Bellevue 22 Buzz - April 2025

Updates In & Around the "Heart" of Bellevue

April 2025

I’d like to share my family’s wishes for a Happy Passover, a Happy Easter, as well as to those celebrating the Sikh New Year celebrating the spring harvest. My door is always open to hear your thoughts and work toward solutions. It’s my honor to continue to represent and support you helping to chart Bellevue’s path forward. Call me at 615.432.1322 or email me at sheri.weiner@nashville.gov. If there is a particular feature you’d like me to include here, please let me know and I’ll do my best to accommodate it.

Check this out! Welcome to Bellevue with Austin & Colin

IN THIS ISSUE:

Red Caboose Park – a Name & Repairs
Mattie Pruitt – Bellevue’s Own Makes the Top 24 of American Idol!
FREE STREET TREES
Dates to Be Aware of for a Busy Bellevue Spring!
Bellevue Beautification
Housing and Infrastructure Report Released
Metro Property Assessor is Still at Work

IT’S FINALLY OFFICIAL!

It has taken years amidst lots of confusion…………..Red Caboose Park (as we have always known it) will now and forever more be officially named Red Caboose Park! Stay tuned for signage changes and a celebration.

Dear Councilmember Weiner:

The Parks Board, at its meeting held Tuesday, April 1, 2025, approved the request of the Arts Bellevue, Bellevue Community Foundation, Bellevue Harpeth Chamber of Commerce, Bellevue Harpeth Historic Association, and the Exchange Club of Bellevue to rename "Bellevue Park" to "Red Caboose Park".

Please note per Park Policy (Policies 3000.1 Naming of Parks) the cost associated with the renaming of a park shall be done by the requesting organization. These costs include, but are not limited to signage, print media, online references, and other costs identified by the Parks Department.

Sincerely,
Monique Horton Odom, Director
and Secretary to the Board

RED CABOOSE REPAIRS

Please note that the caboose at Red Caboose Park will be undergoing repairs and will be fenced off until further notice. Thanks to Cheryl McClure for asking me about testing for lead in paint at the playground which I, then, requested of Parks. Upon inspection, the Parks Department learned that there was lead paint below the multiple layers of paint as well as asbestos underneath the carriage of the caboose (apparently, really deep and you’d have to dig for it but, nevertheless, it’s there). They will be raising it off the concrete pad and remediating both. Upon completion it will be repainted. We will also be addressing landscaping, painting the gazebos, and signage. As I learn of more details, I will pass them along. Again, thank you, Cheryl!

LET’S SUPPORT BELLEVUE’S OWN!

Mattie Pruitt was born in Bellevue, Tn. The first school she attended was Gower Elementary.
Mattie lives in Rutherford County and goes to school in Eagleville.

At just 15 years old, Mattie is one of American Idol 2025’s Top 14!

It’s up to the voters now (that’s us!). She needs our collective support to advance further so let’s come together for her on Sunday, April 13 and vote, vote, vote. You must be at least 16 years old and live in the US, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. You can make a difference by casting up to 30 votes through the app, website and via text:

AmericanIdol.com/vote
American Idol app
SMS Text 22 to 21523 (10 times)

FREE STREET TREES

Metro Water Services announces 2025 Neighborhood Street Tree Program. Each tree will be delivered, planted, mulched, pruned and watered by MWS for two years until fully established – at no cost to participants!

Why? They beautify our neighborhoods, but they also provide temperature-lowering shade, air quality improvements, lower utility costs, reduced stormwater run-off, wildlife nutrition & habitat, carbon sequestration, traffic calming, added property values and more!

How can your neighborhood apply? Share with your neighbors and make a list of neighbors and friends who want to participate (name, street address, email and phone number). A minimum of 20 trees is required for each planting project. Email mike.jameson@nashville.gov. Metro Water will take it from there, organizing the names, adding new participants, soliciting the preferred tree species and coordinating the logistics.

Please know that I have spoken with Mike about trees lining sections of Highway 70S and Sawyer Brown Rd (also a few other locations). It will make such a big difference!

