Cat found on 51st Avenue

From a neighbor:

[We] found a cat [photo above] on our front porch last Friday evening when it was raining. We weren't sure what to do with it, but we put it on our back porch where it could get dry. It is definitely an indoor cat, de-clawed front and back, beautiful long hair, white with black/grey spots. The spot on it's nose and mouth has a brown tint to it. It is a very friendly cat that we know just lost it's way and found itself on our porch. We live on 51st Avenue North.

If this sounds like your cat, please email spna@sylvanpark.org

West Nashville Community Plan Workshop Dec. 8

Planners, neighbors, and property owners will discuss a draft update to the West Nashville Community Plan on Monday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at St. Ann Catholic Community (5101 Charlotte Avenue). This is part of a scheduled update to the plan, which guides land use and zoning decisions in Sylvan Park, West Meade, Hillwood, Cockrill Bend, and several other West Nashville neighborhoods.

Community input from a visioning session held in early November is being included in the draft concept plan. That meeting is part of a scheduled update to the West Nashville Community Plan, which was last updated in 2000. The Plan influences the Metro Planning Commission’s recommendations to the Metro Council on property zoning and other development-related decisions within the West Nashville community. More information is available on the West Nashville page of the MPC Web site.

December SPNA meeting rescheduled to Dec. 15

SPNA will hold its December membership meeting on Monday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. in the basement of the Cohn Adult Learning Center (4805 Park Avenue). SPNA members voted to move the meeting to avoid a conflict with the West Nashville Community Plan meeting scheduled for Monday, Dec. 8, the previously scheduled meeting time.

West Nashville crime forum tomorrow (Nov. 19)

West Nashville United Methodist Church will host a second community meeting on "Coping With Crime in West Nashville" tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 19) at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free gathering.

The first meeting, held on Oct. 22nd, hosted a panel of civic and religious leaders from the community including the Metro Council representatives from two West Nashville Districts, a Lt. Pylkas from the Metro Police Force and two ministers from local churches. If anyone would like a summary of this meeting, please send an email request to sdcothran@gmail.com.

Representatives from Neighborhoods Resource Center will be on hand on Nov. 19th to facilitate discussion regarding further community organizing efforts towards dealing with the issue of crime in West Nashville. We hope to develop plans for working together as a community to deal with crime in our neighborhoods. The meeting will last from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Please call West Nashville UMC at (615) 297-3216 if you would like more information or visit the website www.westnashvilleumc.org. Business owners, residents, church members and concerned citizens in the West Nashville area are encouraged to attend.

New sculpture exhibit at LeQuire Gallery

Alan LeQuire and Somers Randolph are showcasing new works now through January 10th at LeQuire Gallery (4304 Charlotte Avenue), including LeQuire's Alabama Marble (above). Visit the LeQuire Gallery Web site or call (615) 298-4611 for more information.

CASA Nashville looking for volunteers

Jenny Magill, a public relations associate for the Nashville chapter of Court Appointed Special Advocates, addressed SPNA members at last week's membership meeting. CASA is looking for volunteers who can assist in advocating for the needs of the abused and neglected children.

CASA will hold volunteer training sessions through its CASA College initiative beginning in January 2009. See the organization's volunteer information page for more details and to sign up if you are interested in being involved. Here is additional information about CASA:

CASA provides trained community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children who come to the attention of the court primarily as a result of abuse or neglect.

Last Year in Nashville, close to 2000 children were caught up in the court because they were abused, neglected or abandoned by those they loved and trusted the most.
These children find themselves in foster care or temporary situations, often bouncing from home to home to home. Juvenile Courts must make critical decisions about these vulnerable children's lives, often with a disturbing shortage of facts.

Fortunately, there is an organization that puts children first. It's called CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. Staffed almost entirely by non-paid volunteers, CASA can make a real difference in the lives of children at risk. CASA's mission is to expedite the process through which these abused and neglected children find permanent, safe homes.

SPNA holiday party Dec. 14

The Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association will hold a holiday caroling party on Sunday, December 14. We'll be caroling and gathering for a potluck chili dinner afterward. This is an annual tradition and is always a lot of fun.

Caroling:
We will meet at 4 p.m. at the home of Jason and Margaret Holleman (4209 Park Avenue). Singing talent is optional! This is really about sharing the spirit of the season with our neighbors. If you know of someone who would appreciate being caroled to, let us know as soon as possible!

Potluck:
After caroling (around 5 p.m.), we will meet at the Hollemans' house for a potluck dinner. We will need 4 to 5 people to bring a pot of their favorite homemade chili. We will also need beverages (water, soda, beer, etc), side dishes, chips, etc. Please email spna@sylvanpark.org to let us know what dish you would like to bring.

We know everyone is busy this time of year, so feel free just to carol, just to join us for supper, or come for both!

St. Luke's Community House needs volunteers for Thanksgiving Dinner Nov. 22

St. Luke's Community House needs volunteers to serve dinner to people in need on Saturday, Nov. 22. Please see the details below and send a message to Shelby Adams (Shelby.Adams@skanska.com) if you would like to help. Shelby currently has 17 people signed up, and needs a minimum of 25.

Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, St. Luke's serves Thanksgiving dinner to 200-300 people in the West End area. I met with the Executive Director at St. Luke's last week, and he said out of the 200+ people that attend every year, nearly all of them would not otherwise be able to have a big Thanksgiving dinner, so this is a big deal to a lot of families.

