Proposed Mixed-Use Hotel Project at 3415 Murphy Road Updates
The public hearing on the proposed mixed-use hotel project at 3415 Murphy Road was deferred last month at the request of many neighbors and Council Member Murphy and me. The public hearing is now expected to be deferred again on December 4 until the council January 3 meeting. Because of all the concerns expressed by surrounding neighborhoods, the owner is redesigning the project to a height that is more in line with the near-by highrises. This is expected to lower total square footage and peak traffic counts as well. I’ve sent the owners a list of concerns about traffic, parking, lighting, and safety to be addressed in the final design. I am working on getting the revisions to be available on line so neighbors can see them before the Public Hearing. I’ll pass on anything I can to interested neighbors.
FightFluTN
The Metro Public Health Department will join county health departments in a special state-wide “FightFluTN” event December 5 by providing free flu shots to increase the number of people vaccinated in Nashville and across Tennessee. In addition to increasing flu vaccinations within the community, this event is also helping the Metro Public Health Department practice our ability to activate emergency Points of Dispensing, or PODs. PODs can be set up in various locations to dispense medication, equipment and other emergency supplies during times of disaster. By using flu vaccine in place of emergency medication, we can look for ways to strengthen our POD response measures and operational outcomes for future use.
CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone over the age of six months. Flu vaccine for people of all ages is widely available in Nashville and throughout Tennessee from Health Department clinic. The flu vaccine is especially important for people at high risk for serious illness or death from influenza such as the elderly, pregnant women and young children, as well as healthcare workers and family and friends of anyone at high risk. Expectant mothers should be vaccinated during pregnancy to protect themselves and pass protection on to their unborn babies. For more information about flu shots offered by the Metro Public Health Department call 615/340-5616, or visit their website here.
Holiday In Hillsboro Village
Celebrate the Holiday in Hillsboro Village on Saturday, December 8, from 4 to 7 PM. Neighbors can get all their holiday shopping done in a festive atmosphere complete with carolers, holiday face painting and nail art, visits with Santa, hot cider, ornament making, raffles, store discounts, and lots more. There are several new businesses in the Village, and this presents a great opportunity to support new and old local business.
Hillsboro West End Carriage Tours
The Hillsboro West End Carriage Tours take place December 8 and 9. Each 30-minute tour takes riders through our lovely vintage neighborhood decorated to the hilt for the holidays. Before and after the tour, riders can enjoy hot cider and refreshments. Money raised from the tour funds neighborhood projects like tree plantings, the Dragon maintenance, and the Triangle Park. Reservations are required. Tickets are available at here. Neighbors on the circuit (Blair, Natchez Trace, Fairfax, Chesterfield, Westmoreland, Barton) are encouraged to decorate exuberantly. Prizes are awarded for the best decorations.
Community Oversight Board
After the successful charter amendment to create a Community Oversight Board to provide citizen review of alleged police misconduct, the Council is now responsible for electing the members of the board. The deadline for submission of Nominee Forms to Metro Clerk is December 18. The board will be made up of eleven members, seven nominated by community organizations, two nominated by the Mayor’s office, and two nominated by the council. Citizens interested in serving should have some experience with civil rights issues and should be willing to make the time commitment to go through the citizen police training academy and to attend monthly meetings and hearings as needed. All nominations must be filed on the official Nomination Form. Alternative versions of this form, such as handwritten versions, should not be used. All completed Nomination Forms must be physically delivered (in person or by U.S. Mail) to be received by and filed with the Metropolitan Clerk’s office by no later than 4:30 pm on December 18. Filed Nomination Forms must include: (a) the nominee’s full legal name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if available); (b) if the nominee is submitted by a community organization, the name of the organization; (c) if the nominee is submitted by a Metropolitan Council member, the name and signature of the member; (d) if the nominee is submitted by a petition, the completed Petition Form must be filed together with the Nomination Form. Nomination and Petition Forms are available at the Metropolitan Clerk’s office and by clicking here. For filing purposes, the address for the Metropolitan Clerk’s office is:
Metropolitan Clerk’s Office Historic Metropolitan Courthouse 1 Public Square, Suite 205 Nashville, Tennessee 37201
Nominations can be received by any and all staff members of the Metro Clerk’s office. Received nominations will be read into the record at the regular Council meeting of December 18. The Metropolitan Clerk’s office will then distribute questionnaires to all nominees, at the e-mail or mailing address provided on the nomination form, by no later than December 19, 2018. Questionnaires will be available on the website.
