September 26 HEN Meeting Minutes

Approximately 30 neighbors and friends attended the bi-monthly business meeting, and the following items were discussed:
 
Upcoming Events:

• HEN Neighborhood Social: Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 7PM to 9PM at Mickey’s Tavern. They are offering us drink specials, so please come out if you can.
• HEN Business Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 7PM at East Park Community Center
• HEN Holiday Party: Sunday, Dec. 10, at 5PM. If you’re interested in hosting, please let us know. We’ll also hold a holiday food drive for the students at Warner Elementary.

 
Business Update:

• We appreciate any memberships that are committed. It’s $25 per individual and $50 per household. The dues go to support the work of the neighborhood association: flyers, socials, public maintenance (street signs, alleys, etc.), and other special needs for the neighborhood.

 
Crime Report:

• Sargent Mike Fisher shared that East Precinct can be a resource for neighbors. You can always reach out to him for specifics – either email or phone – and he will provide an accurate narrative of what’s happening. For example, if you use Crime Mapping, you can email him to get more details on reported incidents.
  • Contact: 615-862-7500 / [email protected]
• Also, if you have inquiries that you’d like to keep anonymous, he does maintain confidentiality. Neighbors can reach out to him with concerns or issues.
• PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN YOUR CAR AT ANY TIME. People continue to leave keys in their cars – unlocked – and their vehicles are being taken.
• Also, please secure any packages, have them delivered to work, or coordinate with neighbors.
• Sgt. Fisher wants us to call in cars parked so close to corners they block sidewalks and stops signs or violate the "no parking to corner" space. 

 
Residential Parking Permits:

• Due to parking problems caused by the increase in apartment buildings, events in East Park, and businesses whose customers and employees park on in our neighborhood, the board presented information on residential parking permits.
• Guideline/Process: You must have 75% of the residents on your block complete a petition. It then goes to our councilman to sign, and then it goes to Public Works. Once it’s approved, everyone has to apply for the permit, and there are various rules around having the permit.
• Neighbors who live on the 700 block of Fatherland, which has permit parking, shared their experience. Response times from the police are prioritized. If the police are called for permit violations, they will ticket the entire block – no exceptions.
• This is a block-by-block issue, so if neighbors want to pursue this, then they need to work together. You also cannot put out orange cones; public streets are available for public parking.
• You can learn more here.

 
Green Alleys Project

• Cumberland River Compact is leading a project in East Nashville for rain gardens in the alleyways.
• East Nashville also has a combined water system: both our sewage and storm water lines utilize the same system. It’s usually fine, except when torrential rains come; then, storm water and sewage water both flow into the Cumberland River.
• These rain gardens help alleviate this problem by retaining more water and helping absorb more naturally back into the soil.
• Cumberland River Compact always provides free consultations, even outside of this program, if Davidson County residents want to explore adding a rain garden to their property.
• More information can be found here: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/.

 
Council Update:

• Councilman Withers shared that the church and parking lot on Russell and 9th are up for sale. He was contacted by the listing agent just today, but he’s not had a chance to connect. He will keep the neighborhood updated on what he hears.
• STRP committee continues to meet, and they are still discussing various options. There is one proposal being discussed, and there is a vote scheduled for next week on it.  

 
Promise Zone Survey:

• Stephanie Smith, the community engagement coordinator for James Cayce Homes, shared her role and purpose. In addition to the one-for-one redevelopment, there will also be workforce and market rate housing included. Retail businesses will be included as well.
• All neighbors are invited to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cayce2017.
• The survey allows neighbors to express neighborhood opinions which could be taken into consideration when planning housing and retail at Cayce. For example, after hearing tonight’s discussion, MDHA knows we are concerned about parking and pedestrian safety. 

 
The meeting adjourned at 8:20PM.