The group is planning to file an injunction to prevent any further action on the 14 acre site behind Smoky Crossing and bordering North Knob Creek.
A Sunday meeting nearly two weeks ago of 90 Seymour residents, including four commissioners, has become a major topic of the communities surrounding the proposed building site.
Commissioners, at the Sunday meeting promised they will go back and meet with the Optimist Club then take the issue to the county mayor, Larry Waters.
Neither Judy Godfrey nor Buster Norton was unavailable for comment at press time.
Commissioner Bill Oaks told the Seymour Herald in a phone interview, "I have personally talked with Mayor Waters and he basically told me that the Optimist Club has the same type of lease with the county as several other organizations, that it's perfectly legal."
Waters said in a phone interview with the Seymour Herald that, "I have discussed this with the commissioners and from the information we have, the Optimist Club has a 20 year lease with the county on those 14 acres."
Waters went on to say that he'd talk again with the commissioners and the Optimists clubs to see if the Optimists would, of their own accord, either relinquish the lease or let it go dormant.
Another item of concern to NKCC was the alleged posting of a notice of zoning change subsequent to the Sevier County Planning Committee meeting regarding the land across the street from the proposed ballpark.
"We have had people in the neighborhood watch the area and this notice was posted after the meeting," stated Patrick Doyle.
Two days following the Sunday meeting, the Sevier County Planning Committee met and discussed a request to change the land adjoining Titsworth Springs Road from Agricultural to Commercial. Titsworth Spring Road is the road adjacent to the proposed ballpark site.
Word of this action infuriated several local residents.
"Why weren't we told of this planned zone change at the Sunday meeting so we could have been there to oppose such action," asked one of the residents. "Why are they (commissioners) not representing our wants and needs, instead of theirs."
Waters stated, "The planning committee discussed this matter and they have placed ads about this property in the paper and positioned a notice on the property. This has all been done according to state law."
Residents, both pro and con, have voiced their opinions on the www.seymourherald.com website.
Over 200 comments have both inspired and aggravated participants of the comments.
At press time 95 comments were left regarding the story: Group May Sue Local Commissioners Sevier County and Optimist Club; 65 comments on the Commissioners Face Huge Opposition to Ballpark story and, 53 comments on the article Were the Commissioners Mislead, for a total of 213 comments.
Some of the comments speak to why the commissioners took it upon themselves to make such a major decision when the local community overwhelmingly is opposed to it.
While others are shocked that the county has allowed PVC septic lines to be stretched across the creek.
NKCC group has contacted TDEC regarding the possibility of the county not obtaining the proper permits.
The NKCC group has plans for another meeting, but the date and times were not available at press time.
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User Comments
Looks like our county commissioners as well as the mayor don't really care about the feelings of the residents. Time to file an injunction and keep them tied up in court for the next 20 yrs!
Two days AFTER our meeting with the commissioners they had it on the agenda to change the zoning. Mr. Delius sits on the planning commission. Don't you think he knew that at our meeting? Then AFTER the PC meeting a sign goes up telling us about it. I guess Mr. Delius would say that once again he didn't hear anybody from the community speak against the zoning change at the "public" hearing. Wow! Do they think we are stupid?
Yes sir indeed, STUCK ON STUPID and go thank your GOOD OLE BOYS.
Oh, how quickly the public trust in our elected officials is slipping away!
It would be wonderful for Seymour to have a public park, somewhere accessible, a sensible spot, not one that causes conflict in the community. Parks bring people together,not tear them apart. Don't tell me there isn't a single place in Seymour that would be just right. Can we envision something with athletic fields, a pretty walking trail, picnic area---sort of like the Sevierville community park, minus the pool? A nice gazebo/band shell for community events and music? A beautiful greenspace for Seymour to be proud of and get lots of use out of, and not ARGUE about!
I just saw the so called sign on the tree if the person had any smarts that placed it there would not go around placing objects on other people property.
Most of the people crying about a lack of parks, a lack of restaurants and a lack of county offices in Seymour are people who have recently moved here.
Here's a thought. If you wanted to be within five minues of all that, why didn't you just stay in west Knoxville or where ever else you came from?! I think it's ridiculous that people knew good and well what was and was not in Seymour. They move here then want to change it into something else. I think the whole thing is hilarious.
jim kidwell. alot of these people didnt mind progress or the building of homes and condos in what was other peoples back yards!! this brings to mind another issue. uncontrolled building of homes. this is the reason there isnt a "good place" to build anything like a ball complex or community park. no matter where you want to build there will be a group of homeowners that doesnt want it. just take a good look at our mountains, soon ALL of them will be huge lumps speckled with cabins! sevier county needs to wake up!!
