Construction Update- November 10, 2010

Please note the following press release:


PRESS RELEASE


The 100 Block of Gay Street will be closed beginning Monday, November 15, so crews can install about two dozen large elm trees along the street. The 200 Block will also be closed later during the week for the landscaping effort.

The work – the final phase of the Gay Street Streetscapes Project - is expected to take five days, or through November 19, to complete. The trees are 20-25 feet high and contractors will be using heavy equipment to plant them in tree wells already installed in the sidewalks.

While the street will be closed, pedestrians will still have access along the 100 and 200 blocks during the project. The work will begin on the 100 Block and travel south, toward the heart of downtown, and into the 200 block as the week progresses.

Both blocks will not be closed at the same time.

Crews with Southern Constructors began the Gay Street Streetscapes project in the spring of 2009 and over the next 15 months replaced the street and replaced and widened the sidewalks on the 100 and 200 blocks.

Contractors also renovated the bridge-like supporting structure that has held the 100 Block of Gay Street suspended one story above the original street for nearly a century and upgraded the utility infrastructure along both blocks.

Most of the work was completed by August but contractors needed to wait until the more favorable fall conditions for tree planting.


In addition, the Contractor will begin sodding the area around the Cradle of Country Music Park and will begin replanting the planter boxes. This work will finish up our project except for a few loose ends the City will begin working on.

Please don't forget the Veterans Day Parade at 10:30 on Thursday November 11, 2010. The route will once again bring the Parade down the 100 and 200 Blocks of S. Gay Street ending on Depot Street.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and encouragement throughout this project. It was truly a team effort by all.

Halloween Block Party

From our friends at Slamdot:

Time
Friday, October 29 · 5:30pm - 10:00pm

Location
100 Block of Gay Street, Downtown Knoxville
108 S. Gay Street
Knoxville, TN

Created By
Slamdot

You're invited to Nightmare on Gay Street, a family-friendly Halloween event hosted by Slamdot, on Friday, October 29th, from 5:30 pm to 10 pm, on the 100 Block of Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, with a private Haunted Open House at the Slamdot Store for our customers and friends.For all those souls who dare, come join your fellow humans...dead or alive...and bring your young to partake in the night of fright and eve of enchan...tment, where we hope you'll escape unscathed to tell your own twisted tale of....- Live music from WE Have a Tradition- Special performance of "Thriller" by Momentum Dance Lab, Knoxville's newest modern dance company founded in 2007 (learn more at http://www.momentumdancelab.com/)- Food vendors, including Bread of Heaven Catering BBQ (http://www.breadofheavencatering.com/), Larry's Coney Island, Rita's Ice (http://www.ritasknoxville.com/), kettle corn and lemonade from Steamboat Sandwiches!- Ghost story read by Mayor Tim Burchett at 6:30!- Downtown candy crawl- Costume contests for all ages- A pumpkin carving contest among downtown businesses- Creepy critters from Ijams Nature Center- A Vampire Castle bounce house- Medieval swordfighting demonstrations by the Lukasbruder fighting guild- Kid's Halloween games, including Candy Corn Guess, Mummy Bowling and Guess the Monster Parts- Spooky Snapshots by Jennie Andrews Photography- A mystical magician- Wisdom Wagon fortune telling- Monster face painting- Trick-or-Tattoos- And much more!For the official Nightmare on Gay Street flyer, please visit http://www.nightmareongaystreet.com/, and share this with anyone you know, including zombies, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, vampires, witches, mummies or any other supernatural beings you may be acquainted with. And a special thanks to Meadow View Greenhouse and Garden Center (http://www.meadowviewgreenhouse.com/) for contributing to the Halloween decor.At the Slamdot Store, we'll be having a private Haunted Open House for our close friends and customers. We will have beer, wine, light refreshments, Halloween music, and a bone-chilling scene to mingle and network with others, along with some fangtastic door prizes! Food will be available to purchase outside during the Nightmare on Gay Street event. All you should bring is a costume and your business cards, although neither are required. The Slamdot Store is located at 108 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.Please RSVP no later than Monday, October 25th, to rsvp@slamdot.com with your name and the number of additional guests you will be bringing.*NOTE: We're requiring all those attending Slamdot's Haunted Open House to RSVP, as we're limiting entry to those who are signed up to come. However, all are welcome to come out for the Nightmare on Gay Street event! The Slamdot Store is located at 108 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Also please note that the 100 Block and 200 Block will be closed to vehicle traffic from 3pm until 11pm and there will be no onstreet parking all day Friday.

