November 2014 - City of Belle Meade
Transcription
November 2014 - City of Belle Meade
C I T Y Belle Meade O F T E N N E S S E E COMMISSIONERS: James V. Hunt, Sr., Mayor • Cathy Altenbern, Vice Mayor • Gray O. Thornburg, Steve Rick, Ed Freeman • Beth Reardon, City Manager/Treasurer • Tim Eads, Chief of Police • Linda Berner, City Recorder City Hall (615) 297-6041 / Police Dept. (615) 297-0241 / www.citybellemeade.org NEWSLETTER TO RESIDENTS OF BELLE MEADE NOVEMBER 2014 ® FROM THE COMMISSIONERS Annual Employee Fund Request We are thankful for many things—our families and friends, living in a beautiful city and for the city staff who are dedicated to making sure our residents are safe and providing the many services that make this community such a desirable place to live. During the year, but most often during the holiday season, residents wish to show their gratitude to employees who so conscientiously carry out their duties. The Belle Meade Commissioners encourage residents to participate in The Employee Fund. Employees do not receive bonuses other than through this Fund. The Fund was established so that all contributions are permissible under the law and carry no weight with any particular employee or group of employees. All donations to the Fund are equally distributed among all City employees. The Employee Fund is administered by the employees of the City of Belle Meade and managed separately from other City monetary accounts. The Fund will purchase gift certificates and sponsor events during the year in which all employees participate. The Fund also purchases floral arrangements and fruit baskets when employees have a death in the family, have a new baby or are hospitalized. Your generosity in the past has been overwhelming and the City employees are truly appreciative of the support from the residents. Gifts should be made payable to “Employee Fund” and sent to Belle Meade City Hall, Attn: Employee Fund, 4705 Harding Road, Nashville, TN 37205 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLY ELECTED COMMISSIONERS Bob Weigel Boyd Bogle Gray Thornburg The new commissioners will take the Oath of Office at the monthly commissioners meeting on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 4pm. They will immediately begin their official duties by participating in the election of the Mayor and Vice-Mayor, and the completion of the remaining agenda items. All are welcome to attend this public meeting. Many thanks to the outgoing commissioners, Steve Rick and Ed Freeman. Their dedication and commitment, coupled with their professional expertise has made a difference in our city. We will miss them! RECAP OF BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS’ MEETING The Commissioners took action on the following items at the October 2014 regular meeting: • Awarded the 2014-2016 Contract for weekly Chipper Service, Brush & Leaf Collection to The Parke Company. They were the low bidder at $12,700 annual cost. • Approved Change Order #1 to the Signal Hill Drainage Improvements Contract in the amount of $4,300, for changes made to the new catch basin being installed at the corner of Glen Eden Drive and Lynwood Boulevard. • Deferred appointment of City Judge until next month. • Approved the appointment of Mr. Charlie Atwood as a continuing member of the Municipal Planning Commission and • • • • as an alternate member of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Approved the purchase of 140 evergreen holiday wreaths from the Boy Scouts, Troop 6 in the amount of $3,010. Payment will come from the Beautification Fund. Approved Ordinance 2014-7 on first reading. This Ordinance imposes a time limit on a building permit and requires continuous construction of improvements Approved Ordinance 2014-8 on first reading. This Ordinance regulates temporary uses in connection with the construction of a structure. Approved Ordinance 2014-9 on first reading. This ordinance amends the Zoning Code regarding Playhouses. Belle Meade Newsletter FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT – CHIEF TIM EADS: Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you! Please remember Belle Meade Boulevard will be closed on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday November 27th, for the Boulevard Bolt. The partial closure will begin at 6:00 a.m. and it will be completely closed by 6:40 a.m. The race begins at 7:00 a.m. and we are usually able to re-open by 10:30 a.m. Daylight Savings Time just occurred at the beginning of the month. This is a great time to replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors if they are battery powered or battery backed up. While on the topic of Fire Safety, make sure your chimneys have been inspected and are clean before building a fire in the fireplace. We encourage the use of fire extinguishers and this is a good time to check to see if the charge is full. Inspect all electrical holiday decorations for frayed or exposed wires before hanging and keep those live Christmas trees well watered. During