Thank you so much for your support and patience as I work to return every call and email! I am working to set up community meetings, weekly coffee meet and greets and other opportunities to engage. You will be the first to know.
If you need to get in touch with me, don't hesitate to shoot me an email at Brenda.Gadd@nashville.gov or give me a call at 615-432-1324.
Thank you for your support - let's move forward, together.
Nashville and Davidson County are located on the lands of the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Shawnee and Yuchi people. This land has long been a center for Indigenous people to gather, trade, and maintain kinship ties. This land was violently taken under settler colonialism through genocide and open warfare, and the region that is now Tennessee still struggle for sovereignty, self-determination and justice. The month of November is Native American Heritage Month, to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people.
METRO COUNCIL UPDATES
Here’s how to participate in Metro Council Meetings:
The Metro Council meets every other Tuesday evening of the month with committees meeting the week of council meetings. Details on the process and how to participate can be found here.
Additionally, if you have or know of a young person that would like to engage in the process Metro Council process, please reach out and let me know. I am working to create a Metro Council youth internship and page program for District 24 to encourage youth engagement.
Council Meetings and Events Calendar
Monday, November 6th
3:30 pm: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting
4:45 pm: Planning and Zoning Committee Meeting
5:00 pm: Budget and Finance Committee Meeting
Tuesday, November 7th
4:00 pm: Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting
5:00 pm: Public Facilities Art and Culture Committee Meeting
5:15 pm: Government Operations and Regulations Committee Meeting
5:30 pm: Rules Confirmation and Public Elections Committee Meeting
6:00 pm: Council Member Announcements and Presentations Meeting
6:30 pm: Council Meeting
All of these meetings are broadcasted by Metro Nashville Network on Comcast Channel 3, Google Fiber Channel 3, U-Verse channel 99, and live streamed on Nashville.gov.
WHAT I'VE BEEN UP To…
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SAFE BAR PROGRAM?
Thankful to to CM Erin Evans, CM Joy Styles and the Sexual Assault Center team for sharing at the Metro Council Joint Women’s Caucus and Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting. It was great to learn about the Safe Bar program and learn the ways we can support.
What is the Safe Bar Program?
The mission of Safe Bar is to work with local bars & restaurants in raising awareness about alcohol’s role in sexual assault, engaging bar owners and staff in bystander intervention, and working together to do our part to prevent sexual violence across Tennessee.
LEARN MORE HERE
The Anniversary of the Construction of Fort Negley
Marking the 161st anniversary of the construction of Fort Negley. Over the course of the construction (four months) as many as 2771 enslaved, self-emancipated, and free Black Americans transformed St. Cloud Hill from a hill covered with oak trees into an imposing stone fortress. As few as 317 were paid for their labor and as many as 800 died in the process. Despite these awful conditions Fort Negley and other federal fortifications became a destination for the formerly enslaved seeking freedom. Many of these laborers would go on to join the Federal Army’s USCTs.
I was honored to join Council Member Terry Vo, Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Councilmember at Large Olivia Hill to help honor all 2,771 by planting flags at the park entrance of Ft. Negley.
METRO RESOURCES
Have an issue with your trash pick up? Or a codes violation? Or something else?
Mayor Freddie O’Connell issues statement on the formation of the Civilian Review Board
“In 2018, Nashville voters overwhelmingly demanded meaningful civilian oversight of specific police actions. Despite that, state legislation earlier this year resulted in significant limitations to what we had established in the Metro Charter by referendum.
As soon as I took office, I began working with Metro Legal, Metro Finance, and Human Resources to ensure as smooth and complete an implementation of the option of a Civilian Review Board available under state law as possible.
Our goals were to maintain employment status for current Metro employees and to enable a basis for a meaningful civilian review process.
Congratulations to Jill Fitcheard on her confirmation as Executive Director of the Civilian Review Board. We will continue working to act in accordance with the will of Nashville voters.”
The Metro Action Commission is Hiring!
IMAGINE NASHVILLE wants your input!
Imagine Nashville is a citywide initiative guided by the belief that we as a community must share our dreams and ideas to shape our future. We are working over the next several months to reach across geographic, socio-economic, racial and ethnic lines, and age differences to ensure everyone has a chance to share their wildest dreams, their most practical concerns, and, most of all their ideas for how we should go forward.
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a chance for communities to decide together how government money is spent. The process is simple: craft infrastructure improvements or project ideas and then vote on which ideas to invest in for your neighborhood. Learn more about PB and make suggestions for D24!
