SPNA Neighborhood Cleanup cancelled

The SPNA Neighborhood Cleanup has been cancelled.

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SPNA is participating in the United Way Neighborhood Cleanup this Saturday, May 30, from 8 to 11 a.m. Neighbors can pitch in to clean up by meeting at the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville office (250 Venture Circle) at 8 a.m. to pick up supplies, or they can gather at the Murphy Road railroad bridge at 9 a.m.

This is a great opportunity to clean up an area of the neighborhood that is frequently littered with trash. Here's more information from United Way:

Join us for this Day of Action as United Way volunteers unite alongside neighborhood residents to conduct cleanups in areas served through United Way's Building Strong Neighborhoods programming!

United Way of Metropolitan Nashville is working to change local conditions by funding community organization efforts in neighborhoods all around Nashville. These programs, provided by the Neighborhoods Resource Center, provide leadership and training to neighborhood residents so they can help to improve conditions such as codes violations, drug trafficking, public transportation and truancy.

Please join us this Saturday. For more information, email spna@sylvanpark.org.

MNPD reports recent neighborhood crimes

The Metro Nashville Police Department is reporting the following criminal incidents during the week of May 17 to May 23. Some of these events were mentioned in an earlier blog post this week because of anecdotal reports by neighbors:

• An attempted break-in at Jack's Market on Murphy Road. No items were taken.
• Residential burglaries on the 4700 block of Nevada Avenue and the 3900 block of Woodlawn Avenue. Windows were forced open in both instances.
• Auto burglaries in the following locations: the 4100 block of Idaho Avenue, the 4200 block of Dakota Avenue, the 4200 block of Wyoming Avenue, the 4100 block of Media Street and the 4600 and 4800 blocks of Elkins Avenue. (Note: Auto burglaries are thefts of property from vehicles, not thefts of vehicles.)

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.

Reporting procedures for codes and public health violations

Residents have the right to report Metro Codes and Public Health violations to city government. To report a Metro Codes violation, call (615) 862-6590 or report it online. To report a Metro Health Department violation, call: (615) 340-5644 (sanitation, trash, and debris) or (615) 340-5668 (pest management, such as insects and rodents).

For both kinds of reports, be prepared to describe the precise location of the problem-a street address is preferred. You will also need to provide a concise explanation of the problem. Be aware that if you give out your name, address, phone number, etc., it will be a part of the public record. You can report violations anonymously if you prefer.

When reporting a codes or health violation, keep a record of the following:

• The name of the person who took your report.
• The time of date when you reported the complaint.
• A brief description of the complaint you filed.
• The physical address of the problem.
• The department's planned response and planned response date.
• Complaint number(s) for tracking purposes.
  

A few different types of violations (tall grass and/or yard debris that could potentially harbor pests) can be reported to the Codes Department and the Health Department. Consider contacting both departments. You may want to schedule a time for yourself to call and check in on the progress made on your complaint. Often, persistent follow-up can make the difference between a problem being resolved or falling through the cracks. For more information about codes violations, see the Codes Department Web page.

Convention Center panel discussion May 31

Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors and Metro Council At-Large members Megan Barry, Tim Garrett, Jerry Maynard, Ronnie Steine, and Charlie Tygard will host a panel discussion regarding the proposed Music City Center from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 31 at at Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall at the Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music (2400 Blakemore Avenue). The event is free and open to the public.

Panel speakers will be Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Dr. Heywood Sanders, urban development expert at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The purpose of the event is to give the community an opportunity to hear divergent viewpoints on the proposed convention center and to foster a dialogue on the merits of the project.

Metro Public Works e-waste collection day May 30

Metro Public Works will host an e-waste collection day on Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hobby Lobby Shopping Center (4101 Lebanon Road) in Hermitage.

