News Archive 2010

No BZA meeting in February

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 9:45 AM

The February Board of Zoning Appeals meeting has been cancelled because there are no items on the agenda. The next meeting is scheduled for March 16.

Special Weather Alert

On Thursday afternoon the City began a pre-salting program for our roads in preparation for today's weather. The trucks rolled back out this morning to try and keep the streets clear while the precipitation fell. Unfortunately, the mix of snow and ice have overwhelmed our efforts.

At eight o'clock Friday evening we are halting our efforts as the precipitation is coming down faster than we can clear the roads. To continue at this point would be a waste of city resources, and many other entities have made similar decisions.

Our trucks will start working again around four o'clock Saturday morning. However, it may be longer before we reach the higher elevations.

We encourage you to stay home and not be out on the roads. There are two primary reasons for this. First and foremost, it is for your safety. Additionally, vehicles traveling on the roads before our salt trucks have them properly treated only makes their job tougher. When their job is made tougher, the time it takes to clear the roads for our residents is lengthened.

We hope that you enjoy the peace and beauty that this event has brought to Oak Hill. Please be safe and take this opportunity to spend time with your family, friends, and neighbors.

News Archive 2009

City issues new guidelines for leaf collection

In an effort to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, the City of Oak Hill has instituted policy changes regarding leaf collection, giving residents two options in how they put their leaves out for collection by our service provider.

The changes are effective immediately.

Three primary benefits led the City to adopt this policy, which is used by several other cities, including Franklin and Murfreesboro. It allows for more efficient collection of leaves. It makes available a truck that can also be used to maintain our drainage ditches, as well as other drainage structures. Without this dual purpose, the cost of the equipment would be prohibitive solely to maintain drainage infrastructure. The final benefit is also the one that will likely have the largest impact: By instituting these new rules, Oak Hill can keep our leaves out of the landfill, instead sending them to a composting farm in a move that is much more environmentally friendly.

Rake leaves to roadside

Residents may now choose to rake their leaves to the side of the road to be collected by a vacuum truck. Simply rake your leaves into piles near the side of the road, and the truck will collect them. The piles of leaves should be placed in or very near the right-of-way, which usually extends about 10 to 12 feet beyond the edge of the pavement. It is important that you not place the leaves in the ditch, on top of open drainage structures, or in the roadway. If a ditch is adjacent to the roadway, place the leaves behind the ditch and we will still be able to collect them.

For residents who would prefer to bag their leaves, this is still an option. However, you must now use biodegradable bags for the leaf-bagging process. Unlike plastic bags, these bags can be taken to the composting farm and keep bagged leaves out of the landfill. Biodegradable bags are available at most locations that sell lawn products.

The City encourages residents to time the placement of their leaves and other yard waste with their service delivery. Piles of material left near the road for long periods of time are unsightly, tend to get strewn throughout the neighborhood, kill the grass, and can become a health hazard.

New documents posted online

The City of Oak Hill has posted a number of documents online as part of City Manager Kevin Helms’s open-government initiative.

You can find several documents regarding a Tyne Blvd. traffic study, plus ordinances on private streets and security gates here.

Commissioners choose engineering firm

Kimley-Horn and Associates has been selected by the Board of Commissioners to provide professional engineering services for the City.

The company will act as an independent advisor and consultant to the City, conducting studies and investigations and providing information and advice in four areas.

l Engineering plans and plat review. Kimley-Horn will review civil engineering design drawings submitted to the City for Planning Commission or Board of Zoning Appeals approval.

l Traffic and transportation planning and design services. KHA will provide review of proposed developments for traffic impact, preparing impact studies and reviewing submitted studies. The firm also will develop transportation-related improvement recommendations.

l Stormwater and drainage review and analysis. At the request of the City, KHA will review drainage problems throughout Oak Hill, conducting site visits, reviewing conditions, and suggesting solutions.

l Miscellaneous engineering review, design, and drafting services. Kimley-Horn will furnish general engineering services requested by the City, including review and editing of Oak Hill’s design standards, specifications, and zoning regulations.

The contract is for three years with an option of a two-year extension.

Kimley-Horn is one of the nation’s most comprehensive engineering and land planning firms, with more than 60 offices in over a dozen states.

City plants 80 trees after TVA clearcuts

Oak Hill has planted 80 trees after TVA clearcut its right-of-way behind homes on Redwood Drive.

Jackaroo, the City’s chipper service contractor, planted and mulched 80 1.5- to 2-caliper crape myrtle, moonglow juniper, holly, and red maple trees.

The planting to control drainage and provide screening was made possible with an $8,000 matching grant with TVA and the City.

Oak Hill has planted 80 trees after TVA clearcut its right-of-way behind homes on Redwood Drive.

At right, Matt Weir of Jackaroo and City Manager Kevin Helms examine one of the trees planted behind Redwood Drive.