Some one needs to stop and think about the children..All we had growing up was creeks to play in and a ball field that everyone came to for the kids to play without all this fussin and we turned out just fine..
I'm not so sure about that...
Please understand that the community on Knob Creek Road is not against a community park. The problem is that this area on Knob Creek is not designated as a community park but rather a sports complex. There has been a lot of misconceptions regarding this sports complex. Let me attempt to give a couple of facts.
1). Bower Field is not for sale. There is always going to be baseball there according to Benjamin Bower.
2). The proposed area is supposed to have stadium lights. This was discussed and price was even mentioned by the optimist club at the meeting. Judy Godfrey is on record discussing the lights and saying there will be no lights.
3). The Seymour Community Park, which currently only has AYSO playing there, has been offered to the county numerous times. There are 8 undeveloped acres and they even approached the county when this was proposed. This was confirmed by Bill Oakes and Buster Norton at the meeting. The county turned down the offer before accepting this land because "they were not in the parks business". Judy Godfrey is on record as saying she has worked on this for over a year.
4). The current land on Knob Creek has a creek that runs around it. That creek septic lines running over it. The septic lines were broken by the county when they were clear cutting the creek. Buster Norton said the lines were fixed by the county, the residents can prove they fixed the lines. Regardless, raw sewage was dumped in the creek.
5). The aforementioned creek surrounds land that was used for grazing which would qualify it for a 303(d) status.
There are several other issues but the main issue is that the residents of Knob Creek would welcome a park for the community but not a sports complex.
The bigger issue however is the one of public trust. The commissioners of the 9th district have lost the trust of this area by conducting deals in secret, providing misinformation or just flat out not telling the truth. They are on record in this publication and others, saying one thing and they are on tape telling us something else. Yes, the meeting was recorded!
It is time for the commissioners to resign. Since this is the only county in the free world that has no provision to recall a politician, they would have to resign. Since this is also the worst offender in the State for having commissioners on the county payroll we must be diligent to insure that they are making policy and decisions based on how it will help them or their friends. There is much more to this and it will come out, either in a meeting or in court.
1. none of this is about bower being for sale. it was about the lease, which the optimist lost then later regained on a short term deal.
2. the ballfields at first baptist have stadium lights. saw them in use lately also. no big deal.
3. 303d.. this concerns public drinking water. it would require great reach to tie this creek to 303d using the fact it was once used as pasture.
4. wasnt aware an accident breaking a septic line was against the law? maybe these PVC lines shouldnt be running over the creek to start with? doesnt sound like it makes much sense to run PVC out in the open and over any stream, gully, or any ground fault. at any rate maybe buster norton thought the county fixed them??
it has been said that this 14 acres was first offered to lease to the rotary club, which turned it down and then suggested to lease it to the optimist club. that kind of puts an end to the rumor the county accepted the land as a favor for gary radar now doesnt it??
You are mistaken. 303(d) does not concern public drinking water. It concerns polluted creeks. Here is some research for you http://www.state.tn.us/environment/wpc/p.... At any point did anyone say that the county broke the law by breaking the PVC pipes? Didn't the county have to approve them in the first place? Buster Norton DID NOT think the county fixed them, he just thought that no one was in attendance to rebut his answer. The fact is that he had a conference call with those home owners where he denied the county broke them in the first place. He then tried to tell all of us that the county fixed them. Too bad for Buster that those people happened to be in attendance.
Bill Oakes said it was offered to the Rotary Club first of which he is a member. Judy Godfrey, when told by Benjimin Bower that Bower Field was not going to be sold, asked him if he would sell it to Gary Rader. Kind of an curious comment from a commissioner. Maybe she just has a real estate curiousity. Finally, Gary Rader lives around the corner from Buster Norton. Awful convienient don't you think?
Finally, what does the First baptist Church have to do with anything? It has no relevence to this issue whatsoever.
Dear Mr. Kidwell, I understand what you mean, but you can't deny that the building, growth and changes are going to happen no matter how much we want Seymour to stay just the way it used to be. Time marches on, and we can let it kick us around, or we can try to influence the direction. Sure would be good to know the changes will be for the better, though; making Seymour the safe, family- and business-friendly place we all want it to be. Those who happen to have moved here from somewhere else- don't know about you, but I didn't have much say in where I was born! The fact that people choose Seymour out of all the places there are to move to, isn't that kind of nice?
Let me put this on the web for all to see. We need the FBI and the TBI here now to break up this ring of corrupt thugs and thieves we have as county commissioners. Larry Waters needs to be investigated for his corruption. We need help for that state and the Feds.
