Welcome to Cherokee Park

CPNA Book Club. Join us on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, at the home of Mary Hildebrand, 217 Lauderdale. We will be discussing Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. The book was written up in last Thursday's Tennessean as one of the top summer picks and was on the Today Show n Saturday morning as a great summer read! Please join us!

Save the date. CPNA Annual Garage Sale: Saturday, September 6, 2008. More information to follow.

Check the Bulletin Board, new postings added regularly, click here.

2nd Annual Richland Creek Run. The second-annual Richland Creek Run, presented by Dunn Chiropractic Clinic, was held on April 5, 2008. Over 320 people ran or walked the five-mile timed and measured course through sections of the Richland Creek Greenway and Sylvan Park. Mayor Karl Dean started and participated in the Run. THANKS to title sponsor Dunn Chiropractic Clinic and primary sponsors The Wilson Group, Saint Thomas Hospital, Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University. This annnual race is organized and co-sponsored by the neighborhood associations of Sylvan Park, Cherokee Park, Richland-West End and White Bridge. Net proceeds benefit Greenways for Nashville.

New McCabe Community Center. A graphical depiction of the two proposed plans is here. Community meetings were held in December 2007 and on February 20, 2008.

Help for our watershed. A fledgling community group, Richland Creek Watershed Alliance (RCWA), has been created to promote the environmental sustainability of our area's watershed, Richland Creek. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a lake or river. We all live in a watershed. Watersheds provide water for drinking, irrigation, industry, recreation and wildlife. The health of Richland Creek watershed is threatened by runoff, pollution, trash and neglect. To learn more or to lend your support to RCWA, visit www.richlandcreekwatershedalliance.org.

Go Green in 2008. Recycling in Cherokee Park is oh so easy. Think green, as in the color of the cart you place curbside on the second Wednesday of each month. Want a monthly email reminder? Email cherokeepark@bellsouth.net asking to be added to the list.  Don't trash it!  Instead, place all newspaper, cardboard, plastic containers (all colors but black), and cans (tins and alumininum) in your green recycle cart. But don't put styrofoam or glass in your carts; glass can only be recycled at one of Metro's convenience centers (the nearest to us is Green Hills or Charlotte Pike).

Coyote captured (on film, that is) in Cherokee Park. Neighbor Gil Lackey (Cambridge Ave) took the photos below on January 9, 2008. But don't be afraid; he reports that they've been in our area for many years and he respects and enjoys them.


New Community Center.  Metro Parks held a community meeting on December 10, 2007, regarding a new neighborhood community center near McCabe Golf Course. The proposal is to demolish the existing building in McCabe Park and build a new center (which will include an indoor pool, work-out facilities, and a youth golf program).

Briefly.  Please be kind and clean-up after your dog in the Triangle. The Triangle is not a pet restroom. Currently it's hard to step foot in the Triangle without stepping in it...Report graffiti here...Be neighborly: please remember to retrieve your trash and recycling bins from the curb by 7:00 p.m. on the scheduled pick-up day...Peruse the neighborhood bulletin board here...Information about Metro's new landlord registration program is here...Report a Metro Code violation here...The latest Metro Codes newsletter, chock full of information, is here; the previous two versions are here and here.

Thanks. Thanks to Paul Picelli and Bill Williams for their work in removing Christmas trees for neighbors and thanks to Katherine Brown and Layne Pickett for organizing and holding the 2007 fall picnic.

Richland Creek and Greenway Clean-up. This event was held on October 27, 2007. Mounds of trash and junk were pulled from the Creek and surrounding area. Thanks to Greenways for Nashville for sponsoring the event; thanks to Starbucks (Belle Meade Plaza) for providing coffee; and thanks to the scores of volunteers who pitched in, got dirty, worked together, and made a difference.

Graffiti. Report graffiti observed in our neighborhood or community here or call the graffiti hotline at 880-2444. If you witness graffiti in progress, call 862-8600. Officers can prosecute vandals that are caught in the act. Graffiti is a fine punishable by a fine of up to $500. More information and graffiti abatement resources is here.

Parking tickets. Cars have been ticketed for illegally parking in Cherokee Park. According to Metro, vehicles should park parallel to the curb and with the right side next to the curb, except on one-way streets. (In other words, park in the direction of the traffic flow.) Vehicles should not block access to mailboxes or obstruct entrances to driveways or garages. Vehicles should park no closer than 15 feet to a fire hydrant. Vehicles should park so that a minimum of 12 feet of roadway width remains for the flow of traffic. Fines increase after the first offense, and officers are authorized to tow vehicles not parked properly, which would result in even more cost.

Also, inoperable or unregistered vehicles can't be openly parked, kept, or stored on any premises. To comply with Metro Property Standards Codes, vehicles must be repaired, licensed or stored in a garage or enclosure, or removed from the premises. To report a violation call 862-6590. Similar regulations apply to the open storage of any appliance, building material, rubbish, tires, automotive parts, junk, yard or debris. It is the responsibility of every owner or occupant to remove all such openly stored items upon notice from Metro Codes. The Property Standards Code further provides that vehicles parked at private residences may not be parked on the grass.

Preschool Playgroup. If you have a preschooler and want to meet other families in the neighborhood with children the same age, here's your chance. A preschool playgroup has formed and plans to meet twice a month at Westminster playground. The group will gather on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 10:00 to 11:30. The first official playgroup will convene this Sat., June 1st. Please pass the word...the more, the merrier!

Briefly. MBA planning changes to its campus entrance on Wilson Blvd...Plans for closure of Ridgefield Court presented by Ensworth...Tennessee Waterworks website...How re-development is changing West End Park neighborhood.

Wolf Creek Dam. Neighbors who have reviewed the flood maps report that Cherokee Park is on "high ground." It appears that Cherokee Park is about 95 feet above the level of the Cumberland River bed. The McCabe golf course may get too squishy to play and Richland Creek would rise and spread a bit but with no apparent serious effects. It appears there would be a bit of flooding up near Richland Park (on Charlotte) but it would happen only in worst case scenario with a higher water level at the dam than there is right now. The Army Corps of Engineers state that we would have about 30 hours notice if the dam ruptures. Flood maps are available at the downtown library.

Thank you greeters! In your new directory, please note the list of Cherokee Park greeters and the one who is responsible for the area in which you live. The greeters are truly the "foot soldiers" of the neighborhood; they welcome new residents, pass out newsletters, directories, invitations and other notices. You can help them by letting them know when you have a new neighbor. Each greeter's contact information can be found in the directory. Greeters, we appreciate you!

Stop litter. The Tennessee Transportation Department has set up a hotline for reporting litterbugs. It's a new part of the StopLitter campaign. People who see someone tossing trash from a vehicle or something falling from an unsecured truck load can call 1-877-8-LITTER or 877-854-8837.

Callers will reach a recording that asks for the Tennessee license number of the offender's vehicle, the type and make of vehicle, the time it happened and where, and what was tossed or blown from the vehicle. Callers are not asked for their names. TDOT will send a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle with a car trash bag and anti-litter information. The letter reminds the owner that littering is punishable by a fine of up to $1,500.

The government spent more than $11 million in tax dollars on litter cleanup and prevention in Tennessee last year.

Briefly. Tennessean article: historic-district permits usually approved...Work begins on Belle Meade Town Center; see the Belle Meade Town Center Web site here...Harding Town Center plan

New program. Nashville is harmed by improper disposal of residential fats, oils, and grease, whether that be from resulting sewer backups, stream pollution, landfill space used, or higher repair costs. In an effort to minimize these negative effects, Metro is beginning a new residential fats, oils, and grease recycling Program). Residents of homes generate fats, oils, and grease during the preparation and cooking of food. Fats, oils, and grease poured in kitchen sinks or other drains can cause blockages in the city sewer line and possible sewer line back-ups in neighboring residences, or result in sanitary sewer overflows that pollute our environment with raw sewage

Residential fats, oils, and greases can now be properly disposed of at the Omohundro Convenience Center at 1019 Omohundro Place Tuesday through Saturday between the hours of 8:30 and 5:00. Collect the fats, oils, and grease waste in a sturdy, sealed container in order to prevent leaks during transport to the Convenience Center for recycling. Open the lid on the recycling bin, pour the cooking oil or grease into the bin, and dispose of the container in the dumpster.

Briefly. Metro Codes FAQs...Check out new postings on the n-hood bulletin board....NES tree trimming activity tracking map...NES tree replacement info...Track the status of Metro projects here.... Metro booklet: "How to be a better neighbor"

Mailings. Some neighbors have asked about certain recent mailings that are critical of conservation zoning and the Metropolitan Historic Zoning Commission. The mailings are not from the Cherokee Park Neighborhood Association. The post office box that appears on the envelope and "survey" is registered to a development company/contractor.

Nashville.gov Launches Development Services Web Portal. Home builders, developers, neighborhood groups and citizens now have a one-stop, user-friendly web portal for everything from permits to zoning changes. The new Nashville Development Services portal provides links to all Metro departments involved in property development including information about construction permits, codes enforcement, zoning laws and meeting schedules. Visit the site here.

Neighborhood and Area News