Heart of The Arts Initiative

Tuesday, November 15 was the last of four community meetings concerning the HEART OF THE ARTS NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE. The following is a summary of the plan:

1) Create Branding for the District, Incorporate Into Everything
Introduce and promote a new marketing theme.
Install banners, signage and provide directions to area attractions.
Start a newsletter and/or a website with regular updates.

2) Create an Entity to Enact Change, Like a Cultural Trust
Select a coordinator/committee to oversee efforts.
Set up a trust for art and neighborhood improvement fundraising.
Recruit new artisans, businesses, and housing for the area.
Organize meetings of neighborhood organizations and business groups.
Be involved in appropriate redevelopment in adjacent neighborhoods.
Scrutinize development proposals, organize/fight inappropriate ones.
Participate in rezoning that can help support neighborhood.

3) Improve the Streetscape
Provide adequate sidewalks.
Encourage new public spaces: Plazas, Performance Venues and Trails.
Install well designed lighting, street furniture, signage and street trees.
Locate buildings close to the street.
Minimize parking lots, share parking between users.
Hide service areas and dumpster pads.
Incorporate public art at venues, plazas, green spaces and trails.
Slow vehicular traffic in areas of pedestrian activity.

4) Improve Connections Between Nodes of Activity
Improve streetscapes throughout the neighborhood.
Extend of Young Avenue into the Fairgrounds site.
Incorporate bicycle routes throughout the area.
Extend Florence Street from Overton Square to Overton Park.
Design for Madison Avenue Light Rail.
Extend Court Street from Home Depot to McLean Street.

5) Add Housing/Employment for Artists, Medical and Downtown Workers
Continue to promote diversity of people, places and opportunities.
Bring more arts organizations to the Heart of the Arts District.
Encourage shops to stay open late.
Create flexible outdoor areas for performances and public park spaces.
Create artist live/work, lofts, and performance/artist quarters.

6) Concentrate Commercial Redevelopment at Key Places
Focus on Overton Square as the center of the district.
Redevelop the West Precinct and Turner Dairy sites properly.
Concentrate redevelopment at intersections of major streets.
Encourage residential along portions of Union and Madison Avenues.

Hayride in Overton Park

by Stacey Greenberg

The Park Friends hosted the second annual hayride in Overton Park on November 11th. The weather was perfect--cool, but not cold--and families from all over Midtown were in attendance. In addition to the horse-drawn hayride, the Park Friends had a small bonfire with all the makings for s'mores, and a (ghost) storyteller.



My boys had a blast roasting marshmallows and eating fistfuls of chocolate while running around with the myriad of Midtowners. The hayride alone was worth the trip--entering the trails at night is often a scary thought, but not this night. We nestled among the throng of giddy children and took pleasure in seeing the stars through the Old Forest canopy.

The most exciting aspect of the evening for the boys was getting to play on the playground in the dark. The Park Friends passed out glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces, so as we sat on the benches talking to friends, we were treated to a low-tech laser light show as they whizzed up the ladders and down the slides.

If you ask me, this is one of the best events to ever come to Overton Park.

Community Calendar

Park Friends Holiday Party
When: 11-17-2006, 6-9 PM
Where: Overton Park Golf House

Caroling & Get-Together
When: 12-10-2006, 4 PM
Where: Caroling at Overton Nursing Home on Tucker, Get-Together after at Gail Karr’s house
Contact: Gail Karr

TJNA Quarterly Meeting
When: 1-30-2007, 6:30 PM
Where: The Bar-B-Q Shop
Contact: Sara Goff / Gail Karr

Neighborhood Clean Up
TBA February at the Dairy

Minutes: November 1, 2005

Co-President Sara Goff called the meeting to order. The group took a moment to remember Mr. Larry Pratt, a resident of the neighborhood and an active member of the TJNA, who recently passed away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Secretary Kathy McAllen added a correction to the minutes of the last meeting and they were approved as corrected.

Yard of the Month
Pam Parker offered to chair the Yard of the Month Committee along with the help of her new neighbor, David Williams, 1866 Court. They will maintain the sign and choose the new Yard of the Month.

Bus Stop Project
It was reported that the city is still working on the paperwork related to the remodeling project.

Friends of Overton Park
There will be a Hay Ride in the park on November 11. The final details weren’t discussed at this time.

Treasurer’s Report
Bill Crowder reported that we have $921.82 in the account, plus the dues collected at this meeting. If anyone needs to know if they are up to date on their dues, they should see Bill.

Special Report
Jackie Nichols of Playhouse on the Square gave a very interesting report about the Heart of the Arts Neighborhood Initiative. If all goes according to plan there will be many improvements made to the Midtown area from Cooper-Young to Rhodes College, and Tucker-Jefferson will be right in the middle of it. It will be very exciting for the neighborhood. It was pointed out that this project is in its very early stages. He also reported that demolition of the old Cancun restaurant has started and the old house behind the restaurant has already been removed.

Election of Officers
Gail Karr, who has moved into Ray Skinners house, and Sara Goff were elected to be Co-Presidents, and Henry Heidelberger was elected Vice President. The Secretary and Treasurer’s positions were filled at the previous meeting.

Block Captains
There were 4 new volunteers to be block captains, Bill Crowder will deliver flyers on Tucker, Karen Hill offered to deliver on McLean, and Theresa Zelasko and Melinda Chou will deliver on Poplar. We greatly appreciate their willingness to help with this effort.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 24, 2006.

Neighborhood Officers Contact Info

Co-President: Sara Goff
Email: sam2sar@aol.com
Address: 2111 Jefferson
Home: 728-5533
Fax: 624-8528

Co-President: Gail Karr
Email: gkarrcatwoman@aol.com
Address: 1871 Jefferson
Home: 728-4144

Vice President: Henry Heidelberger
Email: henry@homeswithheart.com
Address: 1912 Court
Home: 274-2852

Treasurer: Bill Crowder
Email: midtown_bill@yahoo.com
Address: 1961 Court
Home: 725-0193

Secretary: Position Open

Webmaster: Ken Wilson
Email: kewilson@fedex.com
Address: 2010 East End Drive
Home: 278-1295
Office: 263-4025

Code Enforcement: Jim Moffatt
Email: wd4smw@bellsouth.net
Address: 2001 East End Drive
Home: 274-9466
Office: 529-2298