Bridge Meeting, Be There

Quick update.

Remember there is a meeting about the future of Henley St. tonight at 6PM at the Community center. It would be great for anybody who is interested in the future plans of what Henley will look like to be there are as a sign that we would like for there to be real change and for a highway not to be running through downtown.

Also, please let anyone who has been impacted negatively by the nighttime construction know about this so that there can be no more lame excuses about how no one complains.

If you can't go, please call City Councilman Nick Pavlis 579-2055 and let him know your thoughts about Henley.

K thanks hope to see many of you tonight.

Irresponsible, Incompetent, and Deadly

Updated 01-26-11 10:30PM

A tragic event happened this morning in my back yard. A man died while working construction on the Henley St. Bridge. Though there are no details that will be released for weeks I think that the evidence points to the fact that TDOT has picked the wrong company to do this construction.

I went to one of the original meetings about the Henley bridge several months ago before a contractor had been picked. My biggest concern was the noise and potential impact on my quality of life as my building sits at the foot of the bridge. I asked the man who was in charge of picking a contractor if night work was planned, he said no. He lied.

I and my neighbors and others in Maplehurst were lied to as well. The construction and jack-hammering goes on from 10PM to 6AM. It is impossible to sleep without loud ambient noise and the sleep is fitful at best. There is no work around for that kind of construction. There was no consideration given to the hundreds of people who live literally next to it and apparently there was little consideration given to those who were working on the bridge.

The company, Britton Bridge LLC, which apparently can't be bothered to set up a website, has been in business for 10 years. I'm not privy to the details of the bid, my wife called over to complain about the noise and was told, in so many words, that speed was the most important thing.

It's time to stop this crazy pace. There is no need to have men operating heavy machinery hundreds of feet off the ground in the snow, ice, and pitch black of January. There is no reason to make people suffer for years, to make their home rattle all through the night, and to create an unsafe and untenable living situation.

Complaints can be directed to TDOT and their Bridge HQ on the south-side of the bridge at 865-577-6988. I'll follow up with some further details about noise ordinances etc., but wanted to make a firm statement after this tragedy that was a complete waste of a human life. Please call often to complain about this unnecessary push that has already cost one life.

I have hope for comfort for the mans family and hope for wisdom from the city.



Some video of our typical night

UPDATE

From my neighbor: 2 emails

Hi Mr. The Pol (that's how my neighbors know me - what?),

I just finished speaking to the TDOT of Knoxville (594-2400) and spoke to a secretary. I voiced my complaints and the woman was quite rude, shocking. She said she is aware of only one other complaint and that the construction is not in violation because of the type of contract they have. It allows the contractor to work at anytime of day in order to complete the project within 3 yrs. She then transferred me to the contractors office and I spoke with another woman. In any event, I was given the phone number of the office and a Mr. Jack Stout is reportedly the man responsible and overseeing the project of the construction. The number is 577-6988. The office was closed, possibly for lunch. I will call again later. As far as the city ordinances I found, here is the direct link.

I'm going to call city council again.


And the second email:

I left a message for Nick Pavlin (579-2055), the city council member responsible for the Henley St bridge construction. I was also told they will be having a city council meeting at the Henley community Center between Blount and Chapman streets, across from an old hospital? It's at 6 pm on Jan 31st.

Noam Chomsky

Tonight at the Cox Auditorium Professor Noam Chomsky is giving a lecture. Doors at 6. It's gonna be cramped, and awesome.

NO AGE ON SUNDAY NIGHT

Sorry for the delay in getting the blog up and running again after post holiday blues, but we have had a meeting of the Wigs and are about to start taking names and kicking the blogosphere's proverbial ass.




Since we are talking about kicking ass No Age is playing the Pilot Light. The Pilot Light was closed for a bit, and cleaned/fixed the place up. For example, the bathroom doors lock and the walls are cleaner. By any means it is the best place to see rock and roll in Knoxville. It is my favorite venue ever.

The opening bands are killer (Click the names to hear the music)

The first band is Knoxville's own Dirty Knees an all girl punk rock force. They are awesome and make sure you get there in time to see them

The second artist is Rene Hell an electronic artist that is described as, "a surreal electronic explosion of abstract sonics and cracked experimentation." This show has everything. Rene Hell puts on an awesome show

The headlining band is one of my favorites, No Age. No Age popped up in 2007 with the album Weirdo Ripper, out of the L.A. underground punk scene. They then signed to Sub Pop and released the critically acclaimed Nouns. They played the Pilot Light back then with Titus Andronicus. It was awesome. Then in 2010 they released Everything in Between. They make dream-punk shoegaze noise rock awesomeness. The show is going to be incredible. Be there, it is not a night to miss.

SUNDAY NIGHT
THE PILOT LIGHT
10PM 18+ 5$

Just Ripe is Just Right for Downtown K Town

Whoa! Hello there! We all just came out of our hibernation cave in the old Sunsphere bar and are ready to get back on track for the year 2011. It might take us a second to get things up and running. Our fingers are too fat to type from eating so many holiday pies and candied hams!

Speaking of food, I want to mention an event that is happening this Saturday evening, January 15. Just Ripe is launching their Kickstarter campaign at the John Black Photography Studio in the Daylight Building (501 Union Avenue) starting at 7pm and it is open and free to the public.



If you attended the Farmers' Market in 2010 you may have noticed the brightly painted Just Ripe trailer serving dishes made from the freshest of ingredients. Well, now Just Ripe is in the process of transforming their unique enterprise into a permanent fixture in downtown Knoxville.

They are currently working on a space in the Daylight Building where they will be selling local and regional items as well as dishes they prepare with these ingredients.

Here is a video to tell you a little more about it.

The co-owners of Just Ripe (Kristen Faerber, Charlotte Tolley, Jill Christmas, Liz Moniz, & Amanda Benson) are using Kickstarter as a means to raise money to get their creative business up and running. They have a thirty day time frame to raise the money and the event Saturday will launch their campaign.

There will be music, art, tastings from Blue Slip Winery and Just Ripe, and a silent auction.

Honestly, I don't know much more about it than this, so I'll be there Saturday to learn more about what sounds like a really exciting undertaking in downtown Knoxville. Check back in a week or so, as I'm going to have a sit down with one or all of the owners at some point to really get the skinny on Just Ripe.

Speaking of skinny, my fingers just lost 3 pounds!