Monday, December 25 and Waste Connections’ office will be closed. Monday routes will be picked up on Tuesday, Tuesday routes will be picked up on Wednesday, and so on through
Saturday. Regular trash/recycling schedules will resume for Monday, Jan. 1.
Between Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Jan. 5, properly bagged excess holiday household trash and broken-down cardboard set next to full garbage carts will be picked up.
Downtown trash and recycling will not be picked up on Monday, Dec. 25.
The city's five recycling centers will be open but the Goodwill attendant will only be available for household goods donations for a half-day on Sunday, Dec. 24. The center will be unstaffed but open for recycling drop-off on Monday, Dec. 25 and Monday, Jan.
1.
The city's Solid Waste Facility located at 1033 Elm St. will be closed on Friday, Dec. 22 through Monday, Dec. 25, with normal hours resuming on Tuesday, Dec. 26. For the New Year’s holiday, the Facility will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 30 and Monday, Jan.
1 with normal hours resuming Tuesday, Jan. 2.
For tips on how to prevent waste by recycling or donating gently used items during this giving season, please visit
www.knoxvilletn.gov/reuseguide.
2. No Newsletter for Two Weeks
The Office of Neighborhood Empowerment will not produce a newsletter on Tuesday, Dec. 26, nor will we produce one on Jan. 2. We will pick back up on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
In the meantime, check out our
Facebook page for interesting activities.
3. ONE Wishes You a Happy Holiday
A big thank you to everyone who has engaged with us through this newsletter over the past year. Whether it was by social media or email, we truly appreciate every single subscriber. The Office of Neighborhood Empowerment would like to wish you all a joyous
and festive holiday season, Season’s Greetings, and Happy New Year!
Whatever is beautiful, whatever is meaningful, whatever brings you happiness, may it be yours this holiday season and throughout the coming year! We will see you in 2024!
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4. Historic Zoning Commission Meets Thursday
The
Historic Zoning Commission
will meet Thursday, Dec. 21, at 8:30 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room, of the City County Building, 400 Main St.
Properties on the agenda include:
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Scenic Dr.
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800 Blows Ferry Rd.
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1021 Tulip Ave.
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Washington Pike
If any of these properties are in your neighborhood and you wish to speak to the commission, you may do so by contacting Lindsay Crockett at
lcroc...@knoxvilltn.gov.
For more information, please visit the Knoxville Knox County Planning
website.
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.
5. Transportation Planning Organization Seeks Input
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is currently seeking input on the future of transportation for the Knoxville region.
Do you want to see more buses, a rail line, or more lanes for cars on the interstate? This is your time to give feedback. Take the
survey. You can also leave comments on the
interactive map that are tied to specific locations within the study area.
Based on input from regional residents, stakeholders, and elected officials, it will guide transportation decision-making in the region over the next two decades.
Mobility Plan 2050 is a federally required, long-range plan that guides the decision-making process for the selection and implementation of transportation projects in the
Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization planning area. It will outline policies as well as long-range and short-range actions to support an integrated and intermodal transportation
system for the effective and efficient movement of people and goods.
For more information, and to keep up with the process, visit knoxmobility.org.
6. Can Neighbors Landscape in the Winter?
Often times we associate landscaping with spring and fall plantings. Did you know that winter is a great time to add to your landscape? Nearly all trees and woody shrubs are quite comfortable with winter planting. Since these plants are dormant, the stress
of putting out roots or maintaining a canopy (leaf cover) does not exist in winter.
Then, as temperatures slowly rise in the spring, they can begin the process of establishment with new root growth.
Many municipalities, including Knoxville, typically do most of their tree plantings in the winter months for this reason. Likewise, a landscape professional will try to encourage late fall and winter plantings, as this reduces the loss of plants that can occur
at other times of the year.
Not all plants, however, are happy with winter planting. Avoid planting ornamental grasses, most perennials, and any highly herbaceous plants (those without woody bark) like hydrangeas, peonies and daylilies. Save these plants for a spring kick-off.
So, wait for that next balmy winter Saturday and get out in the yard!
For more information, contact the Tree Board at
tree...@knoxvilletn.gov.
Bob Graves, a licensed Landscape Architect, a Tree Board member, and Owner of Carex Design Group, submitted this article. His involvement with the City Tree Board stems from his passion for nature as well as his involvement in the design of the built environment.
