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ETQG CALENDAR
July 31: Funding Committee- Knoxville
August 2: Agritourism Workshop- Morristown
August 4: Lenoir City Rotary- Presentation on Pathways to Prosperity- Lenoir City
August 6: Tool Box Ad-hoc committee meeting- Alcoa
August 6: Executive Committee Meeting- Alcoa
August 13 (1 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m): Floodplain Training for Planners. Farragut Town Hall Community Room 11408 Municipal Center DriveFarragut, TNNo reservations are required. For more information contact the
East Tennessee Development District Planning Advisory Service at 865-233-7202
August 20: Working Meeting on Regional Equity- Knoxville
Aug/Sept: ETQG Board Meeting- TBA
September 27: Public Lands Day at Lake Norris- Maynardville
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| PUBLIC FORUM ON EPA’S CLEAN POWER PLAN |
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EVENT
TDEC, TVA and UT Baker Center for Public Policy will Host a Public Forum on EPA’s Clean Power Plan.
In June 2014, EPA issued proposed guidelines under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, which would regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants. EPA expects to issue final guidelines in June 2015.
States will submit implementation plans for compliance within a year following the issuance of the final guidelines.
This public forum will focus on Tennessee and the Southeast region and addresses some of the questions and concerns being voiced about the proposed guidelines, including potential impacts and compliance approaches.
The forum will take place at 1:00pm EST on Tuesday, August 26 at the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy in Knoxville.
Seating is limited, so registration is highly encouraged. Please click here to register.
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FCC RURAL BROADBAND EXPERIMENTS
On July 11, the FCC voted to approve a budget and application window for the Rural Broadband Experiments program allocating $100 million towards bringing broadband to rural areas without adequate service. Applications, dueOctober 14, will mark the first opportunity for providers who are not the incumbent local telephone company in an area to receive Connect America Fund subsidies to build and operate fixed broadband networks.
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We are excited to publish the first addition of ETQG’s monthly newsletter. Please feel free to share this with your colleagues and other individuals who may want to be included on our mailings. We are also interested in content submission. If there is a calendar event or information that you would like to share, this can be sent to the editor. Deadline for submission is the 20th of the month.
East Tennessee Quality Growth
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GREAT PLACES/HEALTHY PEOPLE
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Smoky Mountain Greenway Council Wants Your Opinion.
Here is a chance to weigh in on plans for the West Knox to Oak Ridge greenway plan. Take this short three question survey HEREAlcoa, Maryville Parks and Recreation gets grant for Greenways & Pool Repairs.
The Daily Times reports a $1 Million Dollar grant for recreation. See link HERE
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COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
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University of Tennessee and Lenoir City High School Collaborate on Creek Restoration Project
Imagine college students and high school students working together to restore a stream choked with invasive plants and that falls seriously short of meeting riparian zone storm water requirements. That is exactly what is happening between Lenoir City High School Lenoir City, TN and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville This service learning opportunity has become a reality thanks to UT faculty members Dr. Michael McKinney, Director, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, and Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Dr. Joanne Logan, Associate Professor, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, and Melanie Harris, Director of the STEM Academy at Lenoir City High.
University experts such as landscape architects, biologists, ecologists, and soil scientists are making their way about 30 miles from the college campus to the “field;” this field being the campus of a rural high school with a strong Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Program. Disciplines including soil science, water quality, storm water runoff, biology, and landscape architecture are a part of this effort. This is a hands-on experience for STEM students to learn how classroom facts are applied to the “real world” challenges they will face as they leave high school environment in just a few years. Dr. McKinney adds, “It’s a “win-win” for us here at UTK too. Our undergrad students majoring in sustainability and environmental studies are gaining invaluable experience for their career goals in restoring ecosystems and promoting sustainability at many levels.”
Funding to return a section of a Town Creek tributary to its original state has come from Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens and the Lenoir City Council, Lenoir City Storm Water Manager, Greg Buckner, and East Tennessee Quality Growth, a local 501.c3 serving the 16 county East Tennessee region. USDA is supporting a UT student on the project. Home Depot and Walmart have offered to donate plants to this exciting collaboration. Their contributions to this restoration effort will spark interest in students, faculty, and local citizens.
