EVENTS
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday, and your new year is off to a great start.
Trash and recycling pick-up will be shifted one day for the weeks of New Years and Martin Luther King Day.
Metro’s Christmas Tree Recycling Drop-off program will run through February 14 at the following locations: Cane Ridge Park , Una Recreation Center, Whitfield Park, Cedar Hill Park, Two Rivers Park , Joelton Community Center, Sevier Park, Richland Park, Elmington Park , Edwin Warner Park, Lakewood City Hall , Frederick Douglass Park , and both Living Earth locations at 1511 Elm Hill Pike and 6401 Centennial Blvd. Trees must be cleaned of wooden stands, watering bowls, ornaments, lights, wire, string, and other decorations before drop-off. Neighbors are asked not to dump any other items at the tree drop-off locations. This program is a great way to keep trees out of the landfill and to provide mulch for trails around Nashville. Artificial trees cannot be accepted at the pick-up sites but can be taken to any of Metro’s four convenience centers for disposal. There are several scout and youth programs that will haul the trees for those who aren’t able to do that themselves.
Brush Pick-up, which will also include properly un-decorated Christmas trees, continues in Area 5 ( Antioch, Cane Ridge, Paragon Mills), and begins in
- Area 6 - Brentwood, Crieve Hall, Grassmere, Abbay Hall, Sidco, WeHo January 7
- Area 7 - Edgehill, 12th South, Battlemont, Green Hills on January 15
- Area 8 - Green Hills, Hillsboro West End, Belmont Hillsboro, Percy Warner, Devonshire Jan 21
- Area 9 - Bellevue, West Meade, Hillwood, White Bridge, Cherokee Park, Richland West End, Sylvan Park, Sylvan Heights, Hadley, Fisk, Watkins Park January 24
Metro does not collect brush on private streets or in satellite/self incorporated cities such as Forest Hills, Berry Hill, and Belle Meade. Residents of those areas should contact their city officials for the services available.
Since 2022 Meharry Medical College has promoted Dry January, leading a national movement to encourage individuals to reflect on their relationship with alcohol, adopt healthier habits, and reduce the harmful impacts of excessive alcohol use. Along with a number of my council colleagues, I am a co-sponsor of a resolution officially recognizing Dry January and particularly January 7, 2025, as Dry January® USA Day, honoring the initiative’s commitment to fostering healthier communities and focusing our annual efforts on this one day of significance where those who drink alcohol are asked to reflect, for at least one day, and to observe how they may reduce their use of alcohol throughout the rest of the year. More information is on the Meharry website .
Nashville’s Interministerial Fellowship hosts a number of events to commemorate Martin Luther King Day, beginning January 12 and culminating on Monday, January 19 in the MLK Day March. The march starts at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church 2708 Jefferson Street at 9 followed by convocation at TSU’s Gentry Center at 10. More information is available on the MLK website .
Applications are being accepted for Vanderbilt’s School for Science and Math program The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (the SSMV) is seeking highly motivated MNPS high school students who are passionate about science and math, ready to apply themselves as today’s problem solvers and interested in becoming tomorrow’s leaders. The SSMV will prepare students to successfully engage in college studies at an accelerated rate, promote the pursuit of graduate, postgraduate and professional study, and provide the strong foundation crucial for career success. Students come to Vanderbilt once a week throughout highschool for hands on science and math research and will earn seven advanced, science elective credits earned over their four years. The SSMV application is available for current eighth-graders and is due early February. Visit the SSMV website at to learn more .
Every year at the Main Library, NPL welcomes LEGO Maniacs young and old to submit their best original creations for competition, or to just join in the fun by voting for their favorites. Registration for the fifteenth anniversary contest (February 14-15, 2025) will be available here beginning January 13. Registration can be completed on the library’s website , where the official contest rules are also posted.
Children, teens and adults are challenged to use their own bricks to create original pieces, which they can drop off at NPL’s Main Library beginning Saturday, Feb. 8. Entrants select their drop-off date and time when they register. From Friday, Feb. 14 through Saturday, February 15, all entries will be displayed at the Main Library for crowd viewing and online voting for Crowd Favorites. A panel of judges will award first through third place and Crowd Favorite prizes in six categories: preschool-K, grades 1-2, grades 3-4, grades 5-7, grades 8-12 and adults. Winners will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 pm during an awards ceremony. Winners receive a prize ribbon and LEGO gift cards. Entries selected as Crowd Favorites by viewers will also be recognized.
