SPNA Night Out Against Crime August 4

SPNA will hold its annual Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, August 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Saint Ann Church gymnasium.

The Night Out Against Crime is a great opportunity to learn about crime prevention and about Neighborhood Watch participation. Come and meet your neighbors and local law enforcement and emergency service personnel. This year's event will feature a potluck supper. If your last name starts with letters A through M, please bring an entree. If your last name begins with letters N through Z, please bring a side item.

Please email John Miglietta at jpmiglietta@bellsouth.net if you have questions or would like more information about the event.

MNPD reports recent neighborhood crimes

The Metro Nashville Police Department is reporting the following criminal incidents during the week of July 12 to 18:

• A larceny on the 4700 block of Elkins Avenue. A wallet and a cell phone were stolen.
  
• A larceny on the 200 block of 50th Avenue. A purse was stolen.
  

Please report criminal or suspicious activity to the police at (615) 862-8600. Reporting this activity helps the police department determine appropriate staffing and assignments for our neighborhood.

MNPS reports on Long Boulevard accident

From the Metro Nashville Police Department, regarding an accident a few blocks from Sylvan Park:

The man believed responsible for driving a Dodge Ram pickup into a Long Boulevard home in West Nashville Wednesday night surrendered himself this afternoon to Traffic investigators. Travis Sohns, 23, of Franklin, drove off after the 10 p.m. accident which caused substantial damage to the residence. Sohns was issued a misdemeanor citation for failing to notify police.

SPNA July 4th Parade photos

Photos from the SPNA 4th of July Parade are now online at SPNA's Flickr page and available for viewing. Many thanks to neighbor Yvonne Eaves for sharing these photos.

RCWA needs volunteers for stream bank stabilization August 15

The Richland Creek Watershed Alliance is looking for volunteers to help stabilize an area of stream bank on Richland Creek on Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

RCWA is partnering with the Tennessee Environmental Council and RCWA are partnering to install revetments (cedar timbers wrapped in coco mat) on the eroded stream bank to prevent further deterioration.

RCWA is also working with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to collect instream flow data (biology, geomorphology, water quality, and hydrologic information) from Richland Creek. This is related to water withdrawals along the creek, and how these withdrawals are affecting the stream. RCWA is collecting volunteer names for this ongoing project and then following up with volunteers as study dates are scheduled. This field work typically takes place on Fridays, and volunteers can help in the morning, afternoon or the whole day.

If you are interested in helping with either activity, please email Monette Rebecca at rcwa@comcast.net.

MNPD reports recent neighborhood crimes

The Metro Nashville Police Department is reporting the following criminal incidents during the week of July 5 to 11:

• A residential burglary on the 4000 block of Dakota Avenue. The front door was forced in, and a TV was stolen.
• A theft from a motor vehicle on the 4500 block of Wyoming Avenue. A window was forced open, and an iPhone and an iPod were stolen.
• A larceny on the 4800 block of Dakota Avenue. Furniture was stolen.

Please report criminal or suspicious activity to the police at (615) 862-8600. Reporting this activity helps the police department determine appropriate staffing and assignments for our neighborhood.

SPNA supports West Nashville Community Plan

SPNA members voted 16-3 (with several abstentions) to support the West Nashville Community Plan at Monday's membership meeting. The draft plan, which will be considered by the Metro Planning Commission next Thursday (July 23), is available for review on the West Nashville page of the MPC Web site.

Bluebirds nesting in Sylvan Park

Neighbor Jim Dade reports the very rare news that bluebirds have nested in his backyard:

While I have never seen a bluebird in any urban environment, I put up an old bluebird house in my backyard several years ago. This spring, a pair of bluebirds finally found it and took up residence. What a treat. I never saw any baby bluebirds flying about but you could see the adults busy feeding them for some time. The babies finally "flew the coop" and the the pair disappeared for a while only to return about 2-3 three weeks ago, and they are now raising their second "clutch" I think it is called.

These birds are absolutely gorgeous - the color of the male does not exist elsewhere! The pair stays pretty close together and have gotten used to me being in the yard. I go out and watch them every morning. So, I would encourage anyone to put up a bluebird house and maybe they will get lucky, too. You have to keep the sparrows away, but there are plenty of websites that tell you how to do that. The sparrows can be a real problem, but I watched mine literally beat a sparrow down to the ground in aerial combat protecting his turf this spring - that's a whole 'nother story.

Let us know if you've experienced any similarly unusual sightings recently.

West Nashville Community Plan public hearing July 23

From the Metro Nashville Planning Commission:

The final Public Hearing Draft of the West Nashville Community Plan: 2009 Update is scheduled for consideration by the Metropolitan Planning Commission on Thursday, July 23. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the "Metro Southeast" Building, 1417 Murfreesboro Pike, in the Green Hills Conference Room.

All persons interested in this plan update are encouraged to attend. In addition to the public hearing on the West Nashville Community Plan: 2009 Update, the Commission will also hold a public hearing at that same meeting on several amendments to the Major and Collector Street Plan that are associated with the West Nashville Community Plan: 2009 Update.

The draft plan is available for review on the West Nashville page of the MPC Web site.

MNPD reports recent neighborhood crimes

The Metro Nashville Police Department is reporting the following criminal incidents during the week of June 21 to 27:

• A street robbery involving a handgun on the 400 block of 51st Avenue.
• Residential burglaries on the 4000 block of Westlawn Drive, the 4200 block of Idaho Avenue and nearby in Cherokee Park on the 200 block of Cherokee Road. In the latter two instances, assailants broke in through the homes' back doors.
  
• Auto burglaries (theft of items from vehicles, not the theft of the vehicles themselves) on the 4800 block of Idaho Avenue and the 4600 and 4700 blocks of Wyoming Avenue.
• Larcenies (theft of property without breaking and entering) on the 4600 block of Nebraska Avenue, the 4900 block of Elkins Avenue and the 4000 block of Park Avenue.
  

Please report criminal or suspicious activity to the police at (615) 862-8600. Reporting this activity helps the police department determine appropriate staffing and assignments for our neighborhood.

Michelle Richter takes over MNPD West Precinct

The Metro Nashville Police Department has announced that, effective July 1, Michelle Richter is serving as commander of the West Precinct. Richter replaces Commander Mickey Miller, who has moved to head up the department's Warrants Division. Many thanks to Commander Miller for his service on behalf of Sylvan Park. Welcome to the West side, Commander Richter!

Cross Point Service Day July 11

Cross Point Community Church (4301 Charlotte Ave) will hold a neighborhood service day in Sylvan Park on Saturday, July 11.

From 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., church members will be serving numerous homeowners’ in the Sylvan Park and Preston Taylor communities with clean-up and light repair projects. From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the church will hold a community carnival in the back parking lot on its campus. The carnival will begin with an awesome kid’s entertainment program at noon in the gym off of 44th Avenue. The remainder of the day will include pizza, cotton candy, snow cones, games, water slides, pony rides, a rock-climbing wall, a dunk tank, and more.

For additional details, please contact Ryan Bult at (615) 298-4422 ext 211 or ryan@crosspoint.tv.