Movies in the Park continues each Thursday at Elmington Park through June 21 (rain date is June 28). Festivities and food trucks start at 5 with the movie beginning at dark. The park road is closed off at 9 each Thursday morning after the morning commute and camp pick-ups are done. Park police will be on hand each Thursday to help with traffic and parking. The movies are all family friendly, including Wonder Woman, Legally Blond, and the Greatest Showman. This year, the event is working to be Wastefree so look for places to recycle cans and bottles and to compost food. This is a pilot for Nashville, and I’m confident District 18 residents can show the rest of the city how to minimize waste.
Dragon Music Sundays continue at Fannie Mae Dees (Dragon) Park June 3 and June 10. The free concerts begin at 4 with the Metro Parks Jam Band followed by local artists. The final two concerts feature Sonja Hopkins and the Contrarian Ensemble.
Metro Human Resources will host a Public Safety Career Fair on Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Hartman Park, 2801 Tucker Road. People interested in careers in the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Nashville Fire Department, the city’s E-911 center or the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office can meet with representatives from each of these agencies, gather information on career opportunities and even complete applications. Metro Government offers competitive salaries and generous benefits. Those interested can drop by Hartman Park any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Metro Public Works has been working on a Zero Waste Solid Waste Master Plan. I have been serving on the task force that is meeting regularly with the Consultant to provide input along the way. The draft of the plan will be presented at a number of public meetings throughout the county over the next few weeks. Check the options below for a time and place convenient for you
- Madison - June 12, 2018, 6:30 – 8 PM, Madison Precinct, 400 Myatt Drive
- Hermitage - June 14, 2018, 6:30 – 8 PM, Hermitage Police Precinct, 3701 James Kay Lane
- Bordeaux - June 16, 2018, 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM, Hartman Park Regional Center, 2801 Tucker Road
- West Nashville - June 19, 2018, 6:30 – 8 PM, West Police Precinct, 5500 Charlotte Pike
- Downtown - June 20, 2018, 4:30 – 6 PM, Lipscomb/Spark Community Room 4th and Commerce
- South Nashville - June 21, 2018, 6:30 – 8 PM Metro Parks Southeast Community Center (Global Mall), 5260 Hickory Hollow Parkway
The Belmont Hillsboro Neighborhood (BHN) traffic committee had a very productive meeting with Metro Public Works and Metro Planning to talk about Belmont Boulevard Traffic Calming opportunities. As a result of that discussion, Public Works has agreed to set up a series of community meetings to talk about different ways to slow traffic on Belmont and adjacent side streets. The proposed schedule is for the first meeting on Thursday, June 14 and the second on Monday, June 25. Both will be at Christ the King’s Parrish Hall from 5:30-7:30 PM and will be led by Peter Bird (Planning) and Jason Radinger (Public Works). These will be open house type format. After those 2 meetings, we will schedule a 3rd meeting in which Metro Planning and Public Works staff will present a plan for Belmont Boulevard to make it adhere to complete street standards to give equal priority to all types of mobility.
The I-440 Greenway project is moving along. The section from Centennial Park to West End is nearing completion. Neighbors can see a new trail head under construction in Elmington Park that will eventually tie the Murphy Road section into a yet-to-be designed greenway that will parallel I-440 through District 18. Metro Parks and Greenways for Nashville are continuing conversations with TDOT on what that section might look like. Look for information about a grand opening of the Murphy Road section in the next month or so.
The temporary repaving of I-440 has made the interstate much more drivable in the short run, but long term reconstruction will still be necessary to provide a more durable fix. TDOT is considering an option to save both time and construction cost by totally closing down sections of the interstate over a ten month period as opposed to keeping lanes open to traffic and spreading the construction out over a three year duration. I’m happy to pass along opinions to TDOT if anyone has a preference. A decision about that should be made in the next few months.