Joe Hodgson joins Planning Commission

Joe Hodgson, a long-time planner and designer, is the new member of the Planning Commission.

Hodgson replaces Trevor Howell, who resigned.

“I feel we all have a civic responsibility to give back to our community. My wife Penny and I have raised our family in Oak Hill as residents for 31 years,” Hodgson says.

A partner in Hodgson and Douglas, he’s been involved in projects like CoolSprings, the Frist Museum, the Riverfront to Bicentennial Mall Greenway, and the Capitol Hill/Bicentennial Mall Master Plan.

Former Planning Commissioner Billy Sumner, longtime resident George Morehead die

Billy Sumner, 86, a longtime member of the Oak Hill Planning Commission who lived on Robertson Academy Road for more than 50 years, died December 1.

A leading environmental engineer specializing in the design of water and wastewater treatment facilities, he formed Barge Waggoner and Sumner with two former Vanderbilt University classmates in 1955. He was serving as chairman emeritus and senior consultant of Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon Inc., one of the Southeast’s leading engineering and architectural firms, at the time of death.

He was active in both professional and community activities, serving as president of Cheekwood, elder of First Presbyterian Church, lifelong Rotarian, supporter of Scouting throughout his life.

Survivors include his wife, two daughters and four grandchildren.

George Philip Morehead, 103, who lived on Granny White Pike for many years, died Nov. 28.

He founded Morehead Tree Surgery , which he owned for more than 50 years. A Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner for more than 50 years, he served as Captain of the Potentate’s Guard of Al Menah Temple.



His autobiography Yes! By George tells of his adventurous life, including time in the CCC, raising purebred Simmental cattle on his South Fork ranch near Cody, and traveling the world in his 80s.

He is survived by his wife of nine years Betty Jane Beck Morehead, daughter, son, step-daughter, five grandchildren, seven step grandchildren, one great granddaughter an 13 step great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by wives Juanita Lanier Morehead and Annette Lawson Morehead.

Financial Advisory Committee meets

During the month of December, the city’s new Financial Advisory Committee held its second meeting, hearing a report from the city’s investment advisor, Preston Morris, managing director of Sterne Agee.

Recommendations were made regarding a short-term plan for investing the city’s assets during this uncertain economic climate. At the request of the City Manager, the committee members also agreed to begin work on a long-term investment policy for the City.

The committee also will study our finances to make recommendations on minimum fund balance levels so that City leaders can plan future capital projects without jeopardizing Oak Hill’s sound financial status.

All decisions of this committee are non-binding and must be enacted by city staff, or in the case of setting policy, by the Board of Commissioners.

Financial Advisory Committee members are Scott Schumann, vice president, Bank of America, and Gary Waddey of Gary W. Waddey CLU Insurance. The third member has not been appointed.

Glendale hosts Grandparent Tea

Grandparents from all over the country attended the Grandparent Tea at Glendale Spanish Immersion School October 11. Sponsored by the Glendale PTO and organized by April Parker and Beth Roth, the event featured music, poetry, and food on the front lawn of the school. Many parents made donations to the “Invest in Your Child Campaign,” the main fundraiser for the school, to be used for instructional materials.

Extra police patrols make a difference

For the first three months beginning June 1, extra police patrols issued warnings for traffic violations in Oak Hill in an effort to educate drivers not to speed or run stop signs.

Safety coordinator Tommy Jacobs said after school started about a month ago the police began issuing tickets using a radar gun on loan from the Metro Police Department. It remains in the Oak Hill office so that it is available for every shift.

“We could issue a lot more, but it takes about 15 minutes to write up a ticket and the lower speed limit is only in effect for an hour in a school zone,” Jacobs said.

At the beginning of school, Jacobs said, on one afternoon he counted only 26 of 105 cars coming to a complete stop at the intersection of Churchwood Drive and Oak Valley Lane as they entered the back gate at Oak Hill School. On one afternoon the first week in October the number not stopping dropped to four out of 45, with one person issued a speeding ticket.

Jacobs continues to monitor the extra patrols available through the secondary employment division of Metro Police on a staggered schedule of three four-hour shifts per week funded by the City of Oak Hill.

Jacobs is usually on site when “fixed traffic posts” are set up at specific points in response to complaints/requests from citizens, most recently at Crestridge Drive and Caldwell Lane and for speeders on Lakemont Drive. When not at a fixed location, the police drive the streets throughout the city.

A $2,000 donation from First Presbyterian Church is being used for additional police presence on streets feeding into the church and school, which also puts up “no parking” signs for events and keeps the back gate locked during athletic events on Saturdays.

Jacobs said drivers routinely drive over the speed limit in Oak Hill and continue to run or barely slow down at stop signs, but they are improving.

In assessing the first four months of the extra patrols, Jacobs is quick to applaud the vigilance of residents to respond to the BOLO (Be On the LookOut) reports about crimes committed in the area.

