Local mayors to keynote ‘roads’ Speaker Series
The impact on roadways as a result of population increases in Farragut, Hardin Valley and other West Knox County areas will headline Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce’s next Breakfast Speaker Series.
Farragut Mayor Ron Williams will join Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs; Jim Snowden, Knox County Engineering and Public Works chief engineer; and Steve Borden, Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Region 1 director/assistant chief engineer, on a panel to address the infrastructure quandary.
The series will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m., Thursday, May 4, in Fox Den Country Club.
“Of course, we would love for members and non-members to attend if they have an interest in this topic,” FWKCC president/CEO Julie Blaylock said. “It is open to the general public.”
She warned, however, that space is limited to no more than 150 guests due to the size of the venue, so she urged those planning to attend to register early.
Tickets for members are $35 while for non-members the cost is $40. Members can purchase a table for 10 with logo recognition for $350.
Sponsorships also are available, as sponsors get additional marketing availability leading up to, at and after the event, Blaylock said. There are three levels: $500, $1,000 and $1,500.
“Sponsors get different benefits at those levels, and their benefits begin as soon as they commit,” she said. To sponsor, businesses can call 865-675-7057 or e-mail the FWKCC office.
Tickets available online at farragutchamber.com or by calling the office.
”We’re excited to bring the Breakfast Speaker Series back to Fox Den,” Blaylock said. “It’s nice to be back in Farragut for this particular one, especially considering the topic.
“Just through our own experiences and statistical data that has come out, we’ve seen that there have been significant increases to our population here in Farragut and in Knox County, as well as the fact our city centers have shifted due to population,” she added.
A study released in November 2022 by Knox County/Knoxville Planning “showed that the Concord/Farragut area, as well as the Hardin Valley area — both west ends of our county — have seen significant percentage increases in population, upward of 100 percent,” Blaylock said.
“All of that is definitely impacting our roads, congestion and traffic,” she added. “It’s definitely going to impact the decisions planning departments are going to have to make to maintain existing roadways and arteries, but also where to add new ones.
“We put together a moderated panel discussion looking at these issues, both where we are now, a little bit of how we got here and how that’s going to impact businesses and individuals.”
She invited FWKCC members and businesses to “send us questions.” They can e-mail them to info@farragutchamber.com
“We only have about 45 minutes, plus Q and A, to cover the content we want to cover, but we will dive as deeply as we can,” Blaylock said.
