November 10, 2019

November Update from Commissioner Nelson Andrews – focus on Big Projects

First and foremost — happy veterans day to all.  Those who live in freedom will always be grateful to those who helped preserve it.

Thank you also to everyone for the positive feedback on these newsletters.  I really appreciate it, and also all of your help keeping up with everything here in Brentwood Tennessee.  Please reply or call with anything you would like to share about the content or what is going on around Brentwood.

News:

Leadership Brentwood Project Impacts City with New Mural

  • On November 8, 2019 Leadership Brentwood, a program of the Williamson County Chamber Foundation, unveiled their most recent community project – Brentwood’s first mural.

  • Leadership Brentwood provides an educational format that promotes the free exchange of ideas and fosters an attitude of increased participation and commitment within the community. Each Leadership class is divided into teams and engages in a culminating project that enhances our community.  The teams develop a concept, raises the funds to pay for the project, and work to complete the project by graduation in April and present the project to the class and the community.
  • You can find more information at https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1881/267.

Brentwood is getting a new Police Dog:

  • The Brentwood Police Department is welcoming Pax, our new K-9 officer.  Officer Trey Frasch was selected earlier this year as the K-9 handler and has been busy preparing for his new role. Officer Frasch and Pax begin training as a team on November 11th.  Officer Frasch said, “I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to being a part of the first dual purpose K-9 team in the history of Brentwood”.
  • Pax is a Belgium Malinois, born in Amsterdam, and is 18 months old.

WSM Tower Update

  • Jay Evans, our Assistant City Manager, contacted Jason Cooper at WSM to see how repairs are coming after last-year’s lightning strike to the iconic tower.
  • The comment we got is “… In a nutshell, the damage to the “tuning house” (small building at the foot of the tower) from the lightning strike a year ago was extensive.   Much of the equipment (radio, electrical, and lighting) was still 1930’s technology.  Jason put it this way: “When your dinosaur breaks its leg, you have to take it to the dinosaur doctor.”  There are only a couple of vendors in the entire country qualified to work on it, and they had to get in line behind some military contracts.  All of the replacement equipment is about to be shipped to the site, and installation should be complete in about a month.

Public Works Project Fees Update

  • Brentwood City Commission will consider updates to our Public Works Project Fee methodology and schedule at our regular meetings on November 11 and 25.
  • These fees assess new development for the cost of road capacity needed to serve new vehicle trips created by the development.
  • More information and a copy of the existing and proposed fee schedules can be found at https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/departments/planning-codes/public-works-project-fees.

Brentwood Updating its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan

  • We are currently updating our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan and self-evaluation.
Brentwood Water Quality
  • I’ve received a couple questions and comments from citizens lately about the quality of stream water and storm water in Brentwood.
  • As you expect, the health of our community and environment is important to all your commissioners, and we are making sure we are up-to-date on our water operations and long-term utilities capital improvement plan.

  • As part of this effort, the Commission has asked for a full brief that will include all City Commissioners as well as all members of the Planning Commission.  This session is scheduled for the morning of January 30 and will take place at Brentwood City Hall.
  • If you have any questions you would like me to be sure get answered in the briefing, please either email me at nelson.andrews@brentwoodtn.gov or call 615-917-1384.

Mayor Little asks City Staff to explore the possibility of an inclusive playground in the City of Brentwood

  • Inclusive playgrounds are a concept intended to allow all children and their families to play together, regardless of their abilities.
  • At the October 14th Brentwood City Commission Meeting, Mayor Rhea Little asked staff to look into parameters and places where the City of Brentwood could put an inclusive playground.
  • City Manager Kirk Bednar suggested the city staff look into this as part of the annual budget process and bring some information to the January Budget Meeting about the concept.
  • If you would like more information, you can find the video on the City of Brentwood website.  Go to http://brentwoodtn.swagit.com/play/10142019-1446/#0, and you will find Mayor Little’s comments at about the 19:30 mark of the section titled “Report from City Manager, Report from the City Attorney, Reports and comments By Commissioners and Mayor”.

Citizens for Brentwood Greenspace presents $80,000.00 to the City of Brentwood

  • Gil Hutchison, president of Citizens for Brentwood Green Space, along with other volunteers, presented our city with an $80,000 check during the October 28 Brentwood City Commission meeting.