From what I understand from Mrs. Moore, Ben Bower's daughter, her and her sister own the property not Ben Bower Jr. They have always delt with the Optimist Club. I understand the sisters do not get along and that they certainly do want to sell the property at some point!
were you at the meeting to hear directly from bejamin bower moore? he never said he owns it, he said that he land accroding to his great grandfathers's will is always to remain a ballfield as part of the bower estate it is an item in perpetuity. Yes, April and Susan are in disagreement as to their personal wishes for the property, but the will is binding. benjamin had no interest in attending the meeting other than he wanted the truth to be known.
the bottom land a.ak.a. the 14 acres was pasture land for cattle and used a a hot pen for over 75 years. it has only been in the last 15 that heir has not been catttle on it!!!!! and buster norton did not think the county fixed it, he was contacted personally by the family whose septic line was broken, and he told them the county was not liable for any of it, they were on their own. go ahead and defend them all you want, be content with the status quo, and do not be concerned with any of the corruption going on around you. you'll be just fine i'm sure until they slap a little pink piece of paper on a pole around your house, and run a road through your yard because no one ever stood up to them and held them accountable before they got to your house!
and i agree with #14 what does the lights a first baptist have to do with anything!
a hog pen
Buster Norton said at the meeting that the county fixed the septic line. We have it on tape along with all of the other contradictions. I'm also sure that the cattle were there less than 10 years ago. John moved hs cattle back and forh. I did not know Long John and Harry owned hogs!
Mrs. Greenjeans, I don't know how much moving you've done in your life. I know when I've moved in the past I've looked at what different areas had to offer. It was never my intention or desire to move someplace with the hope of turning it into something different. That's theh problem I have with a lot of these newer residents.
are you just not wanting to see what the lights at first baptist has to do with anything. ill spell it out plainly to you.
NOBODY said a word about that ball complex going in at first baptist. it is located between smoky crossing and a neighborhood (just not yours) just like the proposed site is. it has stadium lighting that shines just as brightly into that neighborhood (that just isnt yours) as the lights at the proposed site would (but into YOUR neighborhood) its the same thing just on the other side of smoky crossing where YOU dont have to see or hear it.
now do you understand????
i guess you dont understand the power of our government. just a little food for thought. the supreme court says our government can take any section of land that it (the government) thinks will serve the public better OR make more money than it would in its current form.. check for yourself.
Has the county lawyer reviewed this issue?
The county attorney reviewed the development project for High bridge and gave his legal opinion that it did NOT meet the codes and regulations for approval - and six commissioners voted for it anyway - one of them being Mr. Delius.
Did those residents in the neighborhood by the church effected by those lights raise an issue? Is it our problem if that neighborhood didn't do anything to stop those lights and ballpark? I'm tired if hearing "you didn't do anything for the Seymour Park when they needed help".."you didn't do anything to stop the sex shop".."you didn't do anything to stop the ballpark at the church".."you didn't do anything to help get a tractor". That's a very flimsy and passive aggressive approach to this problem. People sound bitter because the neighborhoods most effected by this sports complex are up in arms. Well, these neighborhoods are doing something about it. This is an organized initiative to stop this sports complex. If you felt so passionately about the issues you keep bringing up, why then didn't you put flyers in peoples mailboxes, go to the Seymour Herald and ask for an interview/ariticle, develop your own blogspot to coordinate and inform everyone about the ongoing activities, schedule meetings to discuss it and inform your neighbors? Stop complaining about what hasn't been done in the past! You see a problem, then take the intiative and do something about it rather than simply complaining about the activities of those that are doing something about it!
AMEN......now your on the right track, let's move forward.
That pretty much sums it up. And I agree #28, let's move forward.
Where do we go back to STUCK ON STUPID we have been there for 28 years with Larry Waters and that has proved to get the people nowhere. We need a Federal and State Investigation into this and many more issues goinging on with the County Commissioners. Being a County employee and a Commissioner stinks to high heavan. So where do we go from here?
Has the county lawyer reviewed the ballpark issue? Can the Governors office of ethics help? TBI? FBI?
Has anything illegal or unethical happened?
thank you for proving my point. none of those issues that you spoke of had a direct effect on you so you didnt say a peep. how about all the new housing they are building on the OTHER side of these neighborhoods??? ALL of those houses spell out more cars. maybe even TWICE the amount of vehicle than are driving those roads today. are you going to get a lawyer to stop them from building also?? NO!! again i guess you dont understand (not that i agree with this) that the government has the right to use any land they see fit for anything they choose. the supreme court made that final just a short time ago!! and im sure our local government is aware of that..
