Over the last couple of years, we have been thoughtfully putting together a plan for the East Bank. The Titan’s stadium is the anchor development of the East Bank that needed its own careful consideration as we’ve deferred required maintenance of it for many years and we’d have to start pulling debt to meet our obligations. There is an extraordinary opportunity here to plan for development that benefits all Nashville-Davidson County. This will be an area that will take a decade or more to build out. Going into this two years ago, I had two fundamental questions to weigh the stadium decision of whether to renovate or build new, as well as how East Bank development should proceed. 1) What is the best scenario for Nashville-Davidson County taxpayers, and 2) Is this development that will benefit every resident of Davidson County?
Metro Nashville Water Services encourages everyone to sign up for the Fall 2022 Citizen’s Water Academy. The Citizen’s Water Academy (CWA) is an opportunity for Metro Water Services (MWS) customers to learn about our most precious natural resource, water, and how Water Services manages it from “river to river.” Citizen’s Water Academy is an in-person interactive five-session program, held over the course of 2.5 weeks.
This is Hispanic Heritage Month and there are several activities happening to celebrate and support our growing Hispanic and Latino communities. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. Here’s a list below of several events and activities.
The Nashville Symphony will return to Two Rivers Mansion on Sunday, June 9th at 7:30pm. Come early and get a good seat on the lawn. This concert is FREE. Tours of Two Rivers Mansion will begin soon as well. Visit this link to view the events and to sign up as a volunteer.
Leadership Donelson-Hermitage is now L’Evate as they celebrate their 20th year. As Leadership Donelson-Hermitage looks forward to the next 20 years, a new name will help take the organization into new places and allow them to meet new people. They are no longer tied to a geographic region by a name and getting more visibility in the community of sponsors and donors will make securing dollars for the organization easier, which will allow L’Evate to tell the story of the positive impact the organization has on the community. Many are able to live, work, play, and raise families in a community that they have had a hand in creating, growing, and prospering. The new name will allow them to continue growing and impacting new people.
The Larry Keeton Theater returns for a great 2019 season. See flyer below for details Larry Keeton Theater 2019 schedule and tickets.
I’m coming up on another trip around the sun and I thought it’d be a good way to kick-off this campaign and have some fun as well. I’m thankful to Barrett Hobbs and the Hobbs Family for hosting a Birthday Bash and Fish Fry Fundraiser at Scoreboard Bar & Restaurant on Wednesday, March 13th at 5pm. Scoreboard is at 2408 Music Valley Drive just behind Cracker Barrel on Music Valley Drive. Everyone is welcome. Thank you in advance of the great support I’ve received already for my re-election campaign. It’s an honor to serve this community and the 15th District.
I’m very impressed with the new Metro Police Department Headquarters on Murfreesboro Pike. I had the pleasure of attending the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. It is a state of the art facility that includes the Family Justice Center, which will house components of the Metro Office of Family Safety as well as programs for Tennessee Department of Child Safety, Nashville Children’s Alliance, Victim Intervention, and Domestic Violence. This new facility needs to be just one of the ways in which Metro needs to support our first responders. I will continue to add my voice to the needed cost of living adjustments to all Metro employees and beyond that ensure we are paying wages that are competitive and indicative of the priority we need to set for public safety.
April is Transit Month and Transit Now Nashville will be offering another “Ticket to Ride” event riding the Music City Star from downtown to Donelson on Friday, April 5th. We will then be walking over to Party Fowl to network and discuss the status of plans for the Music City Star, Donelson Station, as well as how transit needs to be addressed in the Opry area with the #34 bus line, especially with the announcement of the 130-acre development that Ryman is doing over the coming decade or so. Stay tuned to their website and Facebook page for more information on getting tickets.
A Toast to Tennessee Wine Festival will be served by the Music City Star on Saturday, April 27th. Tickets are on sale now at this link. Thanks to the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring this.
The airport continues to grow at an extraordinary rate, which is indicative of course at how fast Middle TN as a whole is growing. Even though we’re not even half-way through with the $1.2 billion expansion plan under the “BNA Vision” strategic plan, the airport is already engaged at looking at the next 20-30 years. I’ve had the opportunity of attending a few meetings to learn about this process and it’s been quite fascinating. There will be a community meeting on Tuesday, March 5th. I encourage everyone to attend. See flyer below for details.
Stay tuned for more updates on this Master Plan process at their website.
Metro Water Services is offering its first ever Citizen’s Water Academy. The Citizen’s Water Academy is an opportunity for MWS customers to learn about our most precious natural resource, water, and how MWS manages it from “river to river”. The program includes tours of various MWS facilities, informative and interactive presentations, and the opportunity to interact with MWS staff and other water experts over four two-hour sessions. Through the Academy, MWS hopes to provide a better understanding of our resource and our processes to build a diverse network of leaders and influencers who are willing to share their knowledge in the community and serve as ambassadors for water. Class size is limited and the selection process is competitive. Please visit this link for more information and to fill out the application to apply.