He said the city is inundated with solicitors with no permits and urged residents to report them to City Hall and to install “No Trespassing” signs.

The extra patrols also are monitoring home football games at Father Ryan and Overton high schools. “While there have been no problems at Ryan, at Overton people have been parking in the yards of residents,” Jacobs said, suggesting that “No Parking” signs be posted.

More grass cutters are now parking in customers’ driveways after warnings that it is illegal to park on the street.

Residents get ready for disaster

Oak Hill residents had two opportunities recently to attend training by the American Red Cross to help them prepare for and cope with emergency situations.

Father Ryan school hosted training sessions September 28 and October 5 where residents heard strategies for coping with fires, flash floods, tornados, winter weather, earthquakes, disease epidemics, and other natural disasters: Make a plan, build a kit, and get trained.

“We salute you for investing in your community, to be sure Oak Hill is well prepared for disasters,” Tom Peters, director of Emergency Services for Middle Tennessee Red Cross, told participants.

Click here for emergency preparation tips.

Tonya P. Matthews joins BZA

Attorney Tonya P. Matthews, an associate at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, has been appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for the remaining year of an unexpired term.

She replaces Lorilee Gulawick who resigned recently because of time constraints after being named to the open seat on the BZA in 2008. “We are fortunate to have an Oak Hill resident with the expertise, experience, and judgment who is willing to serve on the BZA,” said Mayor Tommy Alsup.

Matthews, a resident of Oak Hill since 2000, said, “I am excited about serving Oak Hill as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and hope to continue the efforts that have preserved the residential character of the City. I hope that my background in real estate will translate into sound and thoughtful consideration of all issues that come before the Board.”

A graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Law, she joined Waller Lansden in 2005 where her practice is focused on commercial real estate, commercial lending, and corporate law. The summa cum laude graduate of Lipscomb University previously was an associate at Stokes Bartholomew Evans and Petree.

New school zones now in effect for Glendale, Oak Hill schools

New signs mark the expanded school zones for Glendale and Oak Hill schools approved by the Board of Commissioners. Streets affected include Robertson Academy Road, Tyne Boulevard, Thompson Avenue, Oak Valley Lane, and General Bate, Crestridge, Overbrook, Melville, and Churchwood drives.

Better watch your speed

As schools open, Oak Hill’s extra police patrol schedule will include more emphasis on school zones in the morning and afternoon.

“In an effort to slow traffic, the police officer on duty will be issuing tickets for speeding and not obeying posted signs,” Safety Coordinator Tommy Jacobs said.

Parents and teenage drivers should pay extra attention to posted speed limits and stop signs, Jacobs said.

Former City official Ben Shields dies

Former Oak Hill Vice Mayor Ben Shields, 91, died July 25 after an extended illness.

He served as Commissioner from 1983 to 1985 and Vice Mayor from 1985 to 1987.

An agent for the National Life and Accident Insurance Company, he held many positions, retiring as vice president and agency secretary. His long career at National Life was interrupted to serve 3½ years during World War II, entering as a private and discharged as a captain.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Maxine; son Ben Shields Jr. of Nashville; daughter Shelly Anne Shields of Costa Mesa, Ca; and granddaughter Ashley Shields of Nashville.

FY2010 budget approved

The 2009-2010 City budget was approved on second reading at the July 16 Board of Commissioners meeting after a public hearing. See the final budget here.

City adding online access to meetings

By the end of the year, residents can keep up with Oak Hill board meetings on the internet.

The City is partnering with Granicus to broadcast the Board of Commissioners, Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Planning Commission.

Streaming audio of the meetings will be almost real time with only a few minutes’ delay.

The audio will be available to the public over the internet for one year after each meeting. If you are not interested in listening to the entire meeting, pull up the agenda and click on a particular agenda item. The program will take you directly to the audio from that portion of the meeting.

After a year, audio will be archived in the City offices just as they are now.

“The program will also allow us to integrate our minute taking for one seamless solution to city meetings,” said City Manager Kevin Helms. “The result is more access for residents to City government.”

Engineering proposals under review

More than 20 companies have submitted proposals to provide engineering services for Oak Hill.

“We plan to narrow this list down to approximately three companies,” said City Manager Kevin Helms. “We plan to conduct in-person interviews with the finalists.”

Once the interviews are complete, the staff will recommend a company to the Board of Commissioners for its approval no later than the September 17 board meeting.

The new company will provide all engineering services for the City over the next several years beginning October 1.

Fourth of July parade

The annual Oak Hill parade kicks off with a host of participants, top. Above left, Oak Hill Mayor Tommy Alsup watches with City Manager Kevin Helms, his wife Sonya, daughter Reagan and son Brant. Above middle, Assistant City Manager M.C. Sparks, Ace the Office Dog, and Administrative Assistant Patrick Steiner join the parade. Above right, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean addresses the crowd after an introduction by Oak Hill Vice Mayor Austin McMullen.

