Middle Tennessee Long-Term Transit Plan — After more than 16 months of public outreach and community engagement, MTA has unveiled its long-term plan. The project team for the strategic planning process, known as nMotion, presented recommendations to the Boards of the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA). A 30-day public comment period opened immediately after the meeting, and comments will be accepted via the nMotion project website, as well as at a series of upcoming community meetings listed here. Neighbors can attend the community open house onSeptember 15 at West End Middle School from 6 - 8pm. A sample of the improvement recommendations for the 25-year transit plan include the following: more frequent bus service and extended service hours; better bus stops and community transit centers; simpler ways to pay the bus fare; expanded and improved AccessRide services; streamlined service through downtown Nashville; improved pedestrian connections to bus stops; improvements in regional travel corridors such as bus-on-shoulder services, expanded park-and-ride options, additional express trips, and improvements to the Music City Star.
Metro Parks has wonderful and affordable art classes for Davidson County residents that include painting, sculpture and pottery. The classes, which are held at Centennial Park’s Art Center and in Bellevue are almost all $75 - $85 for 12 weeks. Registration must be done in person from 7am to 5pm at the Art Center at 301 25th Ave. N. in Centennial Park. Classes begin the week of September 12. See the schedule here.
This year’s 12th S Concert will be one big event at Sevier Park on Saturday, September 10 with the first concert starting at 5pm. The evening will include four bands plus a performance by Waverly Belmont Elementary students. Bring a folding chair, blanket, cooler, frisbee, kids, etc.
Metro Water Services will be sweeping streets in the Hillsboro West End area on September 12 and in the Belmont Hillsboro and 12th South areas on September 20. Moving cars off the street on street sweeping days will help them remove leaves and debris that could otherwise block gutters and cause local flooding.
The sixth annual Hustle for the House 5K race will be held on Saturday, September 17 beginning at 7:30am at the Ronald McDonald House at 24th and Fairfax. The race takes place in the Hillsboro West End Neighborhood and will include street closings during the early morning. Streets affected are expected to be Fairfax, Chesterfield, Marlborough, Ransom, Elmington, Richardson, Blair, and several cross streets. Parking will be restricted on those streets from 6am until 9am. Parking on side streets will enable residents to drive out of the neighborhood during that time. Neighbors can register to run, walk, or volunteer by clicking here. The race proceeds benefit the programs of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, which serves families of seriously ill children receiving treatment in Nashville area hospitals.
Nashville Chalk Fest on September 24 and 25 Fest at 24th & Belcourt — Come watch local and nationally known artists create works of art in the street next to the Dragon Park to benefit Vanderbilt Hearing and Speech Services. There will also be lots of children’s activities, music, and food trucks.
Celebrate Nashville Cultural Week — In honor of Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival’s 20th anniversary, the Metro Human Relations Commission is proud to sponsor Celebrate Nashville Cultural Week. Multiple events will allow participants to experience the cornucopia of cultures represented right here in Nashville! The week starts on Sunday, September 25 and runs until the festival on Saturday, October 1. Details can be found here.
Events include:
- Sunday, September 25: A Caravan Tour of Places of Worship
- Monday, September 26: A NEW “Dirty Pages” Exhibit and Food Event
- Wednesday, September 28, 7:30pm: World Music Night at the Ryman:
- Friday, September 30, 5-7pm: “Get Cultured!” Exhibit at Centennial Art Gallery
- Saturday, October 1, 10am-6pm: Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival at Centennial Park.
The Belmont Hillsboro Home Tour takes place on Saturday, October 1 from 11am to 5pm. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at Hillsboro Hardware starting September 24 or at 2700 Belmont Blvd on the day of the tour. This is a great opportunity to see the inside of homes that you have admired from the outside. Proceeds benefit the many worthwhile projects of BHN including historic markers, tree planting, and support of neighborhood schools. Learn more here.
Village 21 construction continues at the corner of 21st Ave S and Wedgewood. The concrete for the parking slabs has been poured, which should make it possible to reopen the sidewalk along 21st Avenue. I will continue to work with the contractor on that.
From the Metro Police Department of Domestic Violence Prevention — Meharry Medical College is looking for subjects for a paid research study on interpersonal violence to help design better treatments for women struggling to cope with recent violence. Women between the ages of 18 and 30 who have experienced interpersonal violence with the past three months can inquire by contacting Dr. Matthew Morris by email or by phone at 615-327-6962. Participants will receive compensation for time and travel, protection for privacy, free assessment from a licensed mental health professional, and information about treatment options and providers.
The 12th South water project is out for bid and might start construction in November. This would affect Linden, Elmwood, Beechwood, and Sweetbriar between Belmont and 12th. A community meeting will be set up in October.
Giant Yard Sale Donations — The Hillsboro High School PTSO has begun taking donations of gently used items for their annual Giant Yard Sale Fundraiser. They’ll take almost anything that can be sold and turned into $$$ for the school, including furniture, home goods, exercise and sports equipment, books and toys, clothes, and (working) electronics. Email the PTSO if you have questions about unusual or bulky items.) The sale is October 22 from 7am to 2pm in the gym (enter on Hillsboro Road across from the mall). Donations will be accepted at the gym on selected weekends in September and October. Visit the Hillsboro website for drop-off dates. Donations are tax-deductible.
The Metro Council will be considering a number of complicated bills this month. There are six pieces of legislation (BL2016-257,373,374,375,381, and 382) dealing with Short-Term Rental that will improve enforcement of the regulations and provide further protections for neighborhoods. We will finally be debating, and almost certainly, passing a bill (BL2016-133) to provide for Inclusionary Zoning that will detail set units to be set aside to be affordable to people earning 60 to 100% of Davidson County’s median income. This will be accompanied by a grants bill (BL2016-342) that will provide a financial incentive to developers who do set aside residential units for workforce housing. This is in response to the many citizens who have expressed concern that gentrification is displacing the very people who make our economy run. We will also debate whether to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana (BL2016-378). While I support the goal of reducing a spiral of jail time and lost job opportunities over one mistake, I am still studying the details of how small an amount is appropriate to consider a civil offense, and whether there is a mechanism for dealing with repeat offenses. I appreciate all the input I’ve gotten on these very complex issues, and I hope you’ll continue to send me your thoughts.
I hope that the holiday weekend has rejuvenated you and that you are looking forward to a lovely fall in Nashville. Please feel free to contact me with concerns and suggestions at burkley.allen@nashville.gov.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District