A "peep" was never said as none of the issues were ever brought out as being an issue. That's the point. You can't make a "peep" if you don't know about it. How hard is that to understand or do you simply just want to argumetative and devisive? again.. time to move forward. That argument doesn't hold any water.
nope.. your argument doesnt hold any water due to all the holes in it!! so,
the added cars from continued home building doesnt bother you.
the complex less than 1/4 mile from you doesnt bother you.
the condition and safety concerns of the roads to and from your home doesnt concern you.
you would rather the roads stay the way they are no matter the condition or safety concerns.
you dont believe the government has the right to use any land they way the see fit??
you think your inactivity in the past deserves a free pass now that something happens that interests you?? hmmm ok
It seems to me that we'd all get much further along if we agreed to combine our energy to come up with a good solution to the lack of a county sponsored park. Hopefully we can build a place where all children can play wether we play soccer, baseball or just want to swing on a swing set or take a walk on a peaceful trail.
Hopefully it will be with the approval of all Seymour citizens without the cloud of distrust that has been created by this mess!
careful i suggested the same and was accused of being a plant by the commission.. : )
folks please read this article
just put it in your search
supreme court backs municipal land grabs
this is on CNN.com but you can find it easily..
Interesting that you feel comfortable telling me what concerns me:
- the added cars from the continued home building doesn't bother you - WRONG. I've been bring that up from day 1.
- the complex less that a 1/4 mile from you doesn't bother you - WRONG. Again, that's been part of the discussion. There is already a complex near us, why do we need another one?
- the condition and safety concerns of the roads to and from your doesn't concern you - WRONG AGAIN. I've even been interviewed about that problem. The roads are too dangerous and some child might get killed while trying to cross that road during a tournament.
- Would rather the roads stay that way.. _ AGAIN, WRONG!
- You don't belive the government has the right to use any land the way they see fit. WRONG... AGAIN! The government has the right to do whatever it wants (or so Bush would have you believe) however, they don't have the right to push things through with back room meetings,under the table.. there should be public hearings/meeting to discuss the issue BEFORE it's final!
as as for my inactivity.. you don't know me from a hole in the wall and have absolutely no right to make that statement. Just shows your ignorance. Have a nice day.
-
as you can see the #37 does not tell who you are. and the post was not pointed at just one person. ive read every post made on this issue on every story. over and over again people say they dont want the road fixed. they dont want to hear about "the other" complex as in seymour park or first baptist. that the other issues in the area like the sex shop, seymour park, and others werent paid attention to due to not knowing about them. again i dont know how anyone could know that #37 is for or against anything. one more thing. bush didnt push the supreme court to make the decision it made. those that voted for it were liberal judges. the "bush appointed" justices voted against it. im not going to call you ignorant im just going to say if you are the person leading or a person helping to lead this you should know a little bit about this ruling. if the government can take land for whatever reason they feel. what makes you think you can stop them from using land that someone has given them. and i really hope they are willing to work with the community and take seymour park and build a ball complex there. i also wish for the roads to be fixed with or without a park being built between the neighborhoods. im just saying youve got to put down some of the reasoning that is given in some of these posts. it wont help the effort to keep saying some of these things.
We are becoming divided here in Seymour over this issue. The truth of it is there are several issues that need to be solved and there are issues that are important to people in areas away from Knob Creek. There have been people in the Seymour area that have tried to stand up before but were shouted down by long time residents who did not want change. People like Steve Brenner who tried to stop the molestation of Boyds Creek, and those of you who complained about the McDonalds sign. No one however has ever been the one to really stand up and say we need change. The reason is that everyone in Seymour either works for the county, in the county or knows one of the politicians and is afraid to lose their livelyhood by speaking out. Is this really anyway to live your life? We have allowed far to much to go on in Seymour without having a voice. We occupy 6 out of 24 commission seats (1/4) even though we have more residents than the other areas combined. The commission needs 13 votes to decide on issues. Why are 7 commissioners outside of Seymour allowed to make decisions that impact our lives? Why does Sevier County have the maximum number of commissioners allowable by law when other, larger countys have half that many.
Truth is, we need to come together as a community and decide how we want to proceed. Do we want to be an incorporated Seymour that makes its own decisions or do we want to be a community where 400 votes gets you elected. My point is there are three kinds of people. People who make things happen, people who watch things happen and people who wonder what happened. I would rather stand up for whats right and lose than sit back and watch my community erode from under my feet. Commissioners cannot hear your voice if you do not speak up.
Patrick Doyle
The comment above by For Everyone is correct. We have had no proper representation by our commissioners at all for years. Look how long it took us to get a simple thing like a light at Food City. Then consider how long it took to get a turn lane on Chapman.
Now look at all the development in the rest of the county.
Not very equal is it.
I agree, it's past time that we incorporate Seymour and have actual effect on what happens here.
We live here - we pay our taxes here - we should be represented here.
Let us unite, incorporate and determine how Seymour will develop.
