Night Out Against Crime

Sylvan Park will host its annual Night Out Against Crime tomorrow night, August 1st, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the McCabe Community Center.

This year’s event marks the 12th consecutive year that Nashville has participated in the national Night Out Against Crime, which is hosted nationally by the National Association of Town Watches. Events will take place across the city and across the nation to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anticrime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community relations, and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. Since 1984, “National Night Out—America’s Night Out Against Crime” has grown to involve over 30 million people from more than 9,000 communities.

Please join your neighbors for what promises to be a fun evening. Food and beverages will be provided at no cost to those who attend.

Early Voting

Early voting ends this Saturday! You can vote any day this week at any of six locations, including the Green Hills Library. See the Election Commission web site for a complete list of locations.

With busy summer schedules and many families trying to get away before school starts, early voting is your chance to vote when it’s convenient for you and make sure you participate in this election. This is also the debut of Davidson County’s new touchscreen ballot machines, so the Election Commission is advising voters to take advantage of early voting to avoid the possibility of long lines on election day as everyone adjusts to the new voting system.

Here are the remaining early voting times:

July 26 (Wednesday) 8 am to 5:30 p.m.
July 27 (Thursday) 8 am to 5:30 p.m.
July 28 (Friday) 8 am to 5:30 p.m.
July 29 (Saturday) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

When you vote, be sure not to miss the School Board race. It’s the very last race on the new electronic ballot. In addition to voting early yourself, please remind others of the opportunity or, better yet, take a friend to the polls with you.

Video Sign Bill on THIRD Reading Tonight (7/18/06)

ORDINANCE NO. BL2006-974 (DOZIER & WALLACE) – This zoning text change would allow signs with graphics or electronic displays to be located on property within the urban services district (USD) that is oriented to a four-lane or controlled access state highway with a speed limit of forty miles per hour or less. The Zoning Code currently requires that signs with changeable text and graphics remain static for at least two seconds. In 2004, the Council created an exception to this provision to allow graphic and video display signs within the commercial attraction (CA) zoning district, which essentially is limited to the Opryland/Music Valley Drive area.

This ordinance would expand the exception, currently limited to commercial attraction areas, to include all state maintained four-lane roads and controlled access highways located within the USD with a speed limit of forty miles per hour or less. According to the planning staff analysis, this would allow video signs on approximately 69 miles of state highways in Davidson County. This includes a 4.7 mile section of West End Avenue, a 4.7 mile section of Dickerson Pike, a 7.1 mile section of Nolensville Road, a 4 mile section of Charlotte Pike, and a 2.6 mile section of Franklin Road.

The Council Office would point out that the prohibition on video signs was included in the Code for public safety reasons to limit driver distractions.

The Council Office has been requested to prepare several amendments for this ordinance. Two proposed amendments would make the provisions of the ordinance inapplicable to property along Dickerson Pike, Highway 100, Harding Place, and Hillsboro Road. Two other proposed amendments would only permit these video signs as part of a planned unit development (PUD) or a specific plan (SP) district.

This ordinance has been disapproved by the planning commission.