SPNA Fourth of July Parade

The rain held off, and dozens of neighbors turned out for today’s Fourth of July Parade at Richland Park. The Metro Nashville Fire Department also stopped by to let the youngsters test their firehose skills and take a look at all their equipment. Thanks to all the volunteers, especially parade organizer Katie Cour, for making the event a great success. Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Reminder: Sylvan Park July Fourth Parade tomorrow!

SPNA will host its annual Fourth of July Celebration tomorrow from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Richland Park picnic shelter (near the intersection of Charlotte and 49th Avenues).

The event will include a parade, which will begin at 9:30 a.m., and kids are encouraged to bring their bikes, scooters or strollers decked out with streamers, balloons and other creative decorations. A prize will be awarded for the best decorated bike or vehicle. Cookies and lemonade will be served following the parade, which will travel around the edges of the park.

Volunteers are needed at 8a.m. to assist with decorating. Please email Katie Cour at katiecour[at]bellsouth.net.

Increased DUI enforcement this weekend (July 4-6)

From the Metro Nashville Police Department. Please drive carefully this weekend, and don’t drink and drive!

Extra duty Metro police officers being paid through a Governor’s Highway Safety Office grant intend to make their presence known throughout Davidson County this 4th of July weekend as they specifically look for impaired and/or aggressive motorists.

A dozen extra duty officers will be on the streets each day, Friday through Sunday, primarily during the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. They will complement the six-member DUI Unit, which will also be on patrol much of that same time.

“Drunk driving is a true stranger crime that has absolutely horrific implications on innocent families,” Chief Ronal Serpas said. “The men and women of this police department understand the irreparable damage drunk drivers can cause, and will be doing everything possible to get them off our roadways before a tragedy occurs.”

So far this year, extra duty officers working the grant assignment have arrested 854 suspected drunk drivers, an 18 percent increase over the same time last year. Through last weekend, the DUI Unit had arrested 920 suspected drunk drivers in 2008, a 30 percent increase over the same period in 2007.

Officers this weekend will be keeping a close watch on roadways leading to and from area lakes, as well as areas known for serious crashes and DUI arrests. “This weekend’s combined efforts of Metro police officers, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers, and the Wildlife Resources Agency should send a clear signal that if you drink and drive, or boat under the influence, you stand a very, very good chance of being arrested,” Chief Serpas said.

SPNA Home Tour September 14

The SPNA Home Tour, September in Sylvan Park, will take place on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 1 to 6 p.m. Tickets will be available for $15 ($12 for seniors 65 and over) at two neighborhood locations on the day of the tour: Cohn Adult Learning Center and First Southern Methodist Church.

The tour will feature nine neighborhood homes reflecting the diverse array of architectural styles and construction periods in Sylvan Park and will showcase three neighborhood community organizations: Cohn Adult Learning Center, First Southern Methodist Church and St. Ann’s Catholic Church. More details will be announced soon, but please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Volunteers are needed to provide assistance on the day of the tour, and advertising opportunities are available in the tour program. Please contact tour chair Susan Rodgers at (615) 479-3257 or susanrodgers[at]incompassrealty.com for more information.

Metro Codes e-newsletter available

The latest issue of the Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety’s e-newsletter is available online. In addition to the articles about auto repair and lawn care posted below, there are useful and informative pieces on swimming pool safety, xeriscaping and tips for using your deck safely.

Auto repairs restricted on residential property

From the Metro Codes Department:

High gas prices and the cost of new cars are forcing more of us to keep our older vehicle. As vehicles get older, they have to be maintained. Did you know that there are certain repairs that cannot be done on a residentially zoned property?

A home owner or tenant is not allowed to engage in the business of repairing or stripping motor vehicles in a residential zone district. Repairs that fall into this category are engine or transmission repairs, engine or transmission removal, rear end repair, and any repair involving painting a motor vehicle. Only vehicles owned by the persons residing on the premises may be repaired on the premises, and those repairs cannot involve major disassembly unless the repairs are done inside a garage or other accessory structure designed for that purpose.

“Shade Tree” mechanics are not allowed to work on residential property. One can also not obtain a “Home Occupation” permit that would allow commercial activity on residential property
for an auto repair business on residential property.

Lawn maintenance requirements from Metro Codes

From the Metro Codes Department regarding yard maintenance:

This is the time of the year when the Health Department receives a bulk of their requests for service for violations that fall into the “vegetation” violation category. The Health department is the primary enforcement agency for requests for high grass and high weeds violations. The Property Standards division may also abate these violations if in addition to the vegetation there are other property standards code violations.

There are several types of violations in this category. The first is the height of vegetation. Grass and weeds (not ornamental grasses) should not exceed twelve inches in height. To maintain a healthy and attractive yard, only mow the top one-third of the grass. Regular cutting during the growing season will keep your yard looking great. And here’s an eco-tip, use a mulching mower. Those clippings provide free, nitrogen rich fertilizer for your lawn. If you must bag, consider composting the clippings.