Items that will be accepted at the event include:

• Small batteries (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, button)
• All sizes and types of televisions, VCRs and DVD players
• Cell phones
• Microwave ovens
• Stereos and audio-visual equipment
• Computers, monitors and printers

Only household waste (no business waste) from Davidson County residents will be accepted. Car and boat batteries, paint, tires, compact fluorescent light bulbs and other hazardous waste will not be accepted at this drop-off event. These and other household hazardous waste items can be taken to Metro Public Works' East Convenience Center (943 Dr. Richard Adams Drive). East Center is Metro’s designated household hazardous waste disposal site and is open seven days a week.

Multiple neighborhood thefts and break-ins reported

There has been quite a bit of criminal activity reported in the neighborhood during the month of May. Here are several recent reports from neighbors:

Vehicle break-in on 4600 block of Elkins:
I just thought I would let you know that there were several cars that were broken into on Tuesday night, May the 5th. Our passenger side window was busted out, but there wasn't anything missing (CDs, etc still there) I think at least three other houses were hit as well-the officer said one neighbor had a GPS stolen. Police couldn't print because of the rain.

Vehicle break-in on 4200 block of Wyoming Avenue:
We had "ANOTHER" theft over the weekend in the alley behind our home. We think it happened sometime after 8pm Saturday (5/16) and was noticed by us on Sunday around noon. They popped the back window loose out of the truck and stole the radio equipment but not bothering to take money, tools or etc in the truck. A police report was filed.

Stolen motor boat and vehicle break-in on the 4900 block of Elkins:
Our neighbor had a motor on his boat stolen Saturday night as well and our car was broken into a week earlier.

Home break-in on the 4700 hundred block of Nevada Avenue:
I was told by a neighbor that there was a break in. They broke through a screen, reached through an open window (which was blocked from opening more than 4 inches) and took things off a dresser. This happened in the back of the house. A police report was filed.

Suspicious activity:
My husband saw someone suspicious in the alley behind our house on Wyoming. It was one night last week and it was late at night. He saw two men in a green, old model pickup truck. Another one was out side of the truck. As soon as they saw him, the one man jumped in the truck and they took off.

Garage theft:
Someone took a router saw from the garageon the 4200 block of Utah Avenue last weekend. The garage door was open, and the owners had stepped into their home for a minute or two. The theft occurred in during the day.

Suspicious activity:
This didn't involve a theft, but a couple of weekends ago both my husband and our neighbors heard someone throwing rocks at the backs of our houses during the night. We have vinyl siding, and several holes were made in the siding, indicating that perhaps a slingshot or some other device was used to project the rocks. This went on off and on over a period of several hours. We made a police report the next day.

The most recent crime report from the Metro Nashville Police Department indicates an unusually high number of vehicle break-ins in the neighborhood, including incidents on 47th Avenue, Dakota Avenue, Wyoming Avenue and Elkins Avenue (some of which are referenced above). Larcenies, thefts of property without breaking into a vehicle or a home, were reported on Park Avenue and Nevada Avenue.

Most neighbors reporting incidents took time to file police reports. This can and should be done in instances of criminal activity. Please report criminal or suspicious activity to the police at (615) 862-8600.

Metro Police looking for Charlotte Pike bank robber

From the Metro Nashville Police Department:

Metro Police and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force are working to identify the man who robbed US Bank’s 5711 Charlotte Avenue Branch at 9:25 a.m. [Tuesday]. The robber entered the lobby, picked up a brochure, wrote a threatening note demanding money, and then passed it to a teller. The teller complied with the note and the robber fled the bank with an undisclosed sum of cash.

The robber is a white man who appears in surveillance pictures to be in his 20s or 30s. He has short brown hair and a receding hairline. At the time of the robbery, he wore a long sleeve untucked blue shirt with a black T-shirt underneath, a green and white ball cap, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.

Anyone with information about the robber is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (615) 74-CRIME or the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force at (615) 232-7540. Persons with information can also send an electronic message to Crime Stoppers by texting the word “CASH” along with their message to 274637 (CRIMES). Tips can also be sent through the Crime Stoppers website, www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com.

