Citizens Invited to Participate in Flood Recovery Design Workshops This Saturday

Discussion groups to explore planning for housing, jobs, sustainability and other topics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The next opportunity for Metro residents to provide input for the city’s strategy for long term flood recovery will be Saturday, October 23, when a series of six community planning and design workshops will be held throughout Davidson County.

Three sessions are planned Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Antioch, Bellevue and the Delray/Charlotte Avenue area.  Another three will take place in Bordeaux, East Nashville and the Pennington Bend area on Saturday afternoon from 2-5 p.m.  All workshops are free and open to anyone who lives or works in Metro Nashville, whether or not they were directly impacted by the May flood.

At each workshop location, citizens will be able to participate in small, round-table group discussions in one of the following areas: housing; education; social services; jobs and economic development; and sustainability.  The intent is for each group to assess the needs of flood impacted neighborhoods and develop workable solutions that will help to stabilize and strengthen these communities.  Outcomes from the workshops will be included in the Long Term Recovery Plan (LTRP) for Nashville and Davidson County.

The LTRP is a transparent, community-wide process designed to identify lessons learned from the May flood and prioritize projects and activities to help the city recover with stronger neighborhoods, a more disaster-resistant infrastructure, more secure housing, a more resilient economy and sustainable future.

The Recovery Plan will be implemented by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County in coordination with other government, nongovernment, civic, business and community partners.

WHO:              Mayor’s Flood Recovery Team

Long Term Recovery Plan Consultant Team

WHAT:            Six Community Planning and Design Workshops where citizens can participate in smaller group discussions to explore what’s needed to address the long-term revitalization of our city.

WHEN:            Saturday, October 23, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and 2-5 p.m.

WHERE:          MORNING SESSIONS, 9 a.m.-noon:

Area:  Antioch

Location:  Hickory Hollow Mall, 5252 Hickory Hollow Parkway

South Wing; Across from Electronic Express in the Mall

Area:  Bellevue

Location:  Cross Point Community Church, 7669 Hwy 70 South

(former Circuit City building, next door to Home Depot), Church Lobby

Area:  Delray/Charlotte Avenue/The Nations

Location:  St Luke’s Community House, 5601 New York Avenue, Rogers Center

AFTERNOON SESSIONS, 2-5 p.m.:

Area: Bordeaux/West Hamilton Area

Location: Temple Baptist Church, 3810 Kings Lane, Phillips Chapel

Area:  East Nashville

Location:  St Ann’s Episcopal Church, 419 Woodland Street, Martin Hall

Area:  Pennington Bend Community

Location:  Donelson Fellowship, 3210 McGavock Pike, Parquet Lobby

The Saturday workshops are part of a public input process that will continue through next month. Initial input about the city’s long term recovery was received at several Discovery Day Open House meetings held October 7-14.  In November, there will be a communitywide recovery public meeting to prioritize the projects that are emerging from the planning process.

The public can also post their ideas online through an interactive website provided by the Mayor’s Office of Flood Recovery.  The full website address is http://townhall.nashvillerecovery.com/ and can be accessed directly or through the Mayor’s Office of Flood Recovery at www.nashvillerecovery.com. The first 500 people to visit the site and post an idea will each generate a $5 donation to a flood recovery organization of their choice.  Comments will be accepted online through November 29, 2010.

Visit www.nashvillerecovery.com for more information about the LTRP and Nashville’s ongoing flood recovery efforts.

Mayor Karl Deal opened the ceremony with a few words about the current state of Techville, a name given to the region by the Nashville Technology Council’s map project earlier this year.  Mayor Karl Dean remarked, “Technology jobs are an important factor in the growth of Nashville.  The workers make higher than average wages and help fuel key industries including healthcare, publishing, music, and transactions.”  

“Nashville has a great collection of technology talent in its companies and technologists as evidenced by tonight’s winners,” said Andy Flatt, CIO, HealthSpring and Chairman of the Nashville Technology Council.  “The Nashville Technology Council is proud to bring this annual awards program to the region so we can recognize those companies that call Nashville home.”

CIO of the Year – Noel Williams, HCA – Sponsored by KPMG

Start-up Company of the Year – CredenceHealth – Sponsored by Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

IT Student of the Year – Hank Carter, Belmont University – Sponsored by HP

Volunteer of the Year – Chris Beck, EDS – Sponsored by HCA

The “Green” Award – Nissan North America – Sponsored by HealthSpring

Innovator of the Year – Sal Novin, Linnaeus – Sponsored by LBMC

Social Media / Blogger of the Year – Rex Hammock, Hammock Publishing – Sponsored by RJ Young

Lifetime Achievement – David Condra, Dalcon Communications – Sponsored by ComFrame Software Corporation

Software Programmer / Engineer of the Year – Chip Hayner, centre{source} – Sponsored by eMids

Technology Organization of the Year – HCA Healthcare – Sponsored by XO Communications