.
WE'RE
WE'RE BACK WITH MAYOR INDYA KINCANNON >> OF THE CITYOFKNOXVILLE SUSAN >>.
YEAH MAYOR I WANT TO TAKE
ANOTHER DIRECTION BUT SOME
THINGS YOU'RE VERY INTERESTED
IN AND VICE MAYOR MACKENZIE HAD
INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION TO TO
BASICALLY HELP US MOVE PAST OUR
RENEWAL AND PART OF THAT IS TO
CREATE A EQUITY RESTORATION
TASK FORCE WHICH I ASSUME YOU
WILL APPOINT AND THEN TO APPLY
FOR GRANTS BY THE ONE HUNDRED
MILLION DOLLARS OVER A TEN YEAR
PERIOD.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT TO BE >>
SUCCESSFUL AND DO YOU EVER
ANTICIPATE ANY CITY MONEY GOING
INTO THAT OR WILL IT ALL BE
FUNDED?
THE GRANTS?
THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE
THERE HAS SOME CONFUSION.
FIRST I'M WORKING WITH VICE
MAYOR MACKENZIE TO COME UP WITH
A SLATE OF PEOPLE THAT SHE WILL
BRING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL FOR
THEIR REVIEW AND APPROVAL FOR
WHO'S ON THAT TASK FORCE AND
VICE MAYOR MACKENZIE AND I'VE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE
FIRST THINGS WE WOULD ASK A
TASK FORCE TO DO IS SET UP
THOSE METRICS.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?
HOW DO YOU MEASURE IT?
HOW DO WE BUILD ON THE EFFORTS
THAT HAVE HAPPENED ALREADY THAT
HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR FOUR
DECADES?
WE HAD URBAN RENEWAL.
IT WAS A MISTAKE.
IT DID MORE HARM THAN GOOD FOR
SURE AND WE ARE IT'S TIME TO
HEAL AND REPAIR FROM THAT AND
INVEST IN THOSE PLACES THAT
HAVE HAD DISINVESTMENT.
BOTH MAHASEN, MAYOR BROWN AND
MAYORAL HERO AND
ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE INVESTED IN PARTS OF TOWN THAT I'VE SEEN DISINVESTED.
BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE AND IT
NEEDS TO BE COMMENSURATE WITH
THE HARM THAT WAS DONE.
SO WE'RE I IMAGINE THAT WE WILL
DO SOME CITY INVESTMENT BUT
THAT ONE HUNDRED MILLION
DEFINITELY HAS TO COME FROM
PRIVATE SECTOR AND FEDERAL AND
STATE GRANTS AS WELL BECAUSE
THE CITY ALONE CAN'T DO ANY OF
THIS WORK BUT WE CAN BE A
LEADER IN TRYING TO REMEDY
THESE HARMS OF URBAN RENEWAL.
WELL, AND >> BECAUSE OF A
CURIOUS ABOUT IT SPEAKING OF
URBAN RENEWAL, WHAT'S HAPPENED
AT THE CIVIC COLISEUM I'VE
HEARD FOR WHILE THERE'S A LOT
OF TALK ABOUT GETTING IT
UPGRADED IN REHAB AND SO FORTH
,BUT THAT SORT OF TALK HAS
GONE AWAY ARE WE IS THAT ON
ANYBODY'S RADAR SCREEN >>?
YEAH, I REMEMBER WHEN MARINARO
PUT TOGETHER A STUDY AND THERE
WERE SORT OF THREE STEPS
FORWARD.
ONE IS TO RAISE THE BUILDING
AND START FROM SCRATCH.
TWO WAS MASSIVE OVERHAUL THAT
WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY EXPENSIVE
TO DO ALL AT ONCE AND B WAS THE
MIDDLE GROUND AND SO SHE
STARTED GOING FORWARD THE
MIDDLE GROUND AND THERE HAVE
BEEN IMPROVEMENTS MADE AND WE
WANT TO PROTECT THE INVESTMENT
THAT'S GONE ON THERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ENJOY THE
PROGRAMING AND ACTIVITIES THAT
HAPPEN AT THE CIVIC COLISEUM
AND SO THAT'S THAT'S THE PLAN
IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S
MODERNIZED AND SOMETHING THAT'S
UP TO DATE AND USEFUL TO THE
COMMUNITY AND CONTINUING TO BE
AN ASSET.
YOU >> COLLEAGUE GWEN MCKENSIE
ALSO SAID OF TALK ABOUT A NEW
STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE
THAT THAT COULD BE ONE OF THE
LARGEST INVESTMENT THAT OUR
COMMUNITY HAS SEEN SINCE THE
WORLD'S FAIR.
