Private roads not city

Residents living on Deer Cove Lane in Greenback have to maintain the road themselves, Greenback Mayor Tom Peeler said to the city's board of mayor and aldermen during its Feb. 8 meeting. Peeler explained Deer Cove and Kirkland lanes are private roads.

Alderman Becky Andrews asked about those two roads, which are connected to South Tennessee Avenue. She said she drove down the roads off South Tennessee earlier that day and observed "they are basically dirt paths. "A few places have a little rock, and there's lots of potholes, and there are a lot of residences out there," Andrews reported then asked, "Is there any way we can help those people? "We got through today, but that's because it was dry," she said. "If I tried last week..."

When Andrews explained she was talking about Deer Cove and Kirkland lanes, Peeler said those two are private roads, adding part of Tennessee Avenue is on private property.

"Those people on Kirkland Drive, every person, had to have a 25-foot strip of property touching a public street before they could put a house in there," he said. Those homes front a 10-foot public alley, which is shown on one of the old maps. Likewise with homeowners on Deer Cove, he said.

"Danny Thomas, state trooper, used to own all that (on Deer Cove)," Peeler said. "When he bought that property, 30-something acres, he wanted to put a road back there."

Peeler said the city told Thomas there was an ally that could be used but Thomas did not want to do that.
"So he talked Richard Kirkland into letting him put that Tennessee Avenue through there," the mayor said. "That's how that Tennessee Avenue came there.

"Once you top the hill, where they mailboxes are, that's Deer Cove Lane," Peeler said. "They had the same situation (as Kirkland)."
He explained Buddy Baird bought all that property so he could have his family living there, but Baird could only build a couple houses on the property because they had to touch Tennessee Avenue.

To build more houses, he wanted a road through his property and for the city to accept the street so they could build houses along it.
During a meeting, the city council and the county planning commission accepted Deer Cove as a city street to be maintained by the homeowners, the mayor said.

"It's in writing," he added. "They know that. They know it's up to them to maintain that road." According to Peeler, the county put rock down for them and the city did once as well. As time went by, some of the people living there lost their properties, the mayor said. "Now you got, probably, 10 families over there that's moved in from outside and didn't know anything about this," he said.
Peeler added he has had phone calls from those residents wanting the street paved and he told them about the agreement they would maintain the road.

"Deer Cove is their responsibility; Kirkland Drive is a private road. We can't touch it," he said. "So basically, that's where we stand right there."

On another matter, Peeler is asking for citizens to participate in Loudon County Sheriff's Office's COPs program.
Participants are volunteer and don't carry a gun. They simply cruise the streets in a furnished car and do welfare checks and look out for prowlers and other signs of trouble. Anyone interested in participating can call Chief Deputy Tony Aikens with the sheriff's office. The city does have applications for participants.

In other business:

• The board voted to approve Alderman Sam Jackson as vice mayor.

• The city's police department will be getting some free vehicle equipment from Knox County Sheriff's Office, which is getting new cars and donating their used equipment to Greenback. The donated equipment is newer than what the city has.

• Set a workshop for 6 p.m., before the board meeting Tuesday, March 8, in Greenback Community Center to come up with goals and objectives for the board.