The second category of violations is overgrowth. This usually occurs in flower beds and gardens that are not being maintained. Weeds or grass in these areas which exceed twelve inches would be a violation. To report a violation, call Metro Health at (615) 340-5644. There is an exception to this rule. Properties being maintained in a natural state may be allowed if the owner has filed an international design for vegetation growth plan with the Metropolitan Beautification Commission. These areas must meet a fifteen foot front setback requirement and a ten foot setback requirement from any adjacent residential property line. For more information contact Vicky Ingram with Metro Beautification at (615) 862-8418.

Owners of rental property are responsible for ensuring their rental property is maintained to this standard. If the property is found to be in violation and a notice to correct is issued, the owner is responsible for getting their tenant to make the actual correction. If the violation is not corrected, the owner will be cited to environmental court. It’s important for rental property owners to register their rental properties with Codes in order for them to receive the notice to correct the violation.

Tree limbs, dead shrubs, and other yard waste are considered “debris” and must be disposed of properly. These items neatly stacked in the yard for brush pick-up are fine, but when these items scattered all over the yard they become a violation.

July and August classes available at LeQuire Gallery

LeQuire Gallery and Studio (4304 Charlotte Avenue) is offering two opportunities to learn from master artists over the next several weeks.

Gallery namesake Alan LeQuire (above) will teach “The Figure from Life,” a class regarding anatomy and proportion, in four daily sessions July 22 through 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Students will create 1/3 life-size portrait figures. The workshop will teach armature construction and use of plastiline clay. Materials will be provided. The class costs $325, and registration is required.

Renowned portrait artist Murat Kaboulov will teach a class on “Drawing & Painting the Figure” using charcoal, pastel and oil from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the following Saturdays: July 12, 19, 26 and August 2. The class costs $30 per session and registration is Required. Students are expected to bring supplies.

Kaboulov was born and educated in Russia and has a Master of Fine Arts degree from I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (The Academy of Arts) in St. Petersburg, Russia. The school is one of the world’s leading art schools. Kaboulov is a member of the Russian Artists Union, the Portrait Society of America and the Tennessee Art League.

For more information about these opportunities, call LeQuire Gallery at (615) 298-4611.

Night Out Against Crime August 5

Sylvan Park’s biggest annual neighborhood event, our Night Out Against Crime, will take place on Tuesday, August 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Richland Park picnic shelter.

This year we’ll be holding a neighborhood-wide pot-luck dinner. Please bring a dish to feed six to eight people, depending upon the first letter of your last name (see below). SPNA will provide cold drinks.

Last Name Begins With:
A - F, please bring a salad
G - M, please bring a main dish
N - R, please bring a side dish
S - Z, please bring dessert

This national celebration is organized to thwart crime by building stronger neighborhoods and fostering partnerships between communities and local police. Our neighborhood depends on a strong partnership with our public safety personnel, and we look forward each year to the opportunity to tell them so. This is another great opportunity to visit with neighbors and to get to know each other. Come celebrate and say, “Thanks for all you do!”

Recent MNPD drug arrests

The Metro Nashville Police Department made numerous arrests in June for drug-related offenses near the neighborhood. They include:

June 27: West Precinct detectives charged 32 persons as the result of investigations on 40th Avenue North at Charlotte Avenue, 12th Avenue South at Wade Avenue, 12th Avenue South at Wedgewood Avenue, 27th Avenue North at Booker Street, 37th Avenue North at Charlotte Avenue, Old Hickory Boulevard at Charlotte Pike, and 37th Avenue North at Park Avenue. Seized were 23.5 grams of cocaine, 85 grams of marijuana, and 25 Ecstasy pills.

June 20: West Precinct detectives charged 36 persons as the result of investigations on 14th Avenue South at Horton Avenue, 40th Avenue North at Charlotte Avenue, 14th Avenue North at Jefferson Street, 24th Avenue North at Clifton Avenue, 12th Avenue South near Summit Avenue, 12th Avenue South at Wedgewood Avenue, and the 500 block of Hicks Road. Seized were seven grams of cocaine, two pounds of marijuana, and on Ecstasy pill.

June 11: Metro police narcotics detectives on Tuesday dismantled a lucrative heroin distribution organization by shadowing a deliveryman as he made his rounds throughout West Nashville. A total of 19 persons were arrested Tuesday, including 15 customers. The investigation shows that buyers of heroin would call a “dispatch” number, which rang to a home at 425 Cedarcreek Trail in South Nashville. The buyer would then be directed to one of a number of public parking lots on White Bridge Road, Charlotte Avenue, or in Bellevue. After each sale Tuesday, undercover detectives would move in and arrest the buyer(s) while other detectives continued to shadow the deliveryman. The customers bought an average of one gram of heroin each for about $140. Those arrested included buyers living on Westlawn Avenue and Acklen Park Drive.

Thanks, MNPD, for your efforts to reduce crime in West Nashville.