Commissioners approve funding of Glen Leven architectural study

The City of Oak Hill will fund a proposal from Tuck Hinton Architects to study the Glen Leven mansion.

At the request of the Land Trust for Tennessee, the study will examine the status of the 150-year-old mansion and recommend potential uses of the house and property. Recommendations will take into consideration the terms of the previous owner’s will and compliance with Oak Hill zoning regulations.

The Glen Leven estate on Franklin Pike was bequeathed to the Land Trust in 2007 by Susan McConnell West. Her will stipulates that the land can never be developed or subdivided.

The 65 acres is the largest piece of Nashville’s Civil War battlefield still intact and is a treasure to be preserved, said Mayor Tommy Alsup.

Fire fighters test skills in hills

Fire fighters from the Nashville Fire Department conducted a fire drill Saturday, June 13 on Villa Crest Drive to demonstrate their ability to handle fires in a hilly area where water pressure is low.

Four pumper trucks from the Green Hills and 12 South fire stations participated in the event, which doubled as a training exercise. Each of the four pumpers dropped 500 to 600 feet of high-capacity five-inch fire hose to relay water from the hydrant next to the pumping station at the foot of the Villa Crest hill up to the top of the hill.

“We wanted to reassure residents that we would be able to put out a fire, even when a home is located on top of a steep grade,” NFD public information officer Charles Shannon said. “The demonstration was successful, and residents in the neighborhood can be reassured.”

More than a dozen residents from Villa Crest and the surrounding neighborhoods watched the demonstration and gathered in the driveway of Mike and Diane Allison afterward for questions and answers. One concern of the residents was whether the level of water pressure present during the 22-minute display could be sustained for the duration of a real fire. District Fire Chief Mike Franklin assured them the pressure could be sustained for a prolonged period.

The fire fighters represented the same team that battled a fire at the Chang residence on Villa Crest on January 3. The drill was conducted partially as demonstration of improvements since the January fire. Since then, fire hydrants on Villa Crest have been repainted, and five-inch water hoses were used instead of four inch.

Water work to slow Harding Place traffic

The Metro Water Department will be replacing water mains along Harding Place from Granny White Pike to Belle Meade Blvd. beginning June 8. Work will be staggered to avoid rush-hour traffic. Streets will be reduced to one lane while the 12- and 16-inch water main is being installed. This will likely cause congestion and drivers may choose alternate routes, causing additional traffic on neighborhood streets. The project is expected to take six months to complete.

Additional police patrols begin June 1

Safety Coordinator Tommy Jacobs and Vice Mayor Austin McMullen go over shift assignments with Officer Jacob Paul.

Additional Metro police officers began patrolling Oak Hill streets Monday, June 1, to provide residents more safety.

“The extra patrols hired by the City of Oak from the secondary employment division of Metro Police mean that our homes and streets will be safer,” Mayor Tommy Alsup said. “After a year that included passage of an enabling ordinance by the Metro Council and working out a contract, you will see more patrol cars in Oak Hill.”

Oak Hill Safety Coordinator Tommy Jacobs said the Metro police officers work in four-hour staggered shifts.

“The officers will be assigned by me to the ‘hot spots’ with excessive speeding or other traffic violations as well as other troubling incidents,” Jacobs said. “This is the same procedure that the flex unit for Metro follows.”

He said the times and areas to be patrolled will not be announced in advance, but “expect to see a Metro police car on every street in Oak Hill over the next few weeks.”

Jacobs recommended that Oak Hill residents advise their families—especially young drivers—and friends of the increased enforcement of traffic control including speed limit, stop signs and traffic lights.

“Residents are encouraged to suggest areas where more patrols are needed by calling the Oak Hill office at 371-8291 or me at 557-7329,” Jacobs said

In addition to providing visibility, the officers will be available as first responders to all 911 calls but will return to their regular Oak Hill patrol when the emergency is stabilized.

As contract workers for Oak Hill, they will not answer non-emergency calls, which will still be handled by the Metro shift officers assigned to this area, Jacobs said.

City adds minutes, other info to website

The City of Oak Hill is now posting official minutes online.

Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals can be found here. Minutes will be posted approximately one month after the date of the meeting. Unofficial summaries of the meetings are posted shortly after each meeting.

In accordance with the Tennessee Public Records Act, the City of Oak Hill provides full access and assistance in a timely and efficient manner to Tennessee residents who request access to public documents. Complete procedures, fees, timelines, and a request form are here.

You'll also find the City's ethics policy here, complete regulations for subdivisions here, and some helpful web links here.

“This is the first step in adding more information to our website so that it will be of greater use to our residents," said City Manager Kevin Helms.