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7. ONE Updates Neighborhood Funders Guide
Like all not-for-profit organizations, neighborhood groups can raise money in a variety of ways. The most sustainable forms of funding, of course, are the group’s own internal activities and projects. These can include membership dues and donations from neighbors,
as well as fundraisers ranging from large events (tour of homes, street fair) to smaller, less intensive activities (bake sale). Such fundraisers have the added advantage of increasing social capital in the neighborhood, which is, encouraging neighbors to
work together and get to know one another.
But there is certainly room for seeking grants from governments, foundations, businesses, and local benefactors. The
Neighborhood
Funders Guide lists a small fraction of the potential funding sources for neighborhood groups in Knoxville.
If your neighborhood could use some additional funding, we encourage you to check it out!
8. KUB Offers Utility Savings and Safety Tips
With cooler temperatures on the way, KUB has multiple ways for customers to save money and manage energy and water expenses in the coming months, along with important safety reminders.
The following steps will boost energy and water efficiency and safety:
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Seal leaks and cracks around windows and doors. Check and replace weather stripping.
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Each degree lower on a thermostat can save up to three percent on an energy bill.
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Keep heating system air filters clean or replace them monthly or every three months.
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Insulate pipes in crawl spaces and in attics and near outer walls. Water pipes that freeze and burst can cause thousands of dollars in damage.
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Track your usage at KUB.org or use the mobile app to be aware of unusual spikes in your usage.
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Disconnect hoses and cover outside faucets.
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Close outside vents when nighttime temperatures fall below freezing.
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Fix leaky faucets and make sure they are turned off completely. One drip per second can add up to 150 gallons of water per month.
Colder temperatures also mean furnaces and other heat sources are turned on for the first time in months. KUB recommends that customers hire a licensed contractor to conduct regular inspections and maintenance, which also can save money and extend the life
of a heating system.
Rebates
also are available through TVA EnergyRight® for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system tune-ups.
Additional efficiency resources are available at
www.kub.org/efficiency.
9. Health Department Offers Free Diabetes Management Classes
The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) will host a free three-part series on diabetes management with a different topic each week on Thursday afternoons from 12-1 p.m. at the KCHD Community Room, 140 Dameron Ave.
The classes will take place on the following Thursday afternoons: Jan. 11, Jan. 18, and Jan. 25.
Topics include information about:
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Diagnosis
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Healthy eating
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Physical activity
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Medications
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Day-to-day management
To sign up for the three-part series, please call 865-215-5170.
10. Volunteer Forester Winter Session - Coming Soon!
This winter, join Trees Knoxville as Volunteer Forester gets into the nitty-gritty of tree function and biology. Classes run for two hours on Thursday evenings over a four-week period beginning Jan. 4 at the Public Service Complex, 3131 Morris Rd. The cost
to participate in the program is $50. Students and teachers can participate for $25.
Registration
for the winter session is open now!
Session 1: Tree Measurement and Preservation of Mature Trees
Kayla Stewart: UT Master Student in Urban Forestry & City of Knoxville Tree Board
Thursday, Jan. 4 from 6-8 p.m.
Session 2: Tree Biology and Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees
Lee Rumble: Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension Agent with UT/ TSU Extension
Thursday, Jan. 11 from 5-7 p.m.
Session 3: Tree Identification
Dr. Melissa Hinton, Senior Lecturer & Director of Sustainability Program, Department of Geography & Sustainability at University of Tennessee
Thursday, Jan. 18 from 6-8 p.m.
Session 4: Soil Relations and Water Management
Kasey Krouse, Urban Forester, City of Knoxville
Thursday, Jan. 25 from 6-8 p.m.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit Trees Knoxville’s
website.
11. Happy Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture.
The seven principles that form the holiday’s core were drawn from values found on the African continent:
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Umoja - Unity
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Kujichagulia – Self Determination
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Ujima – Collective Responsibility
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Ujamaa – Cooperative Economics
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Nia - Purpose
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Kuumba - Creativity
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Imani - Faith
This year, Kwanzaa begins on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and ends on Monday, Jan. 1. To all who are celebrating, have a bright and meaningful Kwanzaa.
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10.
Knoxville Neighborhoods Calendar (click link for online calendar)
Call 865-215-3232 to include your neighborhood event or meeting in
this Google calendar.
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.
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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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