February 2026 - ONK Meeting Minutes

Date: February 23, 2026

Attendance

Board members: Drew Sparks (presiding), John Golliher, Martin Cordell, Kelly Arsenault, Chloie Airoldi-Waters, Pete Creel, Garrett Bentley, Donna Spencer, Dave Ticehurst

Others attending: Andrea Barnes, Wiley Barnes, Janice Lewis, Juliet McVay , Jenny Spatz, Steven Rider, Tyler Pavlis, Natalie Kurylo

Officer Reports

President: Joy Guilford

Joy could not be in attendance tonight and Drew Sparks presided in her place.

Minutes Approval

Dave Ticehurst made a motion to approve the minutes and Kelly Arsenault seconded. The motion passed.

Officer Fox

Officer Fox may replace Officer Clemens as our resource officer, though nothing is final yet. He has been with the department for 23 years, mostly in the west district, spent a few years as school resource officer and is now back on the street level. He can be reached at ffox@knoxvilletn.gov with any questions or concerns.

Committee Reports

President

Joy Guilford 

Not in attendance tonight.

Historic Preservation

Sean Bolin

Not in attendance tonight.

Treasurer

Martin Cordell

Neighborhood was asked to sponsor the East Tennessee Design Center. John Golliher made a motion to sponsor at the Neighborhood level for $500. Jenny Spatz seconded the motion and it passed.

Beautification

Xavier Bridges

Xavier was not in attendance tonight but several beautification related topics were discussed. Janice Lewis wants to start a gardening group starting with managing the traffic circles and expanding outward as it evolves. A plant exchange will be on Sunday March 22 at Beth Ann Booker Park.

Communication

Drew Sparks

Our new City Council member and neighbor Matthew Debardelaben will be at next month's meeting. He will try to attend neighborhood meetings on a regular basis moving forward. In other news, there is a Park and Recreational proposal the City Council is reviewing right now and they're looking for feedback.

Drew brought up printing signs for the neighborhood meeting/potluck as well as the monthly social. He will work on mocking those up for print.

To ensure brand alignment and allow the neighborhood to make official posts, Drew made a motion to change the Facebook page from "ONK Victorian Home Tour" to "Old North Knoxville". Martin seconded it and the motion passed. Moving forward, the page will host an event called "ONK Victorian Home Tour". This change follows Facebook best practices and guidelines.

Home Tour

Martin Cordell

No updates.

Social

Kelly Arsenault  

The neighborhood social is scheduled for March 4 from 7 to 9 PM at Schulz Brau. Additionally, the annual Easter egg hunt will take place on Saturday, April 4 with Pete returning as the Easter Bunny. This event will be a potluck, and while the social committee will provide drinks and supplies, the neighborhood kindly asks that any parent or guardian bringing a child contribute 12 eggs for the hunt.

Chloie Airoldi-Waters made a motion for a budget of $200 for the egg hunt, which Dave Ticehurst seconded, and the motion passed.

Lastly, the Ice Cream Social will be combined with the brick dedication this year.

New Business

Dave Ticehurst - Porch Crawls and Holleroo

There's interest in doing two porch crawls a year, ideally in spring and fall. Anyone interested in hosting should reach out to Dave or Kelly.

Holleroo is scheduled for Saturday, May 9. They asked if the neighborhood could provide volunteers for the Kids Zone. Looking for 6 volunteers in shifts of 2-3 hours. Drew offered to create a volunteer form on the website.

North Knoxville Business & Professional Association

The North Knoxville Business & Professional Association (North Knox B&P) has been an integral part of the community for approximately 20 years, founded by individuals who have deep roots in the area. Over the years, the organization has evolved while maintaining its core mission of fostering business networking and community support.

As a business networking group, North Knox B&P serves as a vital organization that actively supports local schools and various charitable initiatives. Notably, they provide a scholarship each year to a first-year college student from Fulton High School, with plans to increase the number of scholarships to two this year. This initiative is funded through their annual cornhole tournament, which will be held at Yee Haw on May 22, 2026. Last year’s tournament was particularly successful, allowing the organization to contribute funds to the Fulton soccer team, which made it to the state championships for the first time.

Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month at St. John Lutheran Church, starting at 7:45 AM and concluding by 9:00 AM. Each meeting features a complimentary breakfast, fostering a welcoming environment for networking among local businesses and nonprofits. The organization proudly represented over 80 businesses and nonprofits in the area last year, as well as six schools. In addition to their networking efforts, North Knox B&P has also made significant contributions to the community, including a donation of over $3,000 to families in need at Fulton, allowing children from these families to receive $100 gift cards for Christmas.

Upcoming events include a Knox County mayoral forum on April 10, featuring a moderator to guide the discussion, and a presentation by KARM on May 8 regarding their plans for a newly purchased 90,000 square foot building.

Jenny Spatz made a motion to join for $150, which was seconded by Chloie Airoldi-Waters and passed.

Upcoming Events

• Monthly Social: March 4, 2026