Vol. 10 No. 1 June 2004 N President George W. Bush The Mayor’s makes a visit to Forest Hills Corner On Thursday, May 27, 2004 President George Bush made a visit to a Forest Hills residence on Hillsboro Road. Many people had their picture taken with the Presi- dent and others were invited to the President’s Dinner meeting. The President left the dinner at about 7:30 p.m. to fly back to Washington BY CHARLES EVERS on Air Force One. Bikeway contract After many months that it took The Bikeway project is underway. for the City to acquire the various INSIDE pieces of property on Otter Creek yet another stormwater project in the area 2 Chipper services map Road, Percy Priest Road, and Wilhoit Road, of Granny White Pike, Jefferson Davis Drive, the Board of Commissioners finally approved Carl Seyfert Drive, and part of Hounds Run. 3 Seven homes join the bikeway contract. The project is not a National Register small job since it will also include the instal- Speed humps lation of three new bridges on Otter Creek The City continues to have discussions 5 Coyote survey Road plus building the new bikeway path with some of the residents on upper Otter along the side of Otter Creek south of Robert Creek Road regarding the possible installation E. Lee Drive. The bikeway project should be completed Continued on page 2 in late September. Water drainage The City of Forest Hills has done consider- able work to clean out under the many bridges and maintain the width of creeks and drain- age ditches. In spite of numerous heavy rains recently, we have not had the flooding prob- lems experienced in previous years. In addition, the Bison Meadow Tour is June 12 City is exploring with See page 7 for details. Metro Public Works Mayor’s Corner Continued from page 1 of more speed humps in this area. So far the Chipper service CITY MANAGER Commissioners have not seen the data and As most of you know, the City changed Jim Pitman City of Forest Hills information necessary to approve more speed chipper service providers about six months 4012 Hillsboro Road humps. We are still monitoring the project. ago. We have received many compliments Nashville TN 37215 Phone: 383-8447 on the new service and the clean front lawns FEMA study BOARD OF COmmISSIONERS next to roadways. Charles K. Evers, Mayor This seems to be an unending project. 2160 Old Hickory Blvd. Garbage pick-up Nashville TN 37215 Local governments participating in the (H) 373-8239 National Flood Insurance Program adminis- A new problem has appeared that needs John Lovell, Vice Mayor immediate attention. Two new companies 6005 Andover Drive tered by the Federal Emergency Management Nashville TN 37215 Agency are required to review proposed have started roadside garbage pick-up for a (H) 371-1716 (W) 292-9925 limited number of City residents. City ordi- William G. Coke development projects to determine if they 5612 Stanford Court are in identified floodplains as shown on nances prohibit roadside displays of garbage Nashville TN 37215 (H) 665-1992 the FEMA maps. If a project is located in a cans. One garbage company has already been Jonathan Harwell, Attorney mapped floodplain, the local government notified by certified mail that it must cease 1800 First American Center 315 Deaderick Street must require that a permit be obtained prior pick-up. The other company is being notified. Nashville TN 37238-1800 to development. (W) 256-0500 Cemeteries Brad Bivens, City Engineer We have finished and sent in all of the Neel-Schafer, Inc. current information requested. But FEMA Many of you don’t know that we have Suite 207 numerous old cemeteries on land in Forest 4205 Hillsboro Road keeps dreaming up requests for more and Nashville, TN 37215 Hills. (W) 383-8420 more information on the study. Cities that Fletch Coke, wife of City Commissioner PLANNING COmmISSION sent in data three or four years ago did not E. Warner Bass, Chair have to do all of these extra studies. We are Bill Coke, together with a number of histo- Bass Berry & Sims rians have done research on all the private First American Center up to date on all new requests and hope our Nashville TN 37238 cemeteries in Forest Hills. (See story on page (W) 742-6210 FEMA permit approval arrives shortly. Winston S. Evans, Vice Chair 7.) 