Alarm scam reported on Colorado Avenue

A neighbor on Colorado Avenue is reporting the return of the alarm scam that neighbors witnessed last year:

A younger male (maybe in his mid 20's) knocked on my door today (Wednesday, May 20th at 3:15pm) with a "GE Platinum" shirt/badge trying to give away some sort of security system and have it advertised (or put a sign in the yard for it being free). He was very nervous and talking in circles, asking me all kinds of questions about fires, break-ins, if I had a family, etc. I obviously didn't give him any information and after Googling this scenario, I found numerous scam results... seems like the security system is a joke and they make you sign up for automatic debit, then make you pay $$ to cancel or "buy out" the contract once you figure out the scam. Please spread the word!

Remember: If it sounds suspicious, it probably isn't something you should give any money or time. Please report any suspicious activity you witness to the police at (615) 862-8600.

Lost dog near Elkins and 53rd/54th Avenues

A neighbor has reported finding the following dog. If this little fellow is yours, please call (615) 497-8028.

Has anyone lost a little brown dog possibly a pomeranian mix? He has on a rabies collar but I can't get close enough to read it. He has been hanging around Elkins Avenue between 53 and 54th. Please call me if he is yours.

West Nashville Community Plan meeting June 1

The Metropolitan Planning Commission will host a community review and discussion of the West Nashville Plan Update on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m. in the basement of the Cohn Adult Learning Center. See the West Nashville community page for details about the plan.

Neighborhood students visit Greer Stadium

Several students from Sylvan Park Elementary School and West End Middle School visited Greer Stadium and learned baseball tips from the Nashville Sounds. The Sertoma Club of Nashville made the visit possible.

Hands on Nashville needs POD volunteers

From Hands On Nashville:

Hands On Nashville needs dedicated volunteers to step forward and protect community members' health. Through a partnership with Metro Government, Hands On Nashville is currently recruiting 4,000 community members to serve as Point of Dispensing volunteers.

A Point of Dispensing, or POD, is a clinic that may be activated in the event of a public health emergency, such as an outbreak of pandemic flu, smallpox or a biological event. A POD's purpose is to enable Metro Public Health officials to provide prophylactic medications and relevant information to a large number of healthy residents in a limited amount of time. Although POD activation is highly unlikely, Points of Dispensing are important components of Nashville's emergency plan.

Become a certified POD volunteer today by completing the online training course at www.hon.org, or sign-up to attend an in-person training program. Either course takes less than an hour to complete. For more information about POD volunteerism, please see this flyer, or contact Josh Corlew at (615) 298-1108, ext. 111 or josh@hon.org.

Environmental Court meeting this Thursday (May 21)

The Neighborhoods Resource Center will host a meeting regarding Nashville’s Environmental Court this Thursday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Police Precinct (936 East Trinity Lane).

Judge Gloria Dumas, Circuit Court Clerk Ricky Rooker, Referee Jim Todd and Property Standards Chief Bill Penn will participate in the meeting. Here is more information about the Environmental Court:

When someone doesn’t fix a codes or health violation, they go to what’s called Environmental Court to have their case heard. A lot has changed for the better with Environmental Court in the past couple of years. We hope to keep that positive change coming.

Wouldn’t you like to be able to see a docket for Environmental Court each week that tells you if there is property in your neighborhood that is going to be discussed? We will discuss proposed changes to the accessibility and utility of the docket and the issues that you bring.

For more information about this free public meeting, please contact Carol McCullough at (615) 782-8212 or cmccullough@tnrc.net.

SPNA restates opposition to neighborhood LED signs

At last Monday's membership meeting, SPNA members authorized the steering committee to take action in regard to two Metro Council bills intended to address LED signage in local neighborhoods.

SPNA opposes the bill by Council Member Charlie Tygard that would permit LED signs in residentially zoned districts for schools, churches, recreation centers and cultural centers. SPNA supports the bill by Council Member Jason Holleman that would regulate the height of LED signs located near residential areas.

The Metro Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on these matters on June 11, and the Metro Council is expected to address them on July 7.