Resident urges Gatlinburg to declare kudzu a nuisance, cites missing street signs after wildfire

Johnny Warner, a resident who signed up to speak during public comment, thanked the board for dropping plans to remove fluoride from the water supply and raised two community concerns: missing or misaligned street-name and dead-end signage in neighborhoods affected by recent wildfires, and aggressive regrowth of kudzu on public and private lands.

Warner said dead-end and street-name signs along streets such as Kelly Street and off Turkey Road were not replaced after the fire and that missing or misaligned signs cause confusion for residents and visitors. He asked the city’s road or street department to consult with residents and address those problems.

On kudzu, Warner described rapid overgrowth since the wildfire and urged the commission to officially declare kudzu a nuisance, adopt a removal and mitigation plan for city property, provide financial assistance to private landowners for mitigation, and consider legislation requiring property maintenance. He also volunteered to help.

In unscheduled items, Commissioner Brackens asked staff whether property owners can treat kudzu without harming desirable trees and requested staff locate a preexisting street-signage study completed before the police-department flood. City staff said they would research options, noted prior outreach to the University of Tennessee and past pilot ideas (including goats), and acknowledged the difficulty of removing deep root systems.

Provenance: public comment delivered at SEG 061–115; follow-up discussion and staff responses at SEG 424–453 and SEG 500–513.