the busy Christmas shopping season please remember to Park Smart everywhere you go, including when you are at home. Locking your vehicle and removing or hiding any items of value is a proven deterrent to auto burglary. Stay alert to your surroundings while out shopping and keep your handbag with you at all times. Thieves are looking for any opportunity to steal a wallet or take the whole bag when a person is the least bit distracted. Always have your vehicle keys in your hand and ready to unlock your vehicle when you get to it. If you have a large amount of items, do not hesitate to request assistance from the retailer with loading. If you see folks loitering around the area you are parked, request assistance from store/mall security for an escort. Be prudent (not paranoid) and enjoy the holidays. There are numerous scams going on that occur year round and here are a few tips to avoid these. Never release personal information of any kind to phone solicitors that have called you requesting such or attempting to sell you something. These types of scams are on the increase everywhere. Be cautious when making internet transactions as well and stick with trusted sites that you have done business with in the past. There are also several versions of a scam that trick people into buying what is called a Green Dot MoneyPak Card. This type of card is not a pre-paid debit card; it is a money transfer type of financial instrument that appears to not be regulated adequately. The con-artist has a story of some type in which the victim is conned into loading money on the card and then providing the criminal with information from the card so they can take the money off the card without ever meeting the victim or having physical possession of the card. Typical story lines for this scam include stating that you have a warrant for your arrest for an unpaid fine or missing jury duty, request for donations to a charity using this payment form, or they will send you a letter with a cashier’s check and offer to pay part of the funds for you to be a secret evaluator/shopper. The scam methods are numerous. The bottom line is never release information by phone, internet, or in writing to anyone unless you have initiated the transaction yourself and have verified that you are dealing with an actual business or government agency. Actual businesses and government agencies can verify legitimate collection of information or transactions if notified beforehand, so never hesitate calling the entity to verify that they in fact have attempted to contact you. Remember to call in suspicious activity to the police department at 615-297-0241 immediately or if we can assist you in any way. Happy Thanksgiving to all Belle Meade Residents! CITY HALL OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, NOV. 27 and 28 FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS IN CASE OF SEWER, TRAFFIC, OR OTHER CITY EMERGENCIES DURING THE HOLIDAY, PLEASE CALL THE POLICE DEPT. AT 297-0241 AND DISPATCH WILL CONTACT CITY STAFF. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRASH AND RECYCLE PICKUP: THE THURSDAY ROUTE HOUSEHOLDS WILL BE PICKED UP ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, AND THE FRIDAY ROUTE WILL BE PICKED UP ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH. DRUG COLLECTION BOX GOODWILL DONATION DRIVE The Goodwill truck will be accepting donations in the city hall parking lot on Saturday, December 13th, from 9 am until 5 pm. Acceptable items include clothing, household items, furniture, books, linens, and small, portable appliances and electronics that are in good working condition. Goodwill cannot take computers, large appliances, or mattresses. A Drug Collection Box is available 24/7 for the free, safe, and confidential disposal of any unused or expired medication. The box is located in the lobby of the Belle Meade Police Department at city hall. This free service includes all prescription and over-the-counter medications, pet medications, sample meds, pills, capsules, ointment & patches and vitamins. We cannot accept needle/sharps or liquids. We ask that you peel or mark over any labels that may have your personal information in print. Loose pills should be bagged in a clear plastic bag. Belle Meade Newsletter WELCOME TO THE CITY OF BELLE MEADE BUILDING CODES DEPARTMENT “DO I NEED A BUILDING PERMIT?” The Office of the Building Codes and Zoning is responsible for ensuring that construction activity and land use complies with the City’s zoning code and ordinances. The zoning ordinance, as well as our zoning map, building permit application, Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) application, and other frequently used documents are on our website at www.citybellemeade.org. Our primary responsibilities include: • Providing guidance on proposed projects • Issuance of construction use permits and review of plans • Inspection of structures and review of land uses to ensure compliance with the zoning code. Inspections include- foundation of any poured