Are they going to run and hide upstairs again and send down yellow pads for us to write on again. Give me a break! These STUCK ON STUPID GOOD OLD BOYS have got to go and if it is to jail that is fine with me. Call the TBI and FBI and ask for an investigation. We know we can't trust these folks to be truthful anymore!
What part of this do you people fail to understand?
Editor:
The actions of at least six of our planning commissioners were appalling at the Planning Commission meeting May 8. The commission heard legal testimony from three separate lawyers, plus testimony from their own county attorney and a sworn affidavit from their own county road supervisor, all of which stated that the High Bridge development did not meet the minimum requirements for approval and the previous vote to approve should be rescinded.
The commission then voted to rescind that approval by a slim 7 to 6 vote. The six commissioners that voted to allow the development to continue were Gibson, Watson, Delius, Hillard, Keener and Mr. Allen. Max Watson even made belittling remarks publicly about the attorneys after they left. Obviously after hearing such unanimous legal testimony these commissioners felt that they were above the law, and even though the project approval was clearly wrong and did not meet the guidelines, they voted to approve fellow county commissioner Kenneth Whaley's project.
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Every honest citizen in Sevier County should be outraged at the actions of these six planning commissioners. If our planning commissioners feel that they can't abide by the rules and regulations they have been sworn to uphold, they should resign. The disdain for the law and the legal opinion of their own county attorney that these six commissioners showed to the packed courthouse by their vote should be alarming to every honest citizen of Sevier County.
They were out of line when they voted for initial approval and they were out of line once again in their vote May 8. The actions of my own commissioner, Max Watson, were deplorable. The numerous conflicts of interest that abound in the commission's votes should not be tolerated.
Mr. Whaley's own conflict of interest in representing the developer should be questioned. And the county mayors' continued silence concerning the actions of his appointed board members is a disservice to all citizens of Sevier County.
Jim Wilson
Sevierville
The above letter by Jim Wilson was printed by the Mountain Press and I copied it for you all to see what his views are about our planning commission.
Can you get ahold of the future growth plan for Sevier county? It was to have been submitted some time ago. That could benefit everyone.
this has nothing to do with anything, but there havenotbeen any cattle on °the 14° acres in the last10 years!
when is this community going to see we have a good thing going with soccer here and no one in the community to back it the seymour community fields have had no help for years and soccer has done ok, but could we ever get a real field and practice fields of some quality for our kids Gary Rader only cares about baseball and football we need someone who cares about sports equally to be in charge of a project like this. In closing why not put money into the community fields for soccer so they might be on a more even playing field with the other sports PLEASE HELP!
My son plays at the highschool and we already have a battle there the girls I hear don't even have a quality practice field with grass on it and have to compete with football to play games on the highschool field wasn't title nine supposed to give women equal rights the girls at the high schools definately have something to complain about and the boys have it a bit better but have to share half there practice field with track during the season and don't get to play on the hallowed ground at Benton Householder field in the rain but i guarantee if it is raining on friday night there will be football. GIve the soccer kids in the community something to be proud of baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, softball all have their own place to call home whether a gymnasium or field why can seymour soccer have the same to offer it just doesn't seem fair.
We are trying
All Seymour is, is a voter growing garden for the corrupt politicians. They come down there and shake your hand and snow you under for your votes. There is no County Growth Plan. Better yet, let's see where all the county tax money got spent. Let's have a sunshine day. That will never happen either. When you let county employess be county commissioners you are putting the fox in charge of the chickens. Let's ask Nashville for a County Audit and open disclosure of spending and assets on hand. Everybody needs to contact Senator Raymond Finney and demand a county audit. This will strike fear in the hearts of the chosen few! 28 years of Larry Waters corruption is quite enough!
Who can help with an investigation? The Mayor won't step up to the plate! He's AWOL again!!!
Where is leader when you need one?
looks like some people are trying to use a ball complex for political gain. incorporate seymour?? with that comes even more government and government power. looks like alot of people are just trying use this issue of a ball complex to further OTHER agendas ..
you people that live around there quit complaining about traffic issues and all that all you all care about is yourself i just don't think you all get it
true the land should not have been accepted especially when there is already land in seymour ready to have the finishing touches to make it a nice park but our wonderful commisioners are not in the parks and rec business well what business are they in baseball
politics politics politics.. we are all being suckered by politics.. seems a few people at the heart of this are working to further their own plitical aspirations. you know who you are!!
We really need a community park...not another ball field.....
Do you think Seymour should be treated equal with the rest of the county?
Do you think Seymour should have a satillite County Office to buy your car tags, renew your license, pay county bills?
Do you think Seymour could improve the traffic Flow?
Do you think Seymour needs a better garbage disposal system?
Do you think Seymour should have a Community Center?
