A year of sweeping change

From Staff Reports

With all the change going on in Blount County, a look back at 2006 offers a vision of the future.

Dynamic forces are sweeping across the county as unrelenting as the record 106 mph winds that swept through Great Smoky Mountains National Park in October.

Initiatives in education, business, historic preservation and the arts started in 2006 reflect a community spirit to set the stage for future years. Blount Countians have entrusted that future to a group of newly installed government leaders.

For all the planning for what's to come, the past year was marked by unexpected personal events that challenged individuals and families to shake off setbacks and persevere past tragedy.

Once again, there was the example of youthful exuberance and excellence — an unmatched record of athletic achievement that left the rest of the state wondering if there's a magical elixir in Little River drinking water.

It was an eventful year. Here's The Daily Times staff picks for the top 10 stories of 2006:

No. 1 — If Time magazine can name "You" its Person of the Year — which it did —  why not make voters be the Blount County Person of the Year? County citizens who went to the polls in August set the tone for 2007.

Not that there were huge surprises. As widely expected Republican Jerry Cunningham, took the county mayor's race by a comfortable margin. But while collecting 61 percent of the votes, the former U.S. Attorney faced a more formidable challenge from Joe Gallagher than Democrats typically mount in GOP dominated Blount County.

The August election ended a bit of history for the county, as its first female chief executive was ending her term in office out of her courthouse office. Mayor Beverley Woodruff was forced home by illness and did not run for re-election.

County Commission saw major changes. Two-thirds of the commission left office on Sept. 1. Only one incumbent commissioner withstood a challenge. Three were ousted by their opponents, bringing the total number of new commissioners to 14 of 21.

As for the wheel tax, there was no doubt where voters stood. Seventy-one percent said no to a referendum that would have instituted a $10 tax.

No. 2 — The Blount County school system received $40 million in funding to build two schools, purchase land for those schools and finish capital projects.

The school board requested $105.4 million to build schools and for improvement projects. The request included $42.5 million for a new high school to alleviate overcrowding at William Blount High School, but County Commission approved $40 million.

School board members had to go back to the drawing board to adjust plans. The new proposal called for a new middle school to be built to replace William Blount Middle School, which will become a ninth-grade facility.

That middle school along with an elementary school are being built on property purchased in the west end of the county.

Carpenters Elementary School  opened this school year and reduced overcrowding at two schools and stabilized enrollment at another elementary school.

No. 3 — The Blount County Chamber Partnership continued to work with local businesses to grow operations.

In late October, Maryville-based Molecular Pathology Laboratory Network Inc. (MPLN) announced it would anchor a new 450-acre research and development park in Alcoa where Pellissippi Parkway meets Old Knoxville Highway (near the Clayton Homes headquarters).

The research park, officially named the Pellissippi Research Centre On the Oak Ridge Corridor, is the result of collaboration between Blount and Knox counties and the cities of Alcoa and Maryville. Each of the four partners contributed 25 percent of the money needed to develop the park. Site work is scheduled to begin in late 2007.

DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee Inc. began construction of its new $185 million plant at the end of November and announced it would immediately begin hiring about 150 new employees. The company expects to open the plant in 2008.

Newell Rubbermaid expanded its operations at its Maryville Eldon facility in April. The consolidation and expansion program created 200 new Blount County jobs.

No. 4 — A new civic arts center will be built on the campus of Maryville College with funding from the college and the two city governments.

Maryville is giving $9.4 million to the $42 million project, and Alcoa is contributing $3.75 million.

The project has been a bone of contention with some county residents, who came out strongly against the county providing any funding. Blount County Commission ultimately decided not to participate.

Maryville College has pledged $20 million along with the land for the facility. Funding will also come from the federal government at $6.8 million and $2 million from the state government.

The facility will include a 1,000-seat performance hall, a 250-seat renovated recital hall in the current Fine Arts Center, a flexible theater and a lobby with a dining area for 260 people.  Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2007.

No. 5 — All three principal governments faced challenges in balancing budgets aggravated by surging energy costs. Blount County and Maryville each raised property taxes.