THAT'S HOW BIG IT WOULD BE TO
THIS COMMUNITY YOU'VE ENDORSED
THE IDEA OF A BASEBALL STADIUM
AND JUST A MULTIUSE STADIUM
DOWNTOWN.
MAYOR, WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S
GOOD FOR THE CITYOFKNOXVILLE >>
?
WELL, I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT
INVESTMENT JUST LIKE WE INVEST
IN OTHER PARKS AND PUBLIC
AMENITIES.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE EXAMINE
THE PROS AND CONS OF IT GOING
FORWARD THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT
IT IS MULTIUSE.
IT'S NOT JUST FOR BASEBALL,
IT'S FOR OTHER SPORTS AND OTHER
CONCERTS AND ACTIVITIES AS WELL
THAT IT'S OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE
TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC USE TO
RENT BUT ALSO JUST PUBLIC USED
TO WALK AROUND AND USE AS A
CONCOURSE AND THE WAY WE USE
OTHER PARKS AND AMENITIES LIKE
THAT I THINK IT COULD ENLIVEN A
BLIGHTED PART OF TOWN THAT
CURRENTLY JUST DOES A LOT OF
EMPTY BUILDINGS AND COULD COULD
REALLY SPARK MORE
REVITALIZATION AS WE HEAD FROM
DOWNTOWN EAST FROM THE OLD CITY
ON TOWARDS THE MAGNOLIA AVENUE
CORRIDOR.
SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF
POTENTIAL AND I'M EAGER TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH THE NEGOTIATIONS
AND PLANS AND A POINT OF SPORTS
AUTHORITY AND ALL THOSE THINGS
TO OURW COUNCIL AND COMMISSION
.
I'VE BEEN REALLY ENCOURAGED BY
THE PRELIMINARY MEETINGS WE'VE
HAD WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND
WE'RE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF
THOSE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK
TO THE COMMUNITY HERE WHAT THEY
WANT HERE, WHAT THEY DON'T WANT
AND THEN HOPEFULLY MOVE FORWARD
>>.
DEVELOPERS HAVE SAID THEY WANT
TO BUILD IT WITHIN TWO YEARS.
IS THAT A REALISTIC TIMELINE IF
INDEED IT DOES RECEIVED THE
ENDORSEMENT OF BOTH CITY
COUNCIL AND COUNTY COMMISSION
>>?
WELL, THEY BUILT THE EMPIRE
STATE BUILDING DURING THE
MISSLES DEPRESSION IN ONE YEAR
.
SO I FEEL LIKE IT'S TOTALLY
POSSIBLE IF THE IF THE RIGHT
ENERGY AND FUNDING AND PRIVATE
SUPPORT IS IN PLACE >> DONE
WELL I WOULD SAY THEY BUILT THE
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING ALSO WHEN
THERE WAS A ZERO REGULAR TYSHON
AS IT RELATED WITH WORKER
SAFETY AND WASTE ISSUES.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO FIND AN IN
BETWEEN THERE >> I BACK A
LITTLE BIT TO TO >> THE
QUESTIONS ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AND
URBAN RENEWAL AND AND
DISINVESTMENT.
IF YOU HAD TO PICK A PARTICULAR
AREA >> OF KNOXVILLE RIGHT NOW
THAT THAT YOU FEEL LIKE SHOULD
BE THE FIRST FOCUS OF
REINVESTMENT AND RESTORATION,
WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
MAYOR >>?
I WOULD SAY HE'S KNOXVILLE
KNOXVILLE PROBABLY WAS MOST
AFFECTED BY NOT JUST URBAN
RENEWAL BUT LONG STANDING
SYSTEMIC RACISM AND
DISCRIMINATION DISCRIMINATION
THE WAY LENDERS DISCRIMINATION
THE WAY THE GI BILL WORKED, THE
REDLINING AND SOME OF THAT HAS
PERSISTED AND PREVENTED
PARTICULARLY MEMBERS OF OUR
BLACK COMMUNITY FROM BUILDING
WEALTH AND THEIR FAMILIES OVER
TIME.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE TO
BUY THEIR HOME IT MAKES IT HARD
TO BUILD GENERATIONAL WEALTH
AND INSTEAD YOU SOMETIMES HAVE
GENERATIONAL POVERTY.
THAT'S NOT THE ONLY PART OF
TOWN THAT NEEDS INVESTMENT AND
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE TAKE
CARE OF THE ENTIRE CITY.
BUT I WOULD SAY IF I HAD TO
SINGLE OUT ONE PART OF TOWN I
COULD USE EXTRA INVESTMENT
CITYOFKNOXVILLE >> COULD YOU
DRILL DOWN WCNC RATHER THAN
WCYB?
THAT'S OURW HE'S GOT >> TO