Do you think Seymour should have a real Park?
Do you think Seymour should have a Boys & Girls Club?
Then I believe I'm the Right Person !
For the record I am not running for any public office. I am trying to see that the elected public servants are just that " Public Servants " and not "Public Dictators". 28 years of STUCK ON STUPID is enough. 28 Years of back room closed door dealing is enough, we need open and transparent leadership not leaders that are afraid to show their faces and send yellow pads down as they hide on the second floor. We want to see the county books, we want to see where every penny of our tax dollars are being spent, we DEMAND SUNSHINE and it does not have a thing to do with politics. If anything it is time to end GOOD OLD BOY POLITICS this is 2007 not 1977. Enough is Enough!
not talking about you john
Good luck seeing the county books.
There was an article the other day where the state had conducted an audit. It looks like at least one department head isn't following guidelines.
The county mayor said that he could ask the department head to follow proper procedures. He also said it wasn't a problem. Apparently, it is since the auditor felt the need to comment on it!
I would think that the CEO of a corporation or a county mayor could issue a directive stating that all accounting principles would be followed or else "you're fired!"
Optomistic, I know but, I still would like to think that officials would have the will to do what's right.
I think the books may be "sealed" for homeland security purposes!
seems some folks dont remember the people that didnt want seymour buissiness park. because the land it was proposed to be built on was a flood area. guess what they built it anyway. and now cherokee hills rd floods worse than ever. thanks to the builder of that complex. BTW what is the name of that paper in that complex??
Just like the rest of your comments. A bunch of hot air.
What are to talking about flood area at Cherokee hills rd. The road is on a hill and the entire road is covered with water when it pours. It has been that way since the first house was built there.
Plus there was never a flood area there. You must be thinking of something else or,
it sounds like sour grapes against the people at the business park.
no flood area huh?? yes water runs off that hill. and yes it is MUCH WORSE than it was. why do you think the business park cut the drains across the road AFTER they built it?? i know whatever is said here that doesnt agree with the NKCC is "hot air". again. another issue that doesnt concern the NKCC. "Notice" i take it you live in cherokee hills?? this is so funny. ive posted many truths and all i get is "it doesnt matter" you want all of seymour to care about the knob creek area problem but then nobody cares about all of seymour. interesting to say the least.
oh and i guess you dont understand what that big area behind all those buildings in that strip is do you?? with those funny looking steel tubes that water can run through?? i did use the wrong description though. its a drainage area not a flood area. thanks for pointing that out. so they screwed up the drainage area.
What does any of that have to do with a sports complex on Knob Creek Road. If you have a personal vendetta or an agenda other than the topic, find somewhere else to put it. You obviously have a problem with someone who has nothing to do with this story and quite frankly I am tired of hearing it. Because you people in Cherokee Hills let everyone run over you is the exact reason why your neighborhood is run down. I wouldn't build a doghouse there.
We have already seen , on Several occasions that Larry Waters is just not going to do the right thing. The best thing he could do for the people of this county os to step down. That will never happen. I do not believe the Federal of Informations Act is vacated by the Patriot Act and Homeland Security. I have been informed that we have the right to see the county books and where every dollar of our tax money is spent under Federal Law. We need a Federal Investigation as was done in Cocke County, Larry Waters birth place. It is time to contact the FBI and file a complaint!
To # 63. When you have weed in your garden you need to pull them out by the root to get rid of them. This issue has opened a can of worms and the publics eyes to the bold corruption by our County Commissioners. They can not be recalled by the public and they know this and are "PUBLIC SERVANTS" they are PUBLIC DICTATORS". Do you want to continue to live under a dictatorship is Sevier County? It is time to rid ourselves of the problem onece and for all. It is a whole lot bigger than this one issue of a ball park. How many times are we going to let these dictators control out lives. That is what is really at stake here!
ok i forgot things have to be explained in great detail here. the seymour bussiness park, which houses the seymour herald, was built there without thought to the people that live around it. NOW they are showing great concern about a ball complex that has alot of the same issues as the bussiness park. of course not the high number of cars and people. but homeowner concerns. BTW im sure all the people that live in cherokee hills will love what you have to say about their neighborhood. hey.. i think mr. karl lives there also : )
They are going to use that security crap as an excuse. I agree that there is a lot of palm greasing going on here, especially about all these cabin communities. The water department don't come by & read meters anymore. They guestimate our bills, they even said so in the paper. My water main has grass growing over it. They don't have to pay drivers to go all over the county now, and they save gas, insurance, maintenance, and labor, but our water bill don't go down. There are many other things going on.
is Joe Karl, the writer of this series of "reports", running for commissioner himself next time?
http://www.joekarl.com/index.html
Hey #66. He is not the only person interested as we have spoken with the News Sentinel, Channel 6, Channel 8, The Mountain Press and the Seymour Herald. We made a concerted effort to involve all media. You see, unlike your situation, we have chosen to stand up to the commissioners decision to let this happen. Apparently your commissioners didn't do you any favors either. So while you are pointing the fingers at people maybe you should look at the people who were elected to protect your interests and didn't. They are the same commissioners who did nothing for us.
