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KAT to Celebrate Opening of the New Knoxville Station
KAT is celebrating the opening of Knoxville Station, the City of
Knoxville's new transit hub and first LEED-certified building, with a
number of activities. Members of the downtown community are encouraged
to attend. The center will be operational on Monday, August 16, 2010. Grand Opening activities include:
First Friday Open House:
On Friday, August 6, KAT will host a First Friday Open House, with
special emphasis on the art and architecture of the building. The
special environmental features of the building will be highlighted and
explained by the project's lead architect, and the evening will feature
the Grand Opening Art Exhibition - a juried exhibition featuring a
variety of artists. The event is from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting:
Mayor Haslam and other dignitaries will officially open the new facility
on Friday, August 13th at 11 a.m. The
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies will feature tours of the facility, light
refreshments, and a variety of speakers.
Public Open House:
KAT will host an open house for the public and KAT passengers on
Saturday, August 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Guided tours of the
new facility will be held, and passengers can get one-on-one trip
planning from Transit Agents. Light snacks will be available and KAT
will be celebrating with passenger giveaways - while they last.
For more information on the Knoxville Center, visit http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/kat/
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Pilot Recycling Program Beginning Downtown
You may have noticed new recycling containers on the streets of downtown Knoxville recently. These are a result of a pilot
recycling program by the City of Knoxville and Waste Connections.
The project features receptacles located at approximately 20
different locations downtown for recyclable material including aluminum
cans, bottles, glass containers, plastic cups and mixed paper among
other items.
The pilot program grew out of discussions in one of the city's Energy
& Sustainability Task Force committees. Waste Connections, the
city's contractor for household garbage pickup, is working with the city
to collect the recycling data and is providing the financial support to
implement the pilot program.
Initially the test program will employ 95-gallon recycling
containers. If it's successful the city would look at obtaining or
developing a recycling receptacle that fits in with the downtown
surroundings.
The pilot effort is aimed primarily at people who work and visit
downtown who would like to be able to recycle a can or a newspaper
rather than just throw it away. It is not a curbside program for
residents who live in the center city.
More information...
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East Tennessee History Fair: August 7
The East Tennessee Historical Society will celebrate the region's history in a big way in downtown Knoxville on August 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. An estimated 6,000 guests will join in the excitement of the Third Annual History Fair - a fun and educational free event for all ages.
The 2010 History Fair activities will include a living history timeline, historical and genealogical groups from the region's 35 counties, and live traditional music from WDVX and the Clayton Country Music stage. There will be historical craft demonstrations, storytelling, and children's activities including Davy Crockett's birthday party, trolley tours to downtown's historic homes and cemetery, and vintage movies.
At the East Tennessee History Center free tours will be offered of the new exhibition Voices of the Land: the People of Tennessee and the current feature exhibition, Vanishing Appalachia: Photographs by Don Dudenbostel, Field Recordings by Tom Jester.
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100 Block is Reopen
.JPG) After more than a year of construction the project to replace the
existing street and replace and widen the sidewalks on the 100 and 200
Blocks of Gay Street in addition to utility improvements is nearing
completion.
The project also included the first-ever renovation of the near
century-old underground support structure suspending the 100 Block above
the original street.
The City of Knoxville held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Gay Street Streescapes Project last month. While some work continues, Jackson Avenue has reopened to traffic and Gay Street should reopen by the First Friday in August.
A block party to celebrate the completion of work is tentatively scheduled for September 10. For more information, visit the 100 Block Construction blog.
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Shakespeare on the Square
Downtown Knoxville is known for its inviting atmosphere, entertainment and culture. Nothing brings those aspects together better than the Tennessee Stage Company's Shakespeare on the Square. Performed each summer, Shakespeare on the Square is a free, outdoor summer Shakespearean festival featuring live performances on the Market Square stage.
This year, featured performances include the well-known "Romeo and Juliet," a tragedy about two young star-crossed lovers. Also included in this summer's line-up is "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," a parody of Shakespeare's works performed in shortened form by only three actors.
One play is performed nightly at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August 15. August dates for "Romeo and Juliet" are Aug. 6, 8, 12 and 14. "Complete Works" will be performed Aug. 1, 5, 7, 13 and 15.
For more information, visit the Tennessee Stage Company online.
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We Need Your Input: Last Chance
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The CBID is conducting a survey to find out what you do and don't
like about downtown, as well as what you think the CBID / Downtown
Knoxville should be doing to better the central city.
If you have not already had a chance to complete the survey, please do so. To complete the Downtown Knoxville survey, click here.
The survey will only be active for a few more days, so be sure to make your thoughts and opinions heard.
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Downtown Sidewalk Improvements
| The City of Knoxville has begun accepting bids on a sidewalk improvement project for portions of Market Street and Union Avenue in downtown.
The work involves improvements to sections of sidewalk on Market Street between Cumberland Ave. and Church Street and on Union Ave. between Gay Street and Market Street. The city hired Hedstrom Design, a Knoxville landscape architecture firm, in early 2009 to develop a plan to upgrade those two sections and held a public meeting late last year to get some input on the proposed design.
More information...
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N. Gay Street Design Work Beginning
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Detail design work has begun for streetscape work for the 300 & 600 blocks of N. Gay St. The goal is to finalize the work this summer and put out to bid this fall. For more information, images, project history, and master plan details, click here. |
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Volunteer Landing Updates Approved
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City Council approved funding last month for the Volunteer Landing Gateway Village. This project will convert an existing plaza space which has been
underutilized into parking with additional access to the waterfront and
Volunteer Landing. An on-site walk through has been planned with the
contractor, Design & Construction Services, Inc., for early August and
construction should be completed before the end of the calendar year.
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