Colonial Village has community pride

By Mike Steely

Senior Writer

steelym@knoxfocus.com

The Colonial Village neighborhood is located in South Knoxville, approximately 4 miles south of the Henley Bridge. The neighborhood was established in 1940 on the former Sam McCall farm. The majority of its homes were built during the 1940s and 1950s. Most of the neighborhood information was supplied by Terry Caruthers, President of the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association.

Due to the neighborhood's sinkholes and subterranean caverns — deemed geologic hazards — Colonial Village retains many natural areas that provide shelter for deer, fox, a variety of raptors, the occasional bobcat, and the random black bear.

Encompassing approximately 620 acres of contiguous RN-1 zoning, its 13 subdivisions contain over 1,000 houses, each with an architecturally distinct style. Of these single-family residential homes, approximately 75% of them are owner-occupied, many by second and third-generation residents.

While anyone is eligible to attend the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association meetings, only city residents 18 years of age or older who reside within the boundaries of Colonial Village and have paid the annual dues are eligible to be members. Those boundaries fall between the west side of Chapman Highway and the east side of Martin Mill Pike and Neubert Springs Road, extending from Fire Station 13 to Meridian Baptist Church. Dues are $10 annually and include voting privileges.

The Colonial Village Neighborhood Association generally meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month from February through November in the fellowship hall of the South Knoxville Church of God at 5623 Magazine Road."Our objective is to recruit and utilize all relevant available resources that will promote and provide Community Pride, Economic Development, Involved Citizenship, and Solutions to Community Issues. Local, county, and state government bodies that are committed to working with the CVNA for the betterment of the neighborhood and Knoxville as a whole are welcome," Caruthers told The Focus.

Shortly after forming, the CVNA adopted Mooreland Heights Elementary School and has worked with it on a variety of projects in the past such as collecting school supplies every year. "We worked with a neighbor and were given a property easement to establish a neighborhood entrance sign at Colonial Road," Caruthers said.

"Most recently, we expanded our initial neighborhood traffic calming efforts of speed reduction and radar monitoring to include speed humps on our most heavily trafficked streets—creating a safer environment for all.

"We are working with the East Tennessee Design Center and Sheryl Ely, Director of Knoxville's Parks and Recreation Department, on some child-centered improvements for our neighborhood park," Caruthers added.

Tommy Smith represents the Colonial Village neighborhood on the city council and is very involved with the CVNA. Smith regularly attends meetings; assists and seeks solutions for projects, issues and concerns, seeking solutions, and communicates with the board. Carson Dailey is the neighborhood's county commission member. The neighborhood also has a community liaison officer, Officer Travis Harvey with the Knoxville Police Department, who regularly attends meetings and addresses member concerns.

"Colonial Village is a Dogwood Trails community, annually hosting visitors who tour our streets. We're the home to a small neighborhood 'pocket' park, Gary Underwood Park and Greenway. Inner Peace Curiosities & Apothecary Shop is located at the neighborhood entrance and sports a beautiful mural painted by Gail Ferguson Hinton. And directly across the street in the Lake Forest neighborhood is CommonPlace Coffee & Community, a gathering place for coffee and friends. Also across the highway and just down the street is The Village Bakery with the most delicious thumbprint cookies and petit fours in town," she said.