Is it any different than Marty Hamilton ripping Warren Hurst to shreds? She was so desperate to be a commissioner she actually lost twice this past election. (Who runs as a write in after losing the primary.)
Frankly speaking, if Joe Karl had been elected in the 9th district, we would not be in this Good Old Boy fix we are stuck knee deep in now! No, I am not Joe Karl, but I do share his common sense family values! Maybe it is time for a lot of new faces and fresh ideas on the County Commissioners. We have already seen what 28 years of STUCK ON STUPID has done!
Time to read comment number one and let it sink in this time:
Yep commented, on May 15, 2007 at 8:54 p.m.:
Looks like our county commissioners as well as the mayor don't really care about the feelings of the residents. Time to file an injunction and keep them tied up in court for the next 20 yrs!
All of this old time thinking is very stale. You people who don't want change are the reason Seymour is in this predicament. You have sold out the farms, the roads and the schools due to your complacentcy. Letting the Seymour commissioners make decisions for you has allowed too much develpment, over crowded roads with no police protection, schools that are over crowded and now you are sitting back complaining because some people want to fix things. It is time we start asking for some resignations starting with Judy Godfrey and Buster Norton.
It is time to clean house from Jimmy Temple to the dog catcher Phil King. You have a dog catcher making your life choices for God's sake. What do you expect from Buster who has a County Towing contract. Come on here people, wake up and smell the coffee! Your lives are controlled by thugs who don't give a flip about you.
Call you State Senator Raymond Finney and demand a State Audit and redress!
It would be interesting to see what county commissioners work for / have contracts with the county......perhaps the folks at the seymour herald could print that? I'm sure it'd be a fund read.....
yes we do need a community park we already have one though just no one to help make it nicer Jim Green has been filing for grants but cannot get the money so he offered to the county because they could get the grants and still no action We need a real park in seymour not a baseball field or football field a park for kids to ahve a safe place to play
Evidently you don't know Mr. Karl very well.
I know Larry Waters and have seen 28 years of STUCK ON STUPID! I don't want to know him very well either. Dad always said "if you lay with dogs you are going to get flees"! When it comes to Buster Norton or Joe Karl, I will take Joe Karl hands down!
so the thinking is correct. most of this hoopla is a bunch of long time political folks trying to use this as a launching pad to further their agenda.. government takeover and or incorporation. BTW i dont live in cherokee hills. but alot of voters do. and i hope they all read what some folks have to say about them .. lots of kind words from you folks. from "if you dont live in knob creek blah balh" to "i wouldnt build a dog house in cherokee hills" on and on and on. i hope every voter in seymour remembers these comments come election time. and remember the names connected to them. i know i will.. and im one of those 400 votes needed to be a commissioner.
I am one of the other 399 votes it take to be a commissioner and I say it is time for a change, a big change. I like the 28 years of stuck on stupid. Boy have we ever been!
#77, have you ever spoken to Joe Karl? What did he do to you, start a newspaper? It doesn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that he isn't originally from Seymour and he IS trying to make a difference. I for one think that is great because the longtime residents here have done nothing! Who cares what someone said about Cherokee Hills? That is one persons opinion.
I have met joe karl and he is a jerk if things don't go his way he uses his paper to make a big stink of it and it is ridiculous
i know you folks dont care what anyone says about cherokee hills!! i have spoken to folks that live there. they are the ones that brought up the building of the bussiness park. and they are also the ones that dont like the statements made by "just one person"!! the fact of the matter is "just one person" has said alot of things that has made alot of people turn away from this issue. yes we can see "one person" says things. and NONE of you ask them not to say such things. you actually support what they say. be smug and say who cares. folks care.
with that said.....
is anybody willing to compromise on the issue of the ball complex (not high bridge or sunshine or seymour bussiness park or the complex at first baptist of the sign at mcdonalds) lets just address the issue of the the park/complex. would everyone agree to put the complex at the seymour community park site and let the county/or whoever turn the land between titsworth and n.knob creek into a nice quiet community park with swings and maybe a soccer field or two and a greenway?? or do you all just want to fight about politics??
that would be wonderful
Every one is losing sight of the issue here and that is Good Old Boy Thugery and Stupidity. There is not reason to fight the civil war again. We already lost it back in 1867 because of stupidity. This is about tomorrow and the days after that. 28 years of being STUCK ON STUPID with Larry Waters is the issue. Let's not continue the Stupidity any more! We have already proved that Stupid does not work!