RCWA seeks volunteers to build rain gardens this Sunday (Nov. 16)

Richland Creek Watershed Alliance needs volunteers to build rain gardens this Sunday (Nov. 16) at 1 p.m. RCWA and its partners have been working hard to get the clearance and design the rain gardens, which will be built at West End Middle School (3529 West End Avenue) and along 54th Avenue near Richland Creek. (Volunteers for the latter site will gather at 320 54th Avenue.) According to RCWA, "rain gardens reduce pollution, create wildlife habitat for the bees, birds and butterflies and make us feel good."

Please RSVP if you plan to attend to help RCWA prepare in advance to staff both sites. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves and shovels to participate. Planting will follow the next week. There will also be a short discussion about rain gardens and how they help the environment.

West Nashville Community Meeting on crime scheduled for Nov. 19

West Nashville United Methodist Church will host a second community meeting on "Coping With Crime in West Nashville" on Wednesday, November 19th, at 6:30 p.m. The first meeting, held on Oct. 22nd, hosted a panel of civic and religious leaders from the community including the Metro Council representatives from two West Nashville Districts, a Lt. Pylkas from the Metro Police Force and two ministers from local churches. If anyone would like a summary of this meeting, please send an email request to sdcothran@gmail.com

Representatives from Neighborhoods Resource Center will be on hand on Nov. 19th to facilitate discussion regarding further community organizing efforts towards dealing with the issue of crime in West Nashville. We hope to develop plans for working together as a community to deal with crime in our neighborhoods. The meeting will last from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Please call West Nashville UMC at (615) 297-3216 if you would like more information or visit the website www.westnashvilleumc.org. Business owners, residents, church members and concerned citizens in the West Nashville area are encouraged to attend.

Mayor's Green Ribbon Committee to hold public meeting Saturday (Nov. 15)

Mayor Karl Dean's Green Ribbon Committee will host a public meeting on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Green Hills Library (3701 Benham Avenue).

The meeting is one of several being held this month where ideas and strategies for making Nashville a more environmentally friendly city will be discussed. Registration and a listening session will begin at 10 a.m., and the meeting will formally begin at 10:30 a.m.

Please make plans to attend this important meeting.

Curby day tomorrow (Nov. 12)

For Sylvan Park residents who live south of Idaho Avenue, this Wednesday, November 12, is recycling day. If you're still unsure, Metro Public Works can help you confirm the correct recycling day for your address.

MNPD Working to Identify Robbers of Senior Citizens

From the Metro Nashville Police Department:

Detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two women who appear to have followed at least three senior citizens home from shopping trips, pulled guns on them, and robbed them.

The first case occurred at 3:45 p.m. on October 29, when an 87-year-old woman was robbed of her purse while at the mailbox outside her West Nashville home. A woman walked up, asked for directions, pulled a pistol and demanded the victim’s purse.

The second case occurred at 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 31, when a 79-year-old woman was robbed of her purse while in the driveway of her Donelson home. Again, a woman walked up, asked for directions, pulled a gun and demanded the victim’s purse and wallet.

The third case occurred at 6:50 p.m. on November 3, when a 63-year-old was robbed of her purse while in the driveway of her West Nashville home. A woman walked up while the victim was unloading groceries and demanded her purse. The victim refused and the two struggled. The suspect hit the victim in the head with the pistol, got the purse and fled.

Following the robberies, the victims’ credit and debit cards were used at area businesses. Detectives have obtained very good surveillance photographs of the suspects. Both are black. One is approximately 5’5” tall, heavyset, and has shoulder length black hair (may wear a wig). The other is approximately 5’9” tall, thin, and has long black hair. Anyone recognizing the women is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (615) 74-CRIME or West Precinct Investigations at (615) 862-7385.

Be careful where you put your trash!

A neighbor recently reported that someone placed several bags of trash in her trash can:

I went to take my trash out today and noticed a lot of trash bags in my can. I knew it was not mine so I looked thru it. I saw it belonged to a [neighbor a few blocks away]. I saw this because she had put some of her mail in the bags. My trash in the alley and I noticed similar bags along my alley neighbor trash. I am not sure why she is dumping trash bags (4 bags) in my trash and my neighbors.

This is hopefully an isolated incident that is a nuisance rather than a crime, but it's a good reminder to shred personally identifiable information rather than putting it in your garbage. If a neighbor can identify you by the trash you leave behind, someone with more nefarious intentions can, too.

MTA to hold public meetings regarding its future next week (Nov. 17-19)

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority will hold five meetings in November to gather public input on developing its short-range and long-range plan for public transportation in Nashville. MTA is looking for input from the public in order to develop a comprehensive plan that meets the needs of Nashvillians.

Listed below are the times and locations for the public meetings:

• Monday, Nov. 17, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Madison Library (610 Gallatin Pike South)
• Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Music City Central's Community Meeting Room (400 Charlotte Avenue)
• Tuesday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Easley Community Center at Rose Park (1000 Edgehill Avenue)
• Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bordeaux Library (4000 Clarksville Pike)
• Wednesday, Nov. 19, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at University School of Nashville (2000 Edgehill Avenue)

Attendance at the meetings is not required for comment. You may mail comments to the MTA Planning Department, attn: Public Meeting Comments, at 130 Nestor Street, Nashville, Tenn. 37210; fax comments to 862-6208; call MTA Customer Care at 862-5950; or email comments to mta.publicmeetings@nashville.gov.