ISSUES
Nashville, like many cities, is experiencing an increase in fake taxi vehicles. There are 9 officially licensed taxi companies in Nashville. Any other car that is attempting to pass as a taxi (not a ride share like Uber or Lyft), has no safety guarantees or any kind of passenger protection. To ensure safety, passengers should use only established ride shares or licensed taxi cabs. There a few ways an individual can verify they are in a licensed cab:
- Top Light: Every authorized taxi comes equipped with a secured top light
- Professional Decals: Professionally applied decals with the cab number and company name clearly displayed on the vehicle
- Tagged Meters: All meters are tagged to indicate they have been inspected and calibrated annually. A taxicab driver should turn on the meter to begin the ride unless it is a flat rate trip.
- Visible Driver’s Permit: TLC taxi driver’s permit on display inside the cab. The current permits are baby blue. If it’s not immediately visible, ask the driver to show it to you.
- Taxi Rate Card: Displayed in view of passenger.
- Passenger Bill of Rights: Displayed in view of passenger
As winter approaches, The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) is ready to respond to weather events that could impact the local transportation network. After last January’s winter storm, Mayor O’Connell asked NDOT to evaluate all aspects of Metro’s preparedness, so when winter weather hits, the city can ensure Nashvillians can get where they need to go safely. This year, NDOT has more plows ready to operate on more routes and a variety of options to treat our roads. For the 2024-2025 winter season, NDOT crews will be equipped with 40 snowplow trucks, lots of salt, and 80 identified snow removal routes. NDOT says the department is currently the best-equipped it has ever been for winter weather response. The department will pretreat key roads when snow or ice is predicted. Once precipitation is falling, trucks will start plowing and salting primary routes. NDOT has updated snow removal primary and secondary routes to be more efficient and cover more of the county. Once primary routes are cleared, NDOT trucks move to secondary routes. Primary and secondary routes are cleared first during winter weather events to provide a network of access for emergency response vehicles and public transportation. Once primary and secondary roads are cleared, NDOT will begin clearing smaller streets using a post-secondary list based on factors like steepness and hazardous conditions like curves and blind intersections. This replaces the previous system of first come first served call-in requests. Reports can still be made to hubNashville and will be used for data gathering and evaluation to inform the response during future winter weather events. As always, to report a non-emergency issue affecting a Metro Nashville street, visit hub.nashville.gov. NDOT crews run 12-hour shifts 24/7 during these events, and their crews are able to work more safely and effectively when roadways are clear of motorist traffic. If you must travel when roads are hazardous, be sure to slow down and give plenty of room for NDOT and TDOT crews to work.
- Don’t crowd the plow
- Ice and snow, take it slow
- Don’t panic
- Keep your steering wheel straight; maintain speed or coast
- Never stomp on your brakes
Visit the website for more information on NDOT’s Snow Removal Program. Metro Codes includes a section putting the responsibility for clearing sidewalks on the property owner. Most commercial property owners are aware of this, and residential streets are safer when homeowners do their part.
In November Nashvillians voted overwhelmingly in favor of funding transit improvements. The half cent sales tax increase will begin in February, and enhancements will follow quickly. The Mayor’s office and WeGo have laid out the time line for the Choose How You Move roll out. The city will hire a chief program officer and begin implementing service enhancements, safety and lighting improvements, and sidewalk and traffic signal improvements throughout 2025. Within the first three years, bus routes will run more frequently and for more hours of the day. Within the first five years, high-frequency bus service will begin on West End and Charlotte, and 150 traffic signals will be modernized. Within the first ten years, high-frequency bus service will include Murfreesboro Pike, Gallatin Pike, and Clarksville Pike, and 60 miles of sidewalk will be built. By the plan’s completion in 2039, twelve transit centers, park and ride facilities, and the smart signal net work will be installed. The result will be fast and convenient transit accessible to most Nashvillians.
Openings on Metro Boards and Commissions. Metro has over 75 boards and commissions that help the government operate and interpret regulations fairly. These are composed of volunteer citizens with interest or expertise in the particular subject. Most board members are nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the Metro Council. When current members’ terms expire, and they decide not to continue, there is the opportunity to add new members to the board. Terms are expiring, and spots may be opening up on the Arts Commission, NECAT, Emergency Communications, Greenways Commission, and Zoning Appeals Board. Anyone who is interested in serving can fill out a form on the Metro website for each specific board.
I hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start. Please let me hear from you about your ideas and concerns. Reach out to burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604. Sign up for this newsletter at www.burkley.org .
Burkley Allen
Metro Council At-Large