About a year ago when the City was gearing up for a road project around the High School campus, an environmental study found, near to the “soon to be construction” site, the larvae of an endangered species, the Flame Chub, Hemitremis flammea. Although it is too soon to tell, restoration of this stream section could lead to a protected habitat for this rare East Tennessee species.
What an exciting way to start a school year for both college and high school students!
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Call for Entries: Arts in the Airport Exhibition
(07/15/2014/Knoxville)The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (McGhee Tyson Airport) announce a call for entries for the next “Arts in the Airport”, a juried exhibition developed to allow regional artists to compete and display work in the most visited site in the area. Approximately 40-45 fine art works encompassing all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists will comprise the exhibition in the secured area behind McGhee Tyson Airport’s security gate checkpoint from October 16, 2014 – April 8, 2015. The deadline for entries to be received is Sunday, September 7, 2014.The call for entries is open to all artists 18 years and older residing in the 33 counties of East Tennessee. Each artist may submit up to five entries which must be original works in the following categories: 2-D (painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, photography) and 3-D (sculpture of all media).
Apply online and/or download an application at HERE, or send an SASE to Suzanne Cada, Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901. Prizes include $1,000 in cash awards. More information about the program, as well as images of the current exhibition, can be found HERE.
What’s Etsy? Workshop August 20th
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a professional development workshop for artists and other creative people on Wednesday, August 20, 12:00-1:00 PM at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville. Attendees will learn what Etsy is and how the site provides a direct selling opportunity for artists and vintage vendors. Workshop host Jane Costello will discuss some of the basics of how Etsy works, and attendees will explore the inside workings of an active, successful Etsy shop. Please register in advance via PayPal or by phone at 865-523-7543, or by e-mail at tosc@knoxalliance.com.
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AGRICULTURAL NEWS
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USDA Releases Request for Applications for Unprocessed Fruit and Vegetable Pilot
USDA announced the release of a Request for Applications from states interested in participating in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Under the pilot, up to eight states across five regions will be granted flexibility in using a portion of their USDA Foods entitlement dollars to purchase locally-grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). In addition to this pilot project, USDA also facilitates incorporating local food into school food programs via the Farm to School Grant Program. The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) filed an interim rule with the Federal Register today, allowing USDA to move forward with changes to crop insurance provisions. The provisions provide better options for beginning farmers, allow producers to have enterprise units for irrigated and non-irrigated crops, give farmers and ranchers the ability to purchase different levels of coverage for a variety of irrigation practices, provide guidance on conservation compliance, implement protections for native sod and provide adjustments to historical yields following significant disasters. Additional flexibility for irrigated and non-irrigated enterprise units and coverage levels will be available in the spring of 2015. Additional information on implementation of these changes is available at the RMA website, www.rma.usda.gov.Funds to assist with Organic Certification Costs:More funds have been made available for organic certification cost-share assistance, making certification more accessible than ever for small certified producers and handlers www.ams.usda.gov/NOPCostSharing.
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A “Walkable” City Sees Pricier Real Estate
By Diana Olick, CNBC
Car shares, bike shares, improved rapid transit and teleworking. All are the product of a new generation that is more environmentally conscious than any before it and more willing to use its own energy to get around town, rather than tapping expensive energy sources.
Millennials prefer urban cores, even ones outside of major metropolitan areas, because they want to be able to walk or bike to work and stores. In turn, areas that offer so-called walkability should see more homebuyers and renters than those that don’t.”Walkable, urban for-sale housing is by far the most expensive housing in the country. The range, depends on the market, between 40 percent and 200 percent greater than drivable, suburban housing,” said GWU’s Chris Leinberger, author of the report.
Walkability also drives recovery. Home values have bounced back higher and faster in walkable neighborhoods than in the so-called exurbs. Cities that focus on walkability will likely see more retail, restaurant and office investment. Researchers compiled a “future ranking” on walkable urbanism and put Boston at the top of the list. The vast majority of Boston’s development in this real estate cycle has been walkable urban. Read the complete article HERE. |
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