The deadline for return of completed questionnaires to Metro Clerk’s office is January 4, 2019, at 4:30 pm. For filing purposes, questionnaires may be submitted and filed via email to metro.clerk@nashville.gov, or to the Metropolitan Clerk’s office at the address above.
All nominees must appear before the Metro Council’s Rules-Confirmations-Public Elections Committee on Tuesday, January 15, 2019. This Committee will convene in the Metropolitan Council chambers, located on the 2nd floor of the Metropolitan Historic Courthouse unless there are so many nominations received that the meeting has to be re-scheduled. In such case, further notice will be provided.
Upon receipt of recommendations regarding each nominee from the Metro Council’s Rules-Confirmations-Public Elections Committee, the full Metropolitan Council will elect and confirm eleven (11) board members by majority vote at the regular Council meeting of January 15, 2018.
Depending upon the number of nominations received, it is possible that this election and confirmation process will be re-scheduled. In such case, further notice will be provided.
Any questions regarding the procedure for filing nominations should be directed to the Metropolitan Clerk’s office at (615) 862-6770.
Brush Pick-Up
Brush Pick-up starts in BHN, 12th South, and Sunnyside December 28 and in HWEN on January 4. 2019. Remember that brush has to pulled away from fences and utility poles so the grapple arm can get to it.
Tax Relief Program
As Metro continues to examine ways to preserve housing affordability in Nashville, the Tax Relief Program has already emerged as an important component of the plan. This consists of tax relief and tax freeze. To qualify for Tax Relief, a person must be 65 years of age or older (or declared permanently and totally disabled by Social Security), must own and live on the property and the income of all owners of record and/or spouses of the property must not exceed $29,270 (based on 2017 income) per year. Disabled Veterans with incomes below $60,000 also qualify. Under the Tax Freeze Program, qualifying homeowners age 65 and older can “freeze” the tax due on their property at the amount for the year they qualify, even if tax rates increase. Income must be below the 2018 limit of $41,780 (based on 2017 income) for Davidson County. Applicants may contact the Metro Trustee office at 862-6330 regarding these programs or come to the Trustee’s Office at 700 Second Avenue, South, Suite 220 to file an application or go to the website here.
I-440 Resurfacing Schedule
TDOT has published a general schedule of the first phases of the Current Work for the I-440 resurfacing.
Noise Wall Construction
The Grove at Whitworth –440 Eastbound, East of West End Avenue
• Starting the week of November 26
• Duration 4-6 Weeks
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Shoulder closures
Linmar Avenue - 440 Eastbound, West of Hillsboro Rd/21st Avenue
• Starting the week of November 26
• Duration 4-6 Weeks
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Shoulder and auxiliary lane closures
Ramp Queue Projects
21st Avenue Ramps – 440 Westbound
• Starting the week of November 26
• Duration 10-12 Weeks
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Traffic shifts, shoulder closures, intermittent ramp closures between 9PM-5AM
Murphy Road – 440 Eastbound
• Starting the week of November 26
• Duration 10-12 Weeks
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Traffic shifts, shoulder closures, intermittent ramp closures between 9PM-5AM
Fiber Relocation – Throughout 440 Corridor
• Starting the week of November 26
• Duration 5 Months
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Shoulder closures, lane closures between 9PM-5AM, auxiliary lane closures
Lighting – From Murphy Road to Hillsboro/21st Avenue
• Starting the week of December 10
• Duration 12 Weeks
• Anticipated Traffic Impacts Shoulder closures, lane closures between 9PM-5AM, auxiliary lane closures
Look Ahead
Noise Wall Construction
Battlefield Drive – 440 Eastbound, West of I-65 Interchange
• Anticipated Start Mid-December 2018
South Lyle Lane, DeSoto Drive, Dodge Drive – 440 Eastbound, West of I-24 Interchange
• Anticipated Start Mid-December 2018
Traffic Calming News
Both 12th South and Belmont Blvd have completed planning for traffic calming and bike improvements. Implementation will begin in the next month or two depending on weather. Safer bike lanes and improved crosswalks will make it more conducive for cars to share the road with folks who are not driving.
Nashville Reads book club
The Metro Public Library is once again sponsoring a city wide book club through Nashville Reads. This year’s book is “Hidden Figures”, the story of the African American female mathematicians at NASA who helped make space flight successful. This is a great present for the holidays.
In Conclusion
I wish everyone safe and happy holidays. Please let me know of your suggestions and concerns at burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District