The HWEN Walking District is here! Signs have gone up designating the Hillsboro West End Neighborhood as a place to drive slowly so pedestrians can safely walk everywhere. Statistics show that an accident involving a pedestrian and a vehicle has a much lower fatality rate if the car is moving at 20 mph rather than 30. In partnership with Metro Public Works and Metro Police, the HWEN traffic committee has worked to increase awareness and safety. Speed limits have been lowered to 25 mph on the major streets like Blair and Natchez Trace and to 20 mph on the side streets. Police have been in the area stopping speeding drivers to point out the change.
Nashville Electric Service will be trimming trees in the area this month. Streets to be trimmed include Linden, Elmwood, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 26th, 29th, 32nd, Beechwood, Sweetbriar, Dallas, Paris, Belmont Blvd, Altura, Hazelwood Cr, Hillside, Natchez Trace, Blair, Ashwood, Acklen, Barton, Linden, Westmoreland, Westwood, Woodlawn, Bernard, Cedar, and Portland. Postcards were mailed to customers on this circuit earlier last month. The NES Vegetation Management Hotline is available (615-695-7400) to get additional information. The standards to which trees should be trimmed can be found here. The clearance around the wire varies from one foot for the lower cable lines to 12 feet for the higher voltage lines on top. Correct trimming should be v-shaped rather than all 12 feet back from the location of the high voltage wires. If NES recommends removal of a tree, they have a tree replacement program that neighbors can take advantage of.
Citizen Policy Academy now accepting applications — The Nashville Police Department is pleased to announce that the fall session of the Citizen Police Academy will begin Monday, September 18. Nashvillians interested in learning about the inner workings and law enforcement strategies of their police department are cordially invited to apply for this FREE 12-week course. This will be the 38th session of the CPA since the popular program began in 1995. Classes will be held on Monday nights from 6 - 9pm through December 4th in the community room of the West Precinct, 5500 Charlotte Pike. Because class size is limited, interested persons are urged to apply now. The deadline for applications is 5pm September 7. Participants will learn about police work through the perspective of a variety of guest speakers, including members of the police department’s specialized components. Topics will include gangs, narcotics enforcement, domestic violence, traffic/DUI enforcement, internet crimes, emergency preparedness, crime prevention and the judicial process. There will also be a tour of the Emergency Communications Center and a demonstration by the Aviation, Canine and Mounted Units. Each applicant should commit to attending at least 9 of the 12 sessions, be a Davidson County resident/business owner at least 21 years old, and have no arrest record (excluding minor traffic violations). While completion of the course gives citizens an understanding of the workings of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, it does not make a participant a certified law enforcement officer, nor is it designed to train citizens to perform law enforcement duties. Applications can be submitted online here. Persons desiring an application by mail or fax, or persons with questions, are invited to contact Shenika Lawrence, the department’s Citizen Police Academy Co-Coordinator, at 615-880-2999.
I am sponsoring another Bus Ride 101 to introduce non- or infrequent bus riders to the MTA bus system. This time we are riding route 21, the University Connector, to the African Street Festival on Jefferson Street on September 23. This a cross town bus that connects Lipscomb, Belmont, Vanderbilt, and TSU. Meet promptly at 10:20am at International Market on Belmont Blvd to board the inbound bus, which will depart at approximately 10:36am. We will arrive at Hadley Park around 10:53am. For those not staying for the festival, our return trip will depart Hadley Park at 11:36am. If you are staying for the festival, use your new bus riding skills to return to International Market at your own convenience. Held on the campus of Tennessee State University, the Nashville African Street Festival invites guests to celebrate and explore the diversity of African and African American cultures. Guests can taste numerous samples of authentic cuisine and enjoy an array of live music performances including acts specializing in reggae, jazz, gospel, blues, African drumming and Latin music. Additionally, attendees can browse the many merchant vendors displaying arts and crafts or enjoy spoken word shows and traditional dance performances.