Feedback Requested for Nashville Open Data Site BETA
Metro Nashville has an Open Data portal at https://data.nashville.gov, which is the centralized website for publicly available datasets generated by Nashville and Davidson County departments. Metro is updating the Nashville Open Data Portal to new technology and would like to hear feedback from the Nashville community. You are invited to take a sneak peek of the Nashville Open Data Portal BETA and provide your feedback via the survey on the new site. The link to the BETA Open Data Portal is also located in the menu of the current site at https://data.nashville.gov. The survey will remain open through Wednesday, November 8th.
Metro Parks is searching for the perfect tree for the holidays!
Metro Parks is again asking for help in finding the perfect tree to serve as the centerpiece for the city’s holiday celebration. Metro Parks’ Horticulturist Randall Lantz said the Parks Department is looking for a 30 to 40-foot-tall Norway Spruce that looks good from all angles. “We would very much like to have a tree that has grown too big for its current location or needs removal. We know it’s out there! We just haven’t found it yet.”
Metro Parks has been providing a tree for the holiday celebrations in downtown Nashville for over thirty years. The tree is anchored at Public Square Park and is decked with thousands of multi-colored LED lights. The Metro Parks Department will gladly cut down the tree, grind out the stump, and plant a replacement tree if desired. If you have a tree that meets the criteria, please call Randall Lantz at 615-862-8400 or email him at Randall.Lantz@nashville.gov
Bikeway: Charlotte Ave from 51st Ave N to 31st Ave N was completed December 2021. This project includes multiple bikeway types.
Sidewalk: Estes Rd from Woodmont Blvd to Woodmont Circle was completed November 2021. This project provides increased safety to pedestrians in Estes Rd crosswalk.
Sidewalk: 51st Ave N from 140ft N of Charlotte Ave to Alabama Ave was completed January 2023. This project fills gaps in an existing sidewalk network.
Sidewalk: 51st Ave N from Richland Creek Greenway to Elkins Ave was completed February 2023. This project will fill gaps in an existing sidewalk network and provide connectivity to Richland Creek Greenway.
IN PROGRESS
Bikeway: Whitland Ave/Bowling Ave To 180’ South of West End Ave. Intersection improvements including pedestrian crossings and signage. The project began construction in September 2023 and is expected to be completed July 2024.
Sidewalk: Bowling Ave from Woodlawn Dr to Richmeade Pl. Construction began July 2023. This project includes construction of new sidewalk with curb and gutter and a grass furnishing zone. It will provide connectivity to Elmington Park and West End Middle School.
Sidewalk: Bowling Ave from Forrest Park Ave to Woodlawn Dr. Construction began July 2023. This project includes construction of new sidewalk with curb and gutter and a grass furnishing zone. It will provide connectivity to Elmington Park and West End Middle School.
Sidewalk: 31st Ave N From Alley 601 To Alley 700. Construction of a new 5ft sidewalk. Is expected to be completed in October 2023.
Bikeway: 51st Ave N/Charlotte Ave From Park Ave To Centennial Blvd Bikeway improvements on 51st Ave N approaching Charlotte and along existing bikeway. Design complete and improvements underway as of October 2023.
PLANNED PROJECTS
Bikeway: 40th Ave N from Charlotte Ave to Dr Walter S Davis Blvd is planned for 2024. This project includes the construction of a new bike lane.
Bikeway: Acklen Park Dr from Murphy Rd to Long Blvd is planned for 2024. This project includes a signed shared bikeway. Bikeway: 42nd Ave N from Murphy Rd to Alabama Ave is planned for 2025. This project is anticipated to include intersection improvements such as pedestrian crossings and signage.
Bikeway: Alabama Ave from 51st Ave N to 42nd Ave N is planed for 2025. This project is for construction of a new protected bike lane.
Bikeway: Long Blvd from Acklen Park Dr to 31st Ave N is planned for 2024. This project includes the construction of a new bike lane.
FUTURE PROJECTS
Bikeway: 51st Ave N/Nebraska Ave from Wyoming Ave to 440 Greenway. Construction of a Neighborway.
Keep track of sidewalks, bikeways, and state routes with these handy trackers
The MNPD strongly encourages Nashvillians to lock their automobile doors, secure any valuables---especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS.
So far this year, 1,014 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville. The total number of guns stolen this year in Davidson County is 1,291, which means that nearly 80% of guns stolen so far in 2023 have been taken from automobiles. Last year at this same time, 1,185 guns had been stolen from vehicles, a 14 percent decrease.
Going hand in hand with vehicle burglaries is vehicle theft. Too many automobiles remain easy targets because keys are left inside or made available to thieves. Just like guns taken from vehicles, these stolen autos are also routinely involved in criminal activities, including carjackings and robberies.criminal activities, including carjackings and robberies.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN METRO
Join Metro Arts for a series of important and valuable meetings about arts programming in Nashville and Davidson County:
