What are the priorities in Knox County?
I was curious about this issue concerning the proposed and unwanted Knox County 370-acre industrial park at Midway Road and Thorn Grove Pike. I did not understand what this was all about until I read Sandra Clark’s article in the Halls Shopper. Even WBIR and the Knoxville News Sentinel have coverage. The big question, why is this being run through the system so fast? Why is the price of this land $ 29,000 per acre? Riddled with sinkholes and having no sewer or water connections that is very expensive land for East Knox County.
Chamber CEO Mike Edwards on WBIR-TV, “Sometimes you have to do what’s best for the entire community.” Okay. I guess that explains it. Business as usual.
Sandra Clark writes, “We’ve had too many white elephants from The Development Corporation – the Farmers’ Market; the Rifle Range Road industrial park, now a bird sanctuary; the Coster Shop property.”
TDC really needs to be investigated. There needs to be some guidelines on the extent of TDC’s power. The idea to spend 30 plus million dollars on an undefined industrial park that has no customers is foolish in a time when the Knox County budget is bursting at the seams. Knox County had a 500 million dollar budget when Mayor Ragsdale took office. Today’s Knox County budget is 575 million dollars. What will next years budget be? We are watching the “Don Sunquist spend happy never worry about tomorrow type of politics”. Spending is out of control in this administration.
How many times must we go through the “If you build it they will come” scam?
The new Hardin Valley High School is being nickeled and dimed to death while Knox County has already spent 5 million dollars to create jobs in Blount County with the Knox County investment in the Blount County Business Park. Now in less than 8 weeks the Ragsdale administration instructs TDC to spend another 30 million dollars? When does this spending orgy end?
The idea that low paying jobs are more important than educating children shows how screwed up the priorities of Mayor Ragsdale’s administration are. This is all so the Mayor can claim credit for creating new jobs and run for Governor.
Can Knox County afford Mayor Ragsdale’s gubernatorial ambitions?
