In the News

Holiday Season Just Around the Corner
Christmas in the City is back for a celebration of the holiday season throughout downtown Knoxville. Numerous downtown events are planned, including some old favorites and some new attractions.

Regal Celebration of Lights – November 28, 6 p.m., Gay Street at Krutch Park – It features the lighting of the 38’ First Tennessee Foundation Christmas Tree accompanied by thousands of lights decorating Krutch Park, the extension and Market Square. The Celebration of Lights also throws the switch on Up on the Rooftops, which includes hundreds of brightly lit Christmas trees adorning the roofs of buildings downtown and across the city. This year will also feature WDVX's Ho-Ho-Hoedown concert on Market Square at 7 p.m.

WIVK-Fowlers Santa Claus Parade – December 5, 7 p.m., Gay Street & the Old City – This traditional event welcomes Jolly Ole St. Nick to downtown Knoxville and features a selection of high school bands, dancers, floats and local celebrities. Julianne Hough will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal.

A complete listing of Christmas in the City events can be found on the City of Knoxville's web site at www.cityofknoxville.org/christmas, or in Christmas in the City brochures found at many local businesses and organizations. Or contact the City's Office of Special Events at 865-215-4248.

Holidays on Ice is Back
Time to lace up for Knoxville’s Holidays on Ice. The festive family fun returns in 2008 for its fourth season. Alstom presents Knoxville’s Holidays on Ice beginning November 28 and running through January 1.

Last year 16,000 folks took to the ice and spectators from all over East Tennessee experienced this one-of-a-kind event in the heart of downtown Knoxville.

Tickets are only $7 for Adults and $5 for Children (12 & under). Season passes are also available for $30 for children and $45 for adults. For a complete list of hours of operation and more information, visit www.knoxvillesholidaysonice.com.

Downtown Green Power Initiative Halfway There
KUB and the city of Knoxville are encouraging downtown residents and businesses to purchase green power as part of an initiative to make downtown Knoxville “green.”
Block for block, downtown recently surpassed the halfway mark to the goal with 280 green power blocks sold.

The initiative was kicked off in May 2008, with a goal for downtown to purchase an additional 400 blocks of green power. The goal represents the 400 city blocks in downtown Knoxville.

Green power, which is energy created by renewable resources such as wind, solar power and methane gas, is provided by KUB through TVA’s Green Power Switch program. Each 150-kilowatt-hour block of green power purchased costs $4, which is added to the customer’s bill.

Downtown residents and businesses as well as all KUB customers can sign up for green power. For more information or to sign up, visit the Environment section at www.kub.org.

KMA Presents Southern Craft and Traditional Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art from now through January 18, 2009. This major exhibition features more than 100 artworks created by masters living and working in the South today. Tradition/Innovation is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, and is designed to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.

Works by 58 traditional artists and contemporary craftspeople from nine Southern states are accompanied by an array of artist interviews, stories, and background information. Visitors can view works in glass, clay, fiber, metal, wood, paper and mixed media. The combination of contemporary craft and traditional art offers visitors the opportunity to explore the two different approaches to creating artwork, and to compare the approaches of traditional and contemporary artists.

Downtown Dog Park Plans Available Online
The City of Knoxville is moving forward with plans to build a new dog park in downtown Knoxville. Conceptual design plans, developed by the East Tennessee Community Design Center and volunteers from Carol R. Johnson & Associates, were unveiled at a public meeting last month. Specific design plans and the presentation from the public meeting may be found at http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/dogpark/.

MPC honored by American Planning Association
The Knoxville/Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission received an award for the Knoxville Downtown Design Guidelines. The Outstanding Planning Award for Implementation was given to honor the civic vision and implementation steps of the action plan formulated by Crandall Arambula in their study “City of Knoxville Downtown Implementation Strategy.”

The Knoxville Downtown Design Guidelines establish design recommendations and streetscape improvement programs that allow flexibility while fostering high quality design that will stimulate new investment. They respect the existing downtown qualities, historical resources, community desires and the need for reasonable provisions for both public and private improvements.

As part of the guidelines, the Downtown Design Review Board was created to review the appropriateness of new development and renovation in the district. The guidelines provide the framework by which the location, materials, signage and architectural character of these projects is evaluated.

Tax Credits Available for Cyclo-Commuters
You are likely familiar with last month’s “Bail-out Bill” just passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. What you may not have heard about was an attachment to this bill that may provide cyclists who ride to work up to $240 in free bike stuff every year.

The bill offers employers a $20 per month per eligible employee tax credit to cover reimbursement expenses related to the needs of commuter bicyclists. Employees do not need to bicycle to work daily to qualify for the tax credit. Things such as tires, inner tubes, chain lube, clipless pedals, power bars, tune-ups at the bike shop, almost anything even remotely related to riding could be covered.

Downtown businesses are encouraged to set up a program to take advantage of this recent adjustment to the US Tax Code. For more information, contact the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization at www.knoxtrans.org or contact Ellen Zavisca, TPO Transportation Planner at 215-3818.

Downtown Recycling Center Now Open
The new Downtown Recycling Center opened last month with a ribbon cutting at the center's 400 State Street location.

"This is something that downtown residents and businesses have wanted for a long time and we're very pleased that it's up and running, I think it will see a lot of use," Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam said. "I also want to thank Knox County for helping us to make this center a reality."

Haslam and Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale signed an agreement earlier this year - approved by the Knoxville City County and the Knox County Commission - that allowed Knoxville to develop the new recycling center on Knox County property at no charge.

The new center is also the city's newest "Super Recycling Center" meaning that it involves a partnership between the city and Goodwill, which will have an attendant and a trailer at the site for collections.

It will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., seven days a week.

Free Parking Downtown
With all the events happening in downtown Knoxville, keep in mind that free parking is available at all city-owned garages after 6 p.m. on weekdays and throughout the weekends, except for specific special events. City-owned garages include the State Street garage, Locust Street garage and the new Market Square garage. Parking during the day is also affordable in these garages at only $1 for the first two hours and a maximum of $7 per day.

Many downtown visitors still do not know about the free parking during evenings and weekends. Businesses, please help spread the word by telling customers, clients and associates about the free and reduced price parking.