MTA is renovating the Downtown Bus terminal. Effective Monday, June 11, all lower level bus bays at Music City Central (MCC) will temporarily relocate operations to the streets surrounding the downtown bus station to allow construction crews to perform work as part of our ongoing renovations of the facility. The bus lines from West End, Hillsboro Road, and 12th South terminate upstairs and won’t be affected, but many connections will now need to be made outside of the terminal. On-street boarding will take place along Charlotte Avenue immediately in front of MCC, on 4thAvenue North next to where the lower level bus bays are located, as well as on James Robertson Parkway and last for the next several months, with the reopening of the lower level and subsequent closure of the upper level bus bays following immediately after.
Now that the weather is warmer, and more events are taking place outdoors, neighbors should be aware that Metro’s noise ordinance requires that amplified music outside shouldn’t reach beyond residential property lines. There are exceptions for permitted events in Parks, street festivals, and limited commercial establishments, but in general, if amplified music can be heard at the property line of a home, it is in violation of the Metro noise ordinance.
Update on Construction in Hillsboro Village – Belcourt Village (behind the old Bosco’s building) has begun blasting, which is expected to continue in June through July. This will typically occur three times a day at 9, 11, and 1 and occasionally at 3. Traffic in the area on Belcourt will be stopped briefly during each blast.
Metro Public Works Intersection Improvement Program (IIP) is a proactive approach to enhanced mobility and safety across the entire city by identifying problem locations and feasible, appropriate solutions with all modes of transportation and people in mind. This program plays an important role in the City’s Vision Zero Initiative to eliminate traffic-related pedestrian and bike fatalities. The program kicked off in April 2016. Over the last year, a number of intersections have been studied, major improvements to safety and capacity were determined, and designs completed. A city-wide analysis of crash data is underway to identify intersections with safety issues that should be addressed through this program moving forward. The Program will utilize a scoring matrix to prioritize intersection improvement projects city-wide based on measurable and objective safety, capacity, and multi-modal facility criteria.
The Metro Budget process is in full swing. Mayor Briley proposed a no-growth budget because of shortfalls caused by an unexpected number of successful appeals of the reappraisal, use of reserve funds to subsidize Metro General Hospital, and unavoidable cost increases in pensions and health care. The status quo budget reduces a planned employee cost of living increase and allows only a $5 million increase in school funding despite losses of state funding. A proposal has been made to adjust the certified tax rate up from its historic low of $3.155/$100 of assessed value to $3.655. That would add $500 annually to the property tax of a house appraised at $400,000, and allow the city to fully fund schools and the employee pay plan. A public hearing will be held on the proposed budget Tuesday night, June 5 at the Metro Courthouse beginning at 6:30. Even if you can’t make it to the public hearing, I’m still interested to hear neighbors’ thoughts on our options.
Brush pick-up begins in Belmont Hillsboro, Sunnyside, and 12th South on June 29.
Metro Water services has published its annual Water Quality report, which can be accessed at ccr.nashville.gov. This gives a good explanation of how Metro’s Water is cleaned and how it stacks up to the standards.
After much discussion, Metro Public Works is ready to move forward with a new signalized crosswalk in Hillsboro Village at the intersection of Belcourt and 21st. With five new residential buildings added to the Village, foot traffic continues to increase, and this will provide a safe way for pedestrians to cross in the middle of the Village. At the earliest, construction would start mid-summer and last a month or two. We will try to coordinate with merchants and other construction projects to try to minimize the disruption as it is installed.
Another safety innovation coming to Hillsboro Village is a pilot restriping of the angled parking spaces on Acklen Avenue to switch them from pull-in to back-in. This reduces the visibility issues associated with backing out of the angled spots into oncoming traffic. It also simplifies putting clean laundry, children’s items, and packages into the trunk of the car, when it is at the curb instead of in the middle of the street. Other cities that have made this switch include Chicago, Winnipeg, and Austin.
There is a lot happening this month. Please let me know your thoughts on any of these important topics or anything else that is on your mind. Contact me at 615-383-6604 or burkley.allen@nashville.gov.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District