Reopening Vine St. is a very bad idea. I remember that when UTC under the
direction of Fred Obear first proposed closing Vine there was spirited
opposition from Ron Littlefield, then campaigning for mayor. He accused
UTC of possessing an "ivory tower" mentality. He added worse barbs then
that. But UTC won the day. Many pointed out how dangerous it was to cross
Vine St. to reach the student center, Holt Hall, Grote, and other
facilities. Cars and trucks raced up that street at high speeds. Even if
Vine is opened only on weekends and at night, there would still be serious
problems. We should not let them do it without a fight.

Mike Russell

On Thu, 19 Sep 2002, Gail Meyer wrote:

> As an at-large representative to Faculty Council, I feel it my duty to
> share information about a topic that came up at the last meeting (as an
> information item) and appears to be on the agenda for today.  As I
> understand it, the city is interested in opening up Vine Street to traffic,
> if not all the time, at least during what it considers "non-school
> hours."  I know how I feel about this, but would like to get some feedback
> from others before today's meeting.
>
> Gail
>
> (As a side issue, I find it interesting that they think they will need Vine
> Street when they contend that changing McCallie and ML King will not impede
> traffic too much.  Also, I believe there is a presentation on this
> McCallie/ML King issue today for those of you who might be interested in
> attending.)
>
> Gail M. Meyer, Ed.D.
> UC Foundation Associate Professor of Chemistry
> UTC Chemistry Department - 2252
> 615 McCallie Avenue
> Chattanooga, TN  37403
> Phone:  (423)425-4486
> Fax:    (423)425-5234
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>