Brentwood’s 50th Anniversary Committee pledges a significant gift towards an Inclusive Playground in Brentwood
  • At the final meeting Brentwood’s Fiftieth Anniversary Committee, it unanimously passed a motion that reads: “The Brentwood 50th Anniversary Steering Committee recommends to the Brentwood City Commission that the remaining funds raised for the purpose of the 50th birthday celebrations be used for an inclusive playground to be built inside the Brentwood City limits.   If the City Commission should determine that an inclusive playground is not a viable option for the City, we request that the Brentwood 50th Anniversary Steering Committee reconvene to determine the use of the funds and present a revised plan to the Brentwood City Commission.”
  • It looks like the gift to the city raised by the 50th Anniversary Committee through sponsorships and operations will be in excess of $85,000.
City of Brentwood exploring the possibility of cycling lanes on Granny White

  • With Granny White Pike scheduled for resurfacing in spring of 2020, staff recently engaged Kimley-Horn engineering to explore the feasibility of implementing on-street bike lanes from Powell Park to Granny White Park.
  • The development of bike lanes along Granny White Pike was a recommendation from the Ad Hoc Bike and Pedestrian Committee and is consistent with the 2030 Plan which includes a policy that all neighborhoods within one mile of a school should have safe bike and pedestrian access to the school.
  • Currently, this corridor includes a sidewalk that is heavily used by pedestrians, but does not provide adequate multi-use facilities to serve both pedestrians and bicycles.
  • The commission passed Resolution 2019-93 – a resolution authorizing an agreement with Kimley-Horn for Granny White Pike bike lane traffic analysis, by consent.
  • Traffic counts and corridor observations will occur prior to Thanksgiving. It is expected that the traffic analysis report will be completed by the end of 2019 with a presentation to the Commission at a briefing in January 2020.
  • If you have information on this or other projects relating to mobility in Brentwood, please contact me at nelson.andrews@brentwoodtn.gov or give me a call at 615-917-1384.
Calendar:

November – an extensive slate of educational and fitness programs are available through the John P., Holt Brentwood Library.  Find the full details at http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20191031/86/6d/fa/0a/50716cf79a75a6628ec33d81/November_2019.pdf.

December 2nd – Annual Tree Lighting at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library

December 7th – morning with Santa at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library
  • Doors open at 9am on Saturday, December 7th
  • Magician Scott Humston will amaze and delight with his fascinating magic and hilarious showmanship with shows at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 11:30 am.
  • Enjoy refreshments, face painting, music, giveaways and of course, Santa Claus. Admission is free, but tickets are required and may be picked up at the Children’s Service Desk during regular library hours beginning Monday, November 18.
  • More information at http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20191031/86/6d/fa/0a/50716cf79a75a6628ec33d81/November_2019.pdf
This Month’s Focus: Long Term Vision – the City of Brentwood Capital Improvement Plans

Brentwood is an amazing place to live and work. In our competitive environment, it is essential that our City both undertake and/or facilitate projects that help maintain and improve our quality of life. The challenge is to proactively undertake these projects in a realistic and fiscally responsible manner.

Consideration and approval of this six-year CIP program by the City Commission represents one of the most important actions taken by the Board each year.

We’ve currently adopted a plan for the period 2020-2025, which you can find in full at https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/home/showdocument?id=5837.  The plan is extensive – 164 pages – but I’ll try to hit some highlights.

Major areas of focus are:

