Fencing is finally going around the new Donelson Branch Library site. We are slowly but surely getting there. Meanwhile, here’s a nice piece about Amber Lelli, the artist who will design the interior art piece in our new library that will hang from the second floor and be very visible as you walk into the library.
Donelson Council News, Donelson Library, Donelson Neighborhood News
Our Metropolitan Development & Housing Agency (MDHA) has a few programs that few know about. Home improvement, weatherization, building ramps for disabled neighbors, and more. Below are flyers that describes these programs. There are income limits to qualify. Contact MDHA for more information.
July 1, 2022 begins our FY2023 fiscal year for Metro Government. As reported in my last newsletter, overall, I was generally pleased with the budget proposal from Mayor Cooper. I want to thank Council Member At Large Burkley Allen for leading Council through the budget process as Budget & Finance Chair and crafting a substitute budget that made some important tweaks to address critical issues, specifically the $22.6 million gap in funding for MNPS that we had to address. It was unfortunate that the issue was caused by the timing of when the Mayor was required to send his budget proposal to Council and when the final new calculation from the State came in, which created the deficit.
Speaking of schools, I am wrapping up two years as Chair of the Music Makes Us Advisory Council and pass it over to Brian Sexton, who has served as Vice Chair for the last two years. Brian is a fantastic community leader and will be a fantastic leader of this initiative. This is an area I’m passionate about and like many of you I’m sure, my experience in band and music programs in school was the most formative and impactful growing up. I want to help ensure kids have the same, if not greater, opportunities that I had.
$18 million in grant and loan funds made available through the American Rescue Plan for small businesses in Nashville and Davidson County are now open to applicants. Metro Nashville is partnering with Pathway Lending to administer the funds. Eligible small businesses can apply for a grant or start a loan application.
Tickets are on sale now for WeGo Public Transit’s special event train from Lebanon to downtown Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, August 7th. The train will depart from Lebanon Station at 12pm, Hamilton Springs at 12:08pm, Martha at 12:15pm, Mt. Juliet at 12:25pm, Hermitage at 12:35pm, Donelson at 12:45pm and arrive at Nashville’s Riverfront Station at 1pm. There is a 45-minute concert scheduled for after the race.
The return train to Lebanon leaves one hour after the conclusion of the concert. Round-trip tickets cost $15 plus a $2 processing fee and are available for purchase through ticketsnashville.com with a credit card. Tickets will not be for sale on the platforms. Parking is free at the inbound stations. Anyone needing special accommodations to board should call 615-862-5950 prior to their trip. Customers will receive only one ticket for the round-trip and will need to show the ticket to train personnel when boarding.
Upon boarding, each customer will receive a colored wristband in place of the ticket, which will serve as their train ticket. Customers must show the wristband to the conductor for the return trip. Children aged 4 and younger will not need a ticket to board; however, they are required to sit on a parent or guardian’s lap. Children aged 5 and older will need a ticket. Weekday Star tickets and monthly passes are not accepted on the Grand Prix train.
Lincoya Hills Neighborhood Association will have a second meeting on Saturday, July 16th from 10am-noon to discuss the same two topics. The first is to review the traffic calming program recommendations with neighbors and talk about next steps after input from the last meeting. The second topic is to further discuss the Contextual Overlay, which is the only tool in the toolbox that is available to protect the character of our mid-20th century neighborhoods.
We learned from a member of the Planning Department last time, and it was requested that a team member from Codes be at the next meeting to address those specific related issues. So, be sure to attend this meeting and spread the word to neighbors. As stated before, I currently have no intentions of filing any bill to implement an Overlay for Lincoya Hills. This is purely an educational meeting, and the neighborhood will need to further discuss if this is the direction they’d like to take or not.
Lakeland Drive, Emery Drive, Donelsonwood Drive and Fitzergerald Drive neighbors – If you haven’t signed the Traffic Calming Petition or have any questions, please contact me. As soon as 70% of neighbors sign the required petition, traffic calming can be installed on your streets. If you’re reading this and know of a neighbor who lives on one of those streets, please help reach out to them and make them aware of this process and to contact me with any questions.
Donelson Neighborhood News, Lincoya Hill Neighborhood Association
A wonderful partnership between the Friends of Two Rivers Mansion and WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 will happen on Saturday, August 27th when they present Roots On The Rivers music festival. Gates will open at 2pm for an afternoon and evening of community vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, and no surprise, six hours of great music from friends of Roots Radio.
Maggie Rose and Lera Lynn are among Nashville’s most cutting edge singer songwriters and sound creators. 49 Winchester from Appalachian Virginia is blowing up out of their regional base on the strength of their celebrated new album Fortune Favors the Bold. Nashville’s soul star Mike Farris will join transplant Nicki Bluhm and veteran country outfit The Lost Trailers to round out a pretty dreamy day of tunes.
The single-day mini-festival reflects a partnership with the Cumberland River Compact’s Root Nashville program, which aims to plant 500,000 trees across Davidson County by 2050. Ticket sales support programming on WMOT. Tickets are $45 and accessible here at this link. If you’re a member of the Friends of Two Rivers Mansion, you get a $10 discount. Email me for a special link for Friends members
Big thanks to Piedmont Natural Gas for supporting The Donelson Gateway Project. This very gracious donation helps a lot with our continued maintenance needs, especially during this dry weather when we need to water with our mobile water truck (shown behind us in the picture). All tax-deductible donations are sincerely appreciated and go directly towards keeping Donelson beautiful.
We are always seeking partners, sponsors and folks willing to help with the physical labor to maintain our sites. This is a non-profit that does a lot with a little and is something we can all be proud to support. The community was wonderful last year in supporting DGP and that went directly to purchasing a mower for all our sites as well as continued expansion and maintenance. We have many needs, so if you’re interested in assisting us, please let me know. Pictured with me are Piedmont’s Stephen Francescon, and Mike Rose, DGP President.
Please don’t forget the August 4th election is fast approaching. All information is located at www.nashville.gov/vote. Below is the schedule. Make a plan to vote!
Please be sure to check out a sample ballot on the website. It’s a long ballot. There are also four Metro Charter amendment proposals on the ballot. I’m advocating for voting in favor of all four. Council Member At Large Bob Mendes does an excellent job of explaining them. Check out his blog post about it here.
