Pot Farms, Loss Of Old Motel & Selling UT Site

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Three indoor pot farms busted

Sheriffs’ investigators found three marijuana growing operations this week in Johnson City, Tenn. – the third one as a result of a domestic violence call. Sheriff Ed Graybeal said investigators found a quarter-pound of marijuana buds, grow lights, containers, cooling fans and drug paraphernalia.
Earlier in the week, investigators seized 256 marijuana plants at a home on Headtown Road and made a second seizure days later.
We’re pleased to see authorities find these indoor pot farms, but it is alarming to see the increase in size and frequency locally – especially the one discovered Tuesday. As drug manufacturers become more skilled at hiding their efforts, law enforcement must do the same to keep uncovering them.

Blighted landmark needed to go

We’re sad to see this landmark go, but it was long past its time. The Robert E. Lee Motel, a landmark along Lee Highway in Washington County, was torn down Monday and passed into the history books.
Once was a famous tourist stop, the Robert E. Lee Motel was situated along what once was a major road connecting the region with Northern Virginia, before the construction of the interstate system. It also was one of the first three places a person could buy Kentucky Fried Chicken.
But none of these milestones could save the Robert E. Lee Motel from age, disrepair and inattention. The motel has become a blight and nearby businesses have complained about rats that were living inside.
Local businessman Ron Counts will restore the motel sign to its former glory, but the motel has passed into history. We celebrate its memory, but know it was time – and then some.

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Selling off the UT president’s mansion

The next University of Tennessee president will likely have to look for a place to live. According to the Associated Press, UT trustees voted to sell the Georgian-style mansion called “Sequoyah Place” that has served as the official university president’s residence since 1960. The reasoning? To cut costs and raise cash.
According to published reports, UT is spending $180,000 a year just to maintain the old house and no one is living there now. Former UT President John Peterson moved out in June. Interim President Jan Simek says the search for a permanent replacement will begin next spring or summer. The goal is to have a new UT president in place by March 2011.
For UT to be a world class university, it needs a campus home for its president. We recognize that Sequoyah Place has grown too costly to maintain, particularly while the university is searching for a new top administrator.
But UT should redouble its efforts to find a new, permanent home for its president when a new person comes on board in 2011. This is not a perk, but a requirement of any major university that intends to recruit a top-notch administrator and intends to use the residence to host campus events that raise money for the university.
March 2011 is 17 months away. UT trustees should develop a robust plan to replace this important part of the university quickly.