Mayor Tom Taylor announced at the October City Council meeting that Blount County, along with the greater Knoxville region has been certified by the EPA with re-designation of air quality attainment. This long-sought designation was made official on September 27 and has been a goal for the region since 2004 when the EPA designated our area in “non-attainment” of national ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter.
 
“The issue of air pollution has plagued us for decades while our ability to control most of the variables causing it was out of our control,” said Taylor. “Clean air is essential to our health and well-being, and for those most susceptible to the impacts of poor air quality, it is even more critical. The bottom line of this attainment is, people are breathing easier. That is what’s important.”
 
Interesting dates leading to the re-designation:
On July 13, 2015, Blount County – along with Knox and part of Anderson achieved attainment status for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone Standard. In 1999, 135 days registered exceedance of the ozone and PM 2.5 AQI measurement. In 2015, only 2 days exceeded those values.
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, on which Taylor serves as a board member, formally applied to the EPA for re-designation on December 12, 2016.
On August 30, 2017, Blount County, Knox, Anderson, and part of Roane County achieved attainment for the two National Ambient Air Quality Standards: the 1997 annual particulate matter PM 2.5 criteria and the 2006 24 hour PM 2.5 criteria.
On September 27, 2017, the final piece – the daily air quality attainment certification was designated.
 
Taylor said, “Not only is this critically important for our environment and quality of life of our citizens, but it also opens us up to new opportunity with environmentally-minded industry looking to locate in our community. With the stigma of a non-attainment community, opportunities are lost. This dedication to the quality of our environment is a win for everyone.”         
 
The KRTPO listed significant factors in the reduction of pollution throughout the region despite an increase in population, vehicle traffic, and economic activity. Those include federal Clean Air Act regulations, improvements in technology, and economic factors. Local officials give TVA much of the credit in reducing emissions throughout the region by focusing on its plants to the south and west of our area and thought to be some of the greater impact to the pollution in our region.  
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Link to the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization presentation slides (powerpoint)

Improvement efforts for Jack Greene Park and Sandy Springs Park will begin in October. There will be minimal impact to trail users at the construction locations.
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Jack Greene Park
The first project will take place at Jack Greene Park - the park near the amphitheater and county courthouse. The work will be done at the back side of the park near the creek. Altar’d State has contracted with Carex Design Group to carry out a beautification project on its property. In order to access the property, equipment and materials will be transported into the park entrance and portions of the park area will be used for staging. The back trail near the creek will be closed while the project is in progress – approximately six to eight weeks. The front trail nearest the pavilion and stage will remain open unless temporary closure is needed to move equipment. The project is expected to begin October 9 and last through November. City Manager, Greg McClain said, “Altar’d State has a vision to enhance the park space through a large-scale landscaping plan on their property adjacent to the park. We believe this will create a wonderful environment and enhance the park’s natural beauty.”
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Sandy Springs Park
The second project will stabilize the severely eroded streambank in the Sandy Springs park area. This project will require rerouting of the trail as needed around Sandy Springs Pavilion to repair approximately 1,100 feet of the Pistol Creek bank along the Greenway trail from Best Street toward South Cedar Street. Engineers will install shot rock and Class C riprap (natural boulders) and plant native vegetation which will reestablish, strengthen and stabilize the bank of the creek while maintaining a natural look. The work will provide stability of the land surrounding the creek and help keep sediment out of the creek, improving the aquatic environment. Contractors expect to stage and mobilize October 16 and begin work October 23. Completion is estimated by November 17 depending on weather. McClain said, “Stewardship of the stream banks is an important part of our park efforts and this location has been a focus for us for some time. This will be a substantial improvement to this section of the trail which has been loved so well by its visitors.”
 
For more information about the Jack Greene Park project, contact Angie Luckie at 273-3504. For information on the stream bank stabilization project, contact Brian Boone at 273-3505.