The Spring 2019 dates and times are as follows:
Tuesday, April 9 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Tuesday, April 16 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Tuesday, April 23 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Tuesday, April 30 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm or Saturday, April 27 9:30am – 11:30pm (Group will decide)
Participants must have availability for all listed dates and times and must commit to attend all 4 sessions.
The application deadline is March 8, 2019. Applicants will be notified of acceptance no later than March 14, 2019. If you have questions about the program or application process, please contact Sonia Allman at Sonia.allman@nashville.gov.
The 2018 Hip Donelson Community Farmer’s Market season is almost here! It kicks off May 4th. There are always needs for volunteers and sponsors to support the market. Please visit the website to volunteer and learn about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks to everyone for your continued support of the market. I look forward to this being the biggest season yet at the new location at Two Rivers Mansion!
The Friends of Two Rivers Mansion presents Mutts at the Mansion on April 15th from 10am to 2pm. There will be local rescue and adoption agencies, food trucks and mansion tours. See flyer below for details.
See three flyers below for great activities going on at The Larry Keeton Theater at FiftyForward. 9 to 5 is coming as well as auditions for Annie. The Larry Keeton Kids Camp signups are coming as well, so see the flyers below for details and thanks for your continued support of the Larry Keeton Theater.
The Neighborhoods Resource Center is launching their inaugural Conference for Neighborhoods on April 14th. One of the breakout sessions is called “From Neighborhood Leader to Metro Council Member” and pleased to join District 34 Councilwoman Angie Henderson and District 6 Councilman Brett Withers on this panel. There are other breakout sessions and panels, so I encourage anyone currently involved or interested in being involved in your neighborhood to look into attending this conference.
Neighbors in Maplecrest heard a proposal from Aerial Development Group last month to purchase and develop 4.85 acres behind Stanford Montessori into 24 homes. It was a productive meeting and my thanks to Aeriel for coming and presenting with openness and willingness to listen to neighbors. Overall, there is a lot of concern for this proposal as far as density, character and stormwater issues related to the natural spring that runs through the property. Thanks to Maplecrest neighbors for meeting and working together. The second proposal came down to 18 homes. Currently, it’s zoned to allow about 7 homes, so the proposal is far denser that what allows. I won’t support a rezoning if there isn’t a strong consensus and support of this project from the neighborhood.
For those living on Donelsonwood Drive or Fitzgerald Drive, there will be a neighborhood meeting on Monday, April 9th at 6:30pm at Hickman Elementary. There is a proposed residential development on Lebanon Pike behind the abandoned gas station. It will be held in their library.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission on March 21, 2018, the company known as Kidde recalled almost 500,000 dual sensor smoke alarms in the United States as well as Canada. This recall is due to a manufacturing defect which can cause the detector to not be able to detect smoke as a result of a YELLOW cap that was left on the sensors inside of the detector which could prevent the detector from alerting people inside the house in the event of a fire. If you received a free detector of this type from the Nashville Fire Department, please take a moment to check your alarm using the following instructions to determine whether or not you have a detector that may not function in the event of a fire. You can register for a replacement if your alarm is affected by this recall at www.kidde.com or call 833-551-7739.
Fifty Forward Donelson Station will be hosting a casino night in support of the center. See details in the flyer below.
Grace Story Church is a new church for Donelson and is “a community where everyone is welcome because there’s no one to impress and nothing to prove. To put it simply, we’re a community defined by grace.” They launch their services on Sunday, September 17th at 4pm and they’re located at 400 Donelson Pike in the building by the playground. Visit their website at the link above for more info.
I am humbled and filled with deep gratitude for the strong victory last night electing me your next member of Metro Council for the 15th District.
I’m very proud to say that the confidence you have placed in me is not a statement of “now it’s time to get to work”, it’s a statement of “let’s continue the work we are doing on a greater and deeper level”. Just over the past month, the facelift of McGavock High School has begun, two Neighborhood Watch’s are being formed by new neighborhood leadership in Sunset View and Eva Mor Heights and the hard work and challenge of revitalizing the heart of Donelson’s business community continues. By electing me to be your next Councilman, you’ve given me the great honor of serving all our neighborhoods, schools, non-profits and businesses in Donelson. I love this community and will continue being an attentive, focused and dedicated public servant. I look forward to the years ahead and am confident of Donelson’s bright future.
One note – this election season is not yet over. As you know, there will be a run-off election on September 10th for Mayor and Council At-Large. Encourage your neighbors who may not be registered to do so by Monday, August 10. They will then be eligible to vote in the run-off. Head to www.nashville.gov/vote for all voter information.