BUSY BELLEVUE

During the month of April, let’s help our area community food bank with contributions.
For more information, please follow this link: BELLEVUE COMMUNITY FOOD BANK

May 1	4-7pm	Bellevue Farmers' Market Opens
BELLEVUE FARMER'S MARKET INFORMATION

May 3	8am	Great Rubbish Roundup
GREAT RUBBISH ROUNDUP VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

May 17	10am	Bellevue Community Picnic
BELLEVUE HARPETH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Nashville has experienced a period of physical transformational change in the last decade. If you remember the proposals to rezone swaths of residential property county-wide (referred to as the Nest Bills), it appeared to many (like me) that this was a cart before the horse approach. So Metro Council asked Metro Nashville Planning staff and several other Metro departments, to look at Nashville’s residential development and our existing and planned infrastructure capacity to understand if current zoning policies or other barriers harm Metro’s ability to address the city’s housing needs. This study was led by Metro Planning in collaboration with Codes, NDOT, Water Services, Historic Commission, and other Metro departments. The ultimate goal of this study is to ensure Metro is helping create a more livable community where all Nashvillians can thrive together.

Staff have released the Housing & Infrastructure Study’s Initial Findings and Preliminary Recommendations Report, which details the findings, data and research related to housing and infrastructure barriers facing Nashville, in addition to preliminary recommendations and next steps. The Housing and Infrastructure Executive Summary provides readers with a condensed overview of the report.

There will be more engagement opportunities focused on draft recommendations in May that will be announced through the website, social media, and our newsletter.

PROPERTY REAPPRAISALS & PROPERTY TAX ADJUSTMENT

How this works - The state requires reappraisal of Properties on a regular basis. In Davidson County it’s every 4 years. Once the reappraisals are complete - and I’ll explain that process shortly - the state establishes a certified tax rate. That is the rate that property tax collections would not result in an increase in revenue for that local government. So if all the property values in a community rise, the certified tax rate would have to be reduced in order to be revenue neutral. After that, the Metro Council (in the case of Nashville) uses the information to set the local tax rate and that has to be approved as part of our budget by the end of June. Back to the reappraisal cycle - it is every four years during which reviews of all of the properties occur in the first three years. That would mean in the first year 1/3 of the properties are reviewed, in year two another 1/3 of the properties are reviewed and in the third year the final third of the properties are reviewed. In the fourth year they base the reevaluation of all the properties on the current real estate market. They look at sales and rents in the area so that the reappraisals keep properties at its current market value.

As you have seen in the news and on this map, Bellevue is represented by four of us. Council members Druffel and Ewing each have a slice while Councilmember Spain and I have the lion’s share of the community. Councilmember Spain’s area went up 52%, as did council member Druffel’s (specifically his would generally be the north side of Highway 70 to Old Hickory Boulevard and the east side of old Hickory Boulevard to the interstate. Councilmember Ewing’s area went up 54% and generally includes the south side of Highway 70S (near Coronado) to the southeast corner at the intersection of old Hickory Boulevard and Highway 70 S (Kroger) and south on old Hickory Boulevard to Highway 100 where her district then moves towards the other leg of old hickory to the east.

HUB.NASHVILLE.GOV

The hubNashville site also is where you can report a myriad of public safety concerns….go to Request Type: Public Safety. It is also the location for you to ask for Metro services…go to hubNashville and select your area of need. For example, if your concern is an issue with homeless encampments, please file a report at Request Type: Request Non-Emergency Police Assistance.

WEST PRECINCT, MNPD

As a reminder, your West Precinct holds an open community meeting the 2nd Thursday of every month at 6pm at the precinct. During these meetings Commander Bowers provides statistical updates, answers questions and discusses initiatives ongoing in the area. It’s an informative and helpful opportunity to engage 1:1 with your officers. I hope to see you there.

LINK TO MNPD TRESPASS WAIVER

It should be returned to Sgt. Amanda Kozen (amanda.hane@nashville.gov) or postal mail to the precinct (5500 Charlotte Pike 37209).

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

If you want to get involved, I can share that you have a lot of opportunity among the over 70 boards and commissions. Lend your expertise. Browse the list of opportunities. Call me and I'm happy to connect you to those in the know. Check out the vacancies and apply.

About Boards and Commissions | Nashville.gov

Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to serve.

CONTACTS and INFORMATION

You can contact Metro directly to request Metro services at

hub.nashville.gov

In the event you do not receive a response or confirmation from HUB, please email or call me.

I typically respond within 24 hours (if not sooner).

METRO COUNCIL CONTACT

Nashville.gov/departments/council

facebook.com/SheriWeinerForCouncil 615.432.1322 Sheri.Weiner@nashville.gov

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Sheri Weiner

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Bellevue 22 Buzz - April 2025