Community Factilities and Utilities
View Map 9: Community Facilities

Parks and Recreation
National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) recommends a minimum standard of 6.25 acres of close-to-home park land be set aside for each 1,000 residents. The “close to home” parks consist of neighborhood and community parks that are normally within five miles of a residence and less than 100 acres in size. For the Northeast County Sector there is a 136 acre shortfall. With the sector being rural and very dispersed, it is hard to place recreation areas strategically to provide the entire population with parks that are close to home. No community parks are currently available, the smaller neighborhood parks attempt to fill that gap by serving a wider area. There is also a need for athletic fields. Currently parents drive children to soccer fields located outside the sector. As areas planned for growth build up, space for parks and recreation should be set aside.

Walking trails and tracks are found at some of the parks. Currently, there are no greenways within the Northeast County Sector but there are proposals for future development.

Table 5: Parks and Recreation Facilities

Neighborhood Parks	Acreage
Corryton Park	6 acres
Mascot Park	3 acres
Spring Place Park	6 acres
Gibbs Ruritan Park	30 acres
Recreation Centers including senior centers
Corryton Community Center
Gibbs Community Center
Special Use Parks
Three Ridges Golf Course	150 acres
Natural Areas
House Mountain Natural Area	503 acres, including hiking trails

Knox County is leasing the House Mountain Natural Area from the state and will provide parking, picnic areas and other improvements.

Natural Areas are lands set aside
for preservation of significant natural resources and open spaces, or for the protection
of environmentally sensitive areas
such as steep slopes, wetlands, sinkholes,
caves, floodplains, etc.

Several improvements are underway at Gibbs Ruritan Park.

Schools
Keeping up with demand for classroom space is difficult in growing areas, and the additional residential growth anticipated in parts of northeast Knox County will create increased need for school facilities. Construction dates have not been set at this time for a proposed middle school site on Tazewell Pike. Immediate attention is focused on constructing a new elementary school in Gibbs.

Libraries

• Corryton Branch Library
• Mascot Branch Library
• Millertown Branch Library – closed, not replaced

Public Safety

• Rural Metro (RMFD) provides fire protection within this sector. RMFD stations #24, #25 and #33 service the majority of the area, while RMFD station #30 services the area along the western edge of the sector and Knoxville Fire Department Station #16 services the small area within the city at Asheville Highway and I-40.
• Law enforcement is provided by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, which has a training facility at Maloneyville Road near the Knox County Detention Center.

Corryton Elementary School has capacity available but is in need of additional space for recreation.

Rural Metro Fire Department Station 25 serves the Rutledge Pike corridor.

Utilities

• Water is provided by various quasipublic and private utility districts:
• Northeast Knox Utility District -central areas of the sector
• Luttrell-Blaine-Corryton Utility District - northeast portion of the sector
• Hallsdale Powell Utility District - western border
• Knoxville Utility Board (KUB) – southern portions

Generally, sewer services can be extended if contractors and builders will incur the costs.

Sewer is currently provided by:

• KUB (they also operate lines formerly serviced by Northeast Knox Utility system)
• Hallsdale Powell Utility District
• Luttrell-Blaine-Corryton Utility District

Residents can take their garbage and recyclables (including waste oil, oil filters, antifreeze, paint solvents) to convenience centers on Tazewell Pike near Emory Road and Rutledge Pike near Roberts Road. The Municipal Solid Waste Regional Plan identifies that a third convenience center in this sector is needed.

Household waste from the convenience centers is disposed of in the Chestnut Ridge Landfill (Class I Landfill) in Anderson County. Private collection is available for residents who prefer curbside service.

Electricity is purchased by KUB from the Tennessee Valley Authority and available throughout the sector.

Natural gas is also provided by KUB, in some portions of the sector.