1339 Otter Creek Road Sequoia Swim Club settlement Fletch has put all of this information in a Nashville TN 37215 (W) 259-4685 In mid-April after extended negotiations, very nice notebook so you can see if there is a Stephen Tocknell cemetery on your property. This notebook is 1330 Otter Creek Road the City of Forest Hills and the Sequoia Swim Nashville TN 37215 Club reached a settlement on all our differ- maintained at the City office for review. (H) 373-0067 (W) 661-5429 We need to thank Fletch Coke for all of Sandy Moore ences over future land use and development 2025 Kingsbury Drive of its property. This put to rest a long-stand- this hard work. Nashville TN 37215 (H) 373-0239 (W) 252-6867 ext. 146 ing disagreement between the city and the Em Ghianni Club. 6013 Andover Drive Harding Place Nashville TN 37215 Sequoia has, since the agreement, (H) 373-1359 requested Forest Hills approval on a couple of James C. Gardner III 1811 Otter Creek Road new projects for the summer. Nashville TN 37215 (H) 665-0936 Homeland security 1 W. Joe Diehl 2 1092 Lynwood Blvd. I have attended three meetings of Middle Hillsboro Pike Nashville TN 37215 (H) 665-0720 Tennessee counties on homeland security. BOARD OF ZONING AppEALS Although the City doesn’t have a water 4 Chickering Road Janie Rowland, Chair system, electric main office, airport, or other 5912 Hillsboro Road 3 Nashville TN 37215 necessary public services, we could and Granny White Pike Old Hickory Blvd. (H) 665-0642 would be vitally affected if any of our public Jim Littlejohn 2121 Chickering Lane utilities were to be disrupted coming into Nashville TN 37215 Forest Hills. (H) 371-0008 (W) 385-4144 Chipper service will be The group is currently preparing alternate Jack Freeman provided in these four areas 6021 Sherwood Drive plans to limit affected areas so that the City Nashville TN 37215 on a set schedule: (H) 370-0982 (W) 329-2424 will experience only minor interruptions of utilities and services. Area 1 First week of each month Area 2 First and second week Commissioners meeting Road paving agenda hotline of each month The Commissioners have approved repav- Area 3 Second and third week 298-5389 ing Otter Creek Road from Robert E. Lee of each month Drive to Percy Priest School, Wilhoit Drive, Area 4 Third and fourth week and Percy Priest Road. This project should be of each month completed by Labor Day. 2 Seven homes join National Register On November 12, 2003, the owners of seven properties in the City of Forest Hills were notified that their properties had been offi- cially placed on the National and Tennessee Registers of Historic Places by the National Park Service. Joining three homes already on the list are: • The Edward B. Craig house • Hunter’s Hill, the Guilford and Anne Dallas Dudley house R.E. Martin house, Castlewood • Woodcote, the P.D. Houston house • Deepwood, the Dr. Cobb Pilcher house • The Henry Neuhoff house • Castlewood, the R.E. Martin house • The Thomas P. Kennedy Jr. house These properties were identified in a historical survey of the City of Forest Hills authorized by the City and carried out by Thomason and Associates. Dr. Cobb Pilcher House, Deepwood Photos and architectural infor- mation on each of the properties is included in Historic Homes Of Forest Hills. This 256-page, full- color book published by the City of Forest Hills may be purchased at Davis-Kidd Booksellers or at the City office. Guilford Dudley Sr. House, Hunter’s Hill Copies of Historic Homes of Forest Hills are available at Forest Hills City Hall, 4012 Hillsboro Road, for $45. The books are on sale at Cheekwood, Davis Kidd Booksellers, Elder’s and other bookstores. Edward B. Craig house 3 Stormwater affects us all ou may think “It’s just rain,” but stormwater can cause How does stormwater Yserious health and ecological problems. By working together, we can reduce stormwater runoff and pollution. Here are some facts about pollution affect us? stormwater and solutions you can Stormwater pollution can kill plants animals. implement. and animals that live in the water. For l Litter clogs waterways and causes example: toxicity as it breaks down and affects the l Sediment in water from construc- health of birds, fish, and other animals tion sites, farm lands, and erosion reduces and plants that live in and around water- light penetration and affects photosyn- ways. thesis, the process that allows plants to Healthy waterways mean a healthy use light as their source of energy. future for the environment and the econ- l Soil from construction sites and omy—and for us. For example: farm lands can suffocate fish by clogging l Bacteria pose health risk to their gills. humans. It can be dangerous to swim l When green waste decays in water immediately after a rain. What is urban it uses up oxygen, taking vital oxygen l Ugly pollution destroys the visual stormwater? away from plants, fish, and other aquatic amenity of our waterways. Stormwater is pure rainwater plus anything the rain carries along with it. In urban areas, rain that falls on the roof of your house or collects on paved areas like driveways, roads, and footpaths is carried away through a system of ditches and pipes that is separate from the sewerage system.