The sixth annual Hustle for the House 5K race takes place Saturday, September 16 beginning at 7:30am at the Ronald McDonald House at the corner of 24th and Fairfax Avenues. 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, Blair, and several cross streets. Neighbors can register to run 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.
Open Streets Nashville is back on 12th South on September 17 from 2 to 6pm. This year it will stretch from Kirkwood to 11th and McGavock in the Gulch. During Open Streets Nashville, the street is open to walkers, cyclists, families, musicians, dancers, and community members from around Nashville. Citizens can bring their bicycles, strollers, skateboards, non-motorized scooters, hula-hoops, and dogs on leashes. Businesses along the route are invited to open out onto the sidewalk. A variety of fitness classes and other activities will also take place in the street, all along the corridor. Open Streets is free and open to Nashvillians of any age or ability. The route will contain “soft” closures, allowing vehicular traffic to cross the route at the five busiest intersections. A full route-map and draft street-closure information can be found here. The event is sponsored by Mayor Megan Barry, Walk/Bike Nashville, 12th Avenue South and Gulch neighborhood groups and businesses.
Interested in getting involved? — There are openings coming up in many of the over 70 boards and commissions that oversee much of the building and development in Nashville. If you are interested in getting involved in making Nashville an even better place to live, this is a great way to plug in. Check out the possibilities here. To be considered, please send me your resume and several boards you would be interested in serving on, and I’ll pass the info on to the mayor’s office, where the final selections are made.
The 12th South water main replacement project is continuing with paving scheduled to start on September 18th. The storm water work in the alley near Beechwood will continue into September.
Everyone is invited to the Nashville Neighborhoods Celebration at Elizabeth Park, at 1701 Aurthur Avenue, on September 30 from 10am to 3pm. Activities include music, spoken word presentations, parades, a chili cook-off, children’s and neighborhood games, a marketplace, and the North Nashville History Project. More information is available here.
Brush pick-up will begin in BHN, Sunnyside, and in 12th South on September 29.
New bike lanes — As part of the repaving of 16th and 17th Avenues, new bike lanes have been installed on Music Row through Magnolia Blvd. What makes these special is that they are on the left side of the road. This greatly reduces the risk of a bike rider getting “doored” by a parked car, having to dodge delivery trucks stopped in the far right lane, or not being seen by a car exiting a driveway. In addition, there will be fewer conflicts with cars turning right at intersections, and there is now a two foot buffer between bikes and cars. This will take some getting used to on the part of both car drivers and bike riders but will ultimately be a safer way to share the road.
The Belmont University Institutional Overlay is in its final revision stages of update, incorporating additional comments from the community meeting held in June. The Institutional Overlay, originally written in 2005, is a document that provides a known and agreed upon plan for the growth of the university that preserves the integrity and viability of the neighborhood. An example is the recently announced acquisition by Belmont of the International Market property and two adjacent houses. While there are no immediate plans for construction there, the IO spells out that it would ultimately be intended for continuation of the Belmont Art and Entertainment zone. The changes from the 2005 version include expansion plans into the area bounded by Wedgewood, 12th, Caldwell, and 15th for academic and residential buildings, and a mixed use area along 12th Avenue South from Acklen to the alley across from South Douglas. The latest version can be reviewed on Belmont’s website. Belmont expects to file the updated IO with the Planning Commission this fall.
Residents, property owners, and merchants are invited to a Hillsboro Village Construction meeting on Thursday, October 5, starting at 5:30pm, to hear about construction timelines, working hours, and lines of communication for three building projects. Contractors and representatives for the construction projects will be scheduled as follows:
- Belcourt Village – Elmington Capital 5:30 to 6
- 1710 Belcourt – Yates Construction 6 to 6:30
- Moxy Hotel – Flintco Construction 6:30 to 7
I hope everyone is ready for a great fall. Please let me hear about your suggestions and concerns. Please contact me at 615-383-6604 or by e-mailing me at burkley.allen@nashville.gov.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District