News Releases

(HARTFORD, Tenn.) – One of Tennessee's most rural and mountainous counties may be poised for traffic jams and unsightly sprawl.

It's possible in Cocke County, and now University of Tennessee Extension and the UT College of Social Work will team with local leaders to encourage careful planning so the region's future growth is controlled and benefits the children of the community.

On Friday, November 17, 2006, at 10 a.m. at Grassy Fork Elementary School in Hartford, UT Extension and the Community House Cooperative will announce the formation of "Smart Growth for Healthy Kids in Cocke County." Grassy Fork students will lead the introduction ceremony, display their artwork, perform songs and poetry and give tours of the school's new greenhouse.

"In fifteen to twenty years, these kids will be making important decisions for this region of Tennessee," says Dr. Martha Keel, a Family and Consumer Sciences expert with UT Extension. "Now's the time to get them to value their community. 'Smart Growth' is about economic growth. It's about establishing a community that's a good place for its citizens to live, and for children to be healthy."

UT Extension recently received a $32,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the "Smart Growth" program in Cocke County – the only grant of its kind awarded in the southeastern United States. Grassy Fork was chosen as one site for the program, and about $5,000 of the grant has already been spent on the greenhouse. There Grassy Fork students will grow seedlings of trees that will then be planted in the community, as well as healthy vegetables they can eat in their cafeteria.

Kevin McConnell, UT Extension agent in Cocke County, says the greenhouse is central to the school's outdoor classroom and exemplifies the connection between the school, the children and future growth and development. "The idea of taking food waste from the cafeteria, composting it and using it in the greenhouse or garden falls in perfectly with Smart Growth," he said.

At the celebration students will also show examples of what they think is smart growth for their hometown, and not-so-smart growth. UT experts say when growth is uncontrolled, it can lead to traffic and congestion, longer commutes for citizens, unsightly scenery, and economic loss for the community.

"You can end up with parts of your downtown area becoming vacant," says Dr. Keel. "So you get a lot of unused property. You just keep growing out and out instead of revitalizing what's already there."

Part of the national "Smart Growth" program includes a list of 10 principles that will lead to community development. One of those principles details involving local stakeholders in this effort, and this particular plan will be emphasized in Cocke County.

UT Extension leaders say, if the "Smart Growth" program is successful in Cocke County, they hope to implement this plan in other areas of Tennessee.

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Contact: Dr. Martha Keel, 865-974-8197, mkeel@tennessee.edu

Directions to Grassy Fork School. From Knoxville, take Interstate 40 East to Exit #447, Hartford Road. Go left on Hartford Road. Stay to your left on to Big Creek Road., going in front of the Exxon Station. The address is 4120 Big Creek Road.

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