concrete footer, framing, insulation, final and issued permits. (Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical inspections are coordinated through Metro Nashville/Davidson County Codes Department.) • Initiation of appropriate actions when zoning or code violations exist • Insuring proper adherence to the approved stormwater plan (Swimming pools, underground piping of stormwater and 1/4 acre or more of land disturbance require submitted stormwater plans). • Receiving, filing, and forwarding applications to the BZA for Conditional Uses, Special Exceptions and Variances, and other matters on which the Board is required to act. • Receiving, filing, and forwarding applications to the Planning Commission for lot consolidations, and sub-division of lots. Most all construction, repair or rebuild activities within the City will require a building permit and the permit fees double for projects that are started without a proper permit. Please contact the Building Official before starting any project to determine if a permit is required. Most Common Code Violations • Repair of property without proper permit • High weeds and grass • Exterior House Maintenance • Signs in yards and public right of way • Street obstructions (Parking) • Replacing fence or a portion without permit, replacement/repair of decks and terraces without permit. • Resurfacing of asphalt drives If in doubt give us a call. We are more than happy to assist you with your permit. Building Official—Phil Buma (615) 297-2364 ex. 15 Building Inspector—Lyle Patterson (615) 297-2364 ex. 29 FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT: Holidays and Trash—We all have extra trash to dispose of during the holidays—gift and delivery boxes, regular household trash, wrapping paper, and more boxes! Follow these tips to rid your house of excessive trash: ☞ NOTE—the City will have extra dumpsters on site during the Christmas holidays. More about specific dates in the December newsletter and email blasts! ☞ Cardboard boxes—Please Recycle! Flatten them and set them alongside your recycle can for pickup. Don’t throw them in the dumpsters—they will end up in the landfill! ☞ Household trash—place in WHITE, CLEAR OR GRAY BAGS. Up to (3) 32-gallon containers are allowed for weekly pickup. Please do not dispose of hazardous chemicals, paint, used medical supplies, etc. This is dangerous for the waste collection employees! ☞ Recycle—place in BLACK bags, inside of the marked recycle container. Acceptable items include newspapers, magazines, office paper, junk mail, cardboard, milk/juice cartons, food boxes (clean – no food), water bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs, yogurt and butter tubs, etc. For a complete list, see the website—www.citybellemeade.org. ☞ Dumpster trash—acceptable items include household discards from attic, closet or garage clean outs that are too big for the weekly pickup. DO NOT put paint, batteries, medical waste, yard waste, mattresses, large furniture, appliances, TVs, computers or construction debris in the dumpsters. Signal Hill drainage improvements project update— After a delayed start due to the availability of the boring machine, the project is proceeding smoothly, and the contractor estimates that the majority of the work will be complete by Thanksgiving. We appreciate the patience of the residents during this time of construction and temporary road closures. This stormwater project will collect a good portion of runoff from a 20 acre watershed into the new storm sewer piping and carry it to the receiving stream east of Lynwood Boulevard. Belle Meade Newsletter Society of Ceres Donations – REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS DECEMBER 2014 & JANUARY 2015 BELLE MEADE CITY HALL Municipal Planning Commission Tuesday, Dec 16th at 5:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 20th at 5:00 pm Board of Building Code Appeals Tuesday, Dec 16th at 6:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 20th at 6:00 pm Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday, Dec 16th at 7:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 20th at 7:00 pm Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Dec 17th at 4:00 pm Wednesday, Jan 21st at 4:00 pm Agendas are available online at www.citybellemeade.org CITY OF BELLE MEADE 4705 Harding Road Nashville, Tennessee 37205 return service requested Through Oct. 31, 2014 Mr. & Mrs. Lawson C. Allen, Mary Lauren and Lawson Allen Family Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Mr. & Mrs. Ross Evans, III (The Gause Foundation) Mr. Vaden Lackey Dr. & Mrs. Harry Ransom Memorial Contributions Karin Dale Coble Mr. Neely B. Coble Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Brendan Finucane Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor Mr. & Mrs. Robert Kitchel Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor Mr. & Mrs. Edgar W. Stuart Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor Mrs. Fred Tarkington Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor