District 29 Cleanup Thank you!!!

,

Thank you!

Metro Beautificatiom

Goodwill Industries

Public Works Department

Shred It

Starbucks (kept everyone awake)

Kirspy Kreme (kept every one's bellies full)

Council Woman Vivian Wilhoite (District "29")

And of course all the people that helped to make the cleanup a success.

Good time had by all!

Metro sidewalks plan draws comments, criticism

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 10, 2008 A draft revision of Metro Nashville's strategic plan for sidewalks and bikeways has been released by Metro Public Works, which is accepting comments and questions - and getting some criticism - about the plan. The draft is available at the Nashville Public Library and at http://www.civicinc.com/MetroStratPlan/ProposedUpdatesSPSB_5-30-2008.pdf. To comment or ask questions, send an e-mail to info@nashvilleplan.com. Bell Lowe Newton, president of the Woodlawn Area Neighborhood Association, said some parts of the plan make little sense to her and her neighbors. Sidewalks are planned for some side streets where there's little vehicular traffic, but not for the busier roads that lead to them, she said. But city officials and consultants seem to be listening to the neighbors' concerns, Newton said. "We're looking forward to working with Metro," she said. The city completed its original strategic plan in 2003. Mayor Karl Dean called for an update last fall, and five community meetings were held earlier this year. The draft plan says Public Works has built or repaired 124 miles of sidewalks and constructed 94 miles of bikeways since 2003.Jim Snyder, who oversees capital projects for Public Works, said the city plans to start giving more weight to existing sidewalks' physical condition and the possibility of coordinating improvements with other Metro projects, such as schools and parks. Residents who attended the community meetings said they'd like to see more sidewalks near greenways, schools, retail centers, hospitals, parks and community centers, Snyder said. Here are some tips for viewing the plans: 1) Go to www.nashvilleplan.org and click on "View Sidewalks Project Information and Maps" 2) Click on "Funded Projects:Maps & Schedule" (right corner) 3) Click on "Project Search" (right corner) for proposed projects or "Interactive Viewer" to see what is already funded. 4) Once you're in Interactive Viewer:- Go to fourth box on left, "Find"- Click "By Address" 5) Go to bottom of page (scroll) and type in street and cross street 6) Hit the Locate button7) Go to magnifying glass icon

Public Works, Planning to lay off staff

Metro Public Works expects to lay off 30 to 40 employees to absorb a proposed 8 to 9 percent budget cut, the department's director confirmed Thursday. Director Billy Lynch said Public Works officials had started meeting with employees who might lose their jobs and offering them help in finding new work. Mayor Karl Dean's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, includes about 200 layoffs of city employees. The Metro Planning De partment told two of its approximately 45 workers Wednesday that they would be laid off, spokesman Craig Owensby said. Public Works has 437 employees. Lynch said he didn't think losing 7 to 9 percent of his work force would affect the services the department provides. "I do not think people will be able to visually see the reduction because of the way we're going to organize our trucks and equipment. Our main focus is customer service." — MICHAEL CASS mcass@tennessean.com