The City of Knoxville will hold off on its planned community survey for a few months, in order to give the public time to test out improvements during the spring and early summer.

The city has budgeted for a public survey of its facilities and projects for 2019, its first such survey in five years; questions have not been settled on, but they will likely include seeking the public’s opinion on roads and projects such as Youngs Park and the new Rec Center playground.

The original plan was to finish before the end of the fiscal year; but Council member Megan Suhr pointed out because of the long winter, the public hasn’t had a chance to drive on proper roads or try out some of these new additions.

The council concurred, and agreed to hold off on the survey for a few months; Mayor Brian Hatch tells KNIA/KRLS News he agrees this is a good move, and will allow the public to get a feel for what the city has done before being asked to weigh in.

“That will give a chance for some of these projects to come to a close; people can kind of see the progress that we’ve been working on for the past few years, and I think it will create a better survey in the end,” Mayor Hatch says.

The Council also agreed to continue its consulting agreement with 571 Polson Developments; City Manager Aaron Adams says their assistance has been invaluable during the talks with the General Services Administration about the VA campus, and they are especially needed now because the process is in the home stretch.