http://www.nightmareongaystreet.com/
http://tnjn.com/2010/oct/20/nightmare-on-gay-street-brings/

City People's 2010 Downtown Homes Tour

Mark your calendar for the City People 2010 Downtown Homes Tour on 10/10/10 -- Sunday, October 10. The tour will begin at 10 a.m., and 10 beautiful downtown living spaces will be on the self-guided tour this year. Advanced tickets (through 11pm, October 9th) will be -- you guessed it -- just $10 and can also be purchased on-line at our website www.citypeople.org. Advanced tickets will also be available at Abode on Market Square and Bliss Home on Market Square and at their west Knoxville location through Oct. 9.

Day-of tickets are $15.


We have a great line-up of home including two newly opened buildings - the Daylight on Union Avenue and Southeastern Glass on Jackson Avenue. Other Buildings include the Mill Agent, the Carson, Lerner Lofts, Emporium, Phoenix, and the Bungalows on Market Square, and individual residences on Gay Street and Jackson Avenue.

More than 700 people participated in the 2009 Downtown Homes Tour, touring furnished residences of all types and sizes throughout Downtown Knoxville. Units were housed in everything from carefully restored historical buildings to loft warehouse space to beautiful new construction. Many of downtown's current residents were introduced to urban living through one of the City People Downtown Homes Tours, helping Knoxville's center city grow to more than 2,000 residents over the last few years! Proceeds from Downtown Homes Tour are reinvested back into Knoxville's center city community through grants to downtown causes such as Shakespeare on the Square, James White Fort, Market Square Farmers Market, and more.

Hola Festival 2010

What: Hola Festival 2010
When: Saturday, October 9, 2010 - 11:00am
Where: 100 Block of Gay Street
Hola Festival 2010 comes to the 100 Block of Gay Street this Saturday, Oct. 9 from 11AM to 8PM. Hola Festival celebrates diversity as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and features authentic music and dance performances, food, cultural exhibits, and a Parade of Nations.

http://www.holaknoxville.org/festival/happenings.php

Block Party

Please don't forget this event!

Friday October 1, 2010
Block off the Night to Celebrate the Arts
100 Block Party - South Gay Street
5:30 pm to 9 pm
Family Friendly Fun!! Free Entertainment, Live Music & Food Vendors in celebration of the reopening of the 100 Block of S. Gay Street. Come experience Cirque Du Gay Street featuring trapeze artist, aerial dancing on silks, fire eating, fire breathing and Poi. There will also be performances by Momentum Dance Lab, Contemporary Rock Band "We have a Tradition", an Award winning performance of "Thriller" and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet. Celebrate the reopening of the 100 Block by dancing in the street.

Jackson Avenue Parking Lot

We plan to reopen the Jackson Avenue Parking lot this weekend.


Of course it will be free parking for the weekend as we have for other parking downtown.

The City of Knoxville will begin charging for parking in the Jackson Avenue Parking Lot beginning on September 13 at 6:00am – though parking will still be free there at night and on weekends.

The Public Building Authority and Republic Parking will manage the Jackson Avenue Parking Lot for the city and will offer paid daily and monthly parking.Rates will be $1 an hour, for a maximum daily rate of $8, or monthly parking is available for $40. For more information on rates please contact Republic Parking at 865-524-0602 or PBA at 865-595-3350.

September 1, 2010 Update

Please remember the renovations to the Jackson Avenue Parking lot beginning today. Details were provided in the previous post.



Almost all of the construction has now been completed with only some landscaping remaining.

As we noted earlier, Gay Street will be closed for an additional two days in order to plant the large trees. This will likely occur in late September/ early October.



The Block Party is scheduled for October 1, 2010 and will coincide with the October First Friday.

Please mark your calenders for this exciting event.



The 100 Block Association has been meeting for organizational purposes and I would encourage folks on the block to help out and participate.



Congratulations to the folks at Slamdot on their five year anniversary. The had a very nice event at their business yesterday and I am sure they would be happy to visit with any of you.



Of course the September First Friday is this week and this will be the first time we have had this event with the road completely reopened. I hope to see you there.



Thanks for your interest.