The county rate went up by 25 cents. If the County Commission had OK'd all the budget appeal requests by department heads, that rate would have risen 35 cents more. As it was, the Sheriff's Office temporarily cut back on responding to routine calls to save gasoline. The Parks and Recreation Commission reduced hours at Everett Recreation Center and eliminated the summer day camp at Eagleton and some mowing.

Maryville City Council passed a 10-cent property tax rate and — in a move to head off loss of liquor store revenues to Alcoa — authorized a fourth liquor store. That may give new City Manager Greg McClain — who replaced longtime City Manager Gary Hensley — some breathing room next year, as the new Maryville Wal-Mart gets up and selling.

Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson managed to hold the line with no property tax increase. Don't expect the same in 2007. Those Wal-Mart tax dollars Maryville is anticipating will largely come at the expense of the Alcoa Wal-Mart. To help offset that loss, Alcoa citizens passed a referendum to authorize its first liquor stores. Three will be allowed.

No. 6 — The almost unthinkable happened in the early morning of Nov. 14 when 16-year-old Tamir Shereef was shot to death in Alcoa. Neighbors reported hearing gunfire around 1:30 a.m., and police responded but were unable to find the source of the shots.

At 7:30 a.m. young Tamir was found lifeless in the backyard of a Bell Street residence. Twenty-three days later, another 16-year-old, Renwick Andre Earls Jr., also of Alcoa, was charged with criminal homicide by Alcoa police detectives.

No. 7 — In June, members of United Steelworkers Local 309 ratified a new contract with ALCOA by a mere 33-vote margin. Nationwide, the contract was ratified by just 255 votes. Retirees picketed the world's largest aluminum company for nine months during contract negotiations because of a proposed cap on medical benefits.

Changes to the ALCOA retiree medical benefits are effective Jan. 1, and retirees filed suit against ALCOA in December charging that the company violated the retirees' vested rights under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and breached its contract under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

ALCOA should respond to the lawsuit in January.

No. 8 — Dustin Hatcher, the son of Blount County Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher, resigned as a magistrate on Dec. 2 after a TBI investigation  was launched regarding allegations of misconduct by the younger Hatcher.

Two weeks later, a federal lawsuit was filed against Dustin Hatcher claiming he used the authority of his position as magistrate to coerce a 17-year-old girl into his office where he allegedly took photographs of her in lingerie. The TBI would not confirm that its investigation is related to the teenage girl's claims.

In mid-November, Tom Hatcher repaid the county for tuition to Columbus University after he learned the school was unaccredited. He admitted he "made an error in judgment in failing to more thoroughly investigate this school before I enrolled" and said he will personally pursue efforts to recover the money he lost due to "unfair and deceptive business  practices" on the part of Columbus University.

No. 9. — It's becoming a routine story in Blount County: high school football teams winning state championships. In 2006, Maryville High and Alcoa High astounded fans and foes alike by achieving "three-peats."

Alcoa players faced new challenges with the loss of many talented players and a head coaching change. But despite a 1-2 start, the Class 2A Tornadoes fought their way through a Class 5A-worthy schedule and gave new Coach Gary Rankin his fifth state championship.

What's left to be said about Maryville? The Rebels engineered one of the most remarkable runs in the nation under the leadership of George Quarles, winning 98 of their last 100 games and bringing home a  six-pack of state championships.

And that wasn't all: Blount County had three Mr. Football winners when Alcoa tailback Chris Shiverdecker joined Maryville teammates Tyler Maples and Aaron Douglas.

No. 10 — The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center at Townsend has surpassed the number of visitors it expected during its first year of operation.

Center Director Bob Patterson said before the year is out, the center will have had 30,000 visitors including 6,000 children who have gone on guided tours.

Thanks to a donation from Blount County, all students here in the county can tour the center for free. Out-of-county students pay a fee.

The 17,000-square-foot facility opened in February at a cost of $3.1 million. It features the history of mountain people and Native Americans who lived in this area.