As a resident of N. Knob Creek Road, we have asked for a community park. Not a baseball complex. We need a community park. We do not need another set of baseball fields. Bower Field is in Gary Raders hands until 2011. Seymour Community Park needs grants and has 8 acres to develop. They can't get the grants unless the county takes ownership and leases it back to them. Unfortunately, the county commissioners, especially the 9th district are hell bent on Gary Rader running it. He is a polarizing individual who is not the future of Seymour.
Remember, if anyone wants to address their planning commissioners - you have to get on the agenda 10 DAYS IN ADVANCE of the meeting day. You can't just show up that night and be heard. If you wish to address the planning commission, call the secretary, Geraldine at the planning commission office (453-3882) and get on the agenda to speak at the next meeting. You have to call the mayors office and get on the county commission agenda if you wish to address Larry Waters and the full county commission. There is always strength in numbers so if anyone is going to speak, the entire community should be at the meeting. The commission(s) are where the decisions are made and where you should take your grievences.
Because so many things get rubber stamped in Sevier County, everyone interested in their community must attend all public meetings.
Sign up on the sign up sheet to be heard.
Of course, good old boy meetings that take place at Shoney's (Max Watson and Kenneth Whaley - May 8, 2007) in violation of the open meetings law are harder to attend!
Call Mayor Waters for a complete list of unannounced meetings at 453-6136.
We have to give our elected officials 10 days notice that we want to talk to them about something??? Whats up with that?? Never heard of such a thing. Is this really true??
Every county I have ever lived at had a sign up sheet. I'm sure that Sevier county with it's forward thinking leaders have a sign up sheet at all public meetings to allow the public to speak to their officials (employees).
No one in their right mind could ever come up with a 10 day limit to supress the publics right to free-speech.
There is only one reason that I can think of to limit the interaction of the public with their leaders........ They don't want your input!
YES, you do have to sign up 10 days in advance and NO, they don't want your input!!
A dusk to dawn community park would be good for the community. Soccer field, baseball field, basketball court, running track on perimeter, hedges to protect the creek and playground for the kids (Baptist Church has several of these already). Oh yeah, someone who has not been fired by Gary Bower for mismanagement to run it would nice too.
I see overturned cars on N Knob Creek routinely, the road should be fixed first to incorporate the heavier traffic flow. All the other areas discussed have direct acces to Chapman Highway. We are a growing community and a lot of differing opions.
I see soccer going on at the church and see lights on at night. Bower has said the fields are there to stay for the kids. Maybe it is time to have a Sevier County Parks and Recreation Deparment to have a coordinated effort to resolve concerns of residents, parents and those of us who are both.
Can I go to a commision meeting and speak publicly without having to make an appointment?
Is there a sign up sheet?
I think we should all show up on Monday to talk to all the commmisioners about this!
i think you ahve missed the bus on this one you are not going to get the commisioners to resign so you migth as well attend meetings and keep trying to fight for the kids to have somewhere to play and with the problems with roads at N. Knob creek it would be smarter just to use the undeveloped land at the community park
Now, "that's what I'm talking about!!!" Thank you for your very helpful, productive information. It is very refreshing to have entries of this nature as oppose to much of the other type that is posted. You have validated the very reason this type of communication was set up to begin with. I feel better informed, and have the info. and phone numbers written down. THANK YOU!
FYI: In the Sunday Mountain Press there is a front page article talking about Code of Ethics. State lawmakers have required all 95 counties to adopt such a code before June 30th. This is suppose to be on Monday nights agenda. They are suppose to be establishing an ethics committee. The rules address situations in which officials may be perceived to compromise their integrity by voting on matters in which they have a personal interest.
Ethics coming to Sevier County?? Now thats news. Do we get to have a new election??
This is posted on the Moutain Press Website today. A quote from our fine commissioner Judy Godfrey:
"Commissioner Judy Godfrey, who lives in Seymour and attended the last session, said after the meeting she understands the park will be used only as a practice area and likely not have lights.
Patrick Doyle, who has helped organize the sessions, said Godfrey's statements to The Mountain Press contradict some she made in a previous meeting.
Doyle argues there was a lengthy discussion about the cost of lighting the field. Godfrey said the discussion was meant to show that lighting the field would be too expensive"
Does anyone else feel it is disingenuous for Ms. Godfrey to relay wrong information to the public like that? I've been at all the meetings and IT IS the intention of the Optimist club to have lights. They even know the brand name of the lights they intend to use. I just don't understand how Ms. Godfrey can sleep at night, giving out wrong information and misleading the public like that!
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