  • Transportation – the largest component in the six-year program. Proposed projects will address safety concerns associated with substandard narrow roads and provide additional capacity to help reduce existing and future traffic congestion.
    • The single largest project in the six-year plan involves completion of widening improvements to Franklin Road South to five lanes from Concord Road to south of Moore’s Lane.
    • Significant local funding ($6.75 million) is allocated over the next two years to complete the widening of Sunset Road from the recently improved Ragsdale Road intersection north to Concord Road.
    • The six-year plan maintains significant funding ($9.2 million) projected to be provided to the City of Franklin in FY 2021 to initiate construction on the McEwen Drive extension east of Wilson Pike through the Taramore subdivision.
    • Finally, the latter years of the six-year plan include funding ($11.9 million) for the planned widening of Ragsdale Road from the Glenellen subdivision west to Split Log Road.
    • The City will maintain a significant commitment to street resurfacing over the six-year period in the total amount of $15.3 million.
  • General Facilities and Equipment — over the next six years will be on construction of new departmental facilities.
    • Police headquarters ($27 million) represents the largest single building construction project in the history of the city.
    • Fire Station 5 ($4.35 million)  on Split Log Road. Design work on the station is planned to begin in FY 2021 with construction scheduled to begin in FY 2023.
    • A new Parks Department office within Crockett Park has been delayed until FY 2024 due to funding limitations.
    • An ongoing effort to accumulate funding annually for the periodic replacement and upgrade of essential vehicles and heavy equipment. This systematic approach will allow for almost $5.0 million in vehicles and equipment (costing more than $40,000 per unit) to be replaced over the next six years.
    • Funding is programmed in the Municipal Center enterprise fund for continued upkeep and improvement of the 30+ year-old city hall facility, including renovation of the Planning and Codes area in FY 2022 assuming the Police Department has relocated to its new facility by that time.
  • Utilities program continues the shift from rehabilitation of the original sewer system to long-term capacity planning for both the water and sewer systems.
    • From a water service standpoint, the City faces the continuing challenge of having to significantly overbuild its distribution system in order to satisfy summer irrigation system demands. This unbalanced seasonal demand has resulted in the City’s primary water supplier, Harpeth Valley Utility District, adjusting the City’s minimum bill obligations to a point where the new monthly minimum bill volume will be greater than the actual volume of water needed during most months of the year.
    • The six-year plan provides for a $9.4 million investment to expand the capability of the system to distribute water to our customers throughout the service area. However, the long-term need for some of these water capacity projects will continue to be evaluated given the recent trend of lower peak summer demand.
    • In addition to water capacity projects, the six-year plan also invests heavily ($5.0 million) in the replacement of aging water system infrastructure.  Now that the heaviest phase of sewer rehabilitation work is nearing completion, the focus is shifting to sewer system capacity improvements as identified in the sewer system master plan. You can find the full master plan at https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/home/showdocument?id=5020.
    • A total of $8.7 million is programmed over the six-year CIP period for sewer capacity projects, including a proposed wet weather storage tank in proximity to the Brentwood pump station.
  • Technology – our program emphasizes the replacement and upgrade of computer hardware and software and other state of the art equipment that allows our employees to continue to deliver services in a responsive, cost effective manner.
    • About $3.6 million is allocated for computer equipment and hardware upgrades and replacements over six years. Costs related to the relocation of 911 dispatch operations to the new Police Headquarters facility ($1.35 million) are programmed from the ECD fund in FY 2022.
    • Facility security upgrades and enhancements are planned in FY 2020. This includes $325,000 for upgrading the existing card reader security system at all city facilities and $300,000 for expansion of the license plate reader system at remaining city parks and/or along major vehicle corridors.
    • Funding of $415,000 is carried over to FY 2020 to complete final acceptance testing of the regional radio system that went live in early 2019. This system will be interconnected with the Metro Nashville 800 MHz radio system to provide even greater regional communications interoperability.
    • Funding of $700,000 is also provided in FY 2023 for the potential upgrade or replacement of the City’s general ledger and HR software systems, which will be 18 years old at that point.
  • Parks –
    • Over the past several years, the City has made a major commitment toward the acquisition and development of new parkland.
      • Phase 1 and 2 development of the 400-acre Marcella Vivrette Smith Park,
      • Developer-funded construction of the 24-acre Margaret Hayes Powell Park,
      • Construction of Wikle and Flagpole parks completed in fall of 2016.
    • The Parks and Recreation program over the next six years includes significant funding ($1.7 million) for proactive major maintenance projects within existing park facilities, including potential replacement of the community playground and Eddy Arnold Amphitheatre roof.
To plan to pay for these projects in a responsible way, the City of Brentwood has outlined a plan for issuing bonds as follows:
  • Fiscal year 2020 (issued by late calendar year 2019):  G.O. bonds ($13,000,000) for construction of a Police Department headquarters building on city owned land on Heritage Way (completed).
  • Fiscal year 2022 (issued by late calendar year 2021) — Water and Sewer bonds ($4,900,000) for construction of a sewer system equalization basin adjacent to the Brentwood/Metro pump station.
  • Fiscal year 2023 (issued by late calendar year 2022) — G.O. bonds ($4,900,000) for construction of improvements to widen Ragsdale Road from Glenellen subdivision to Split Log Road.
  • Fiscal year 2025 (issued by late calendar year 2024) — G.O. bonds ($2,500,000) for construction of Parks Department Operations facility.
As you can see, this is a gross oversimplification of a very expansive program.  You can find the full 2020-2025 Capital Improvement Plan at https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/home/showdocument?id=5837.  If you have questions or see something you feel needs to be addressed, please contact me.  It is a lot for any of us to digest, and it is important to me to be an excellent steward of Brentwood’s resources.  Our budgeting process begins again on January 30th, and I would greatly value your input.

Resources:

Thank you again for all your support!

Nelson

Nelson Andrews
Brentwood City Commissioner
“From Brentwood, For Brentwood”
615-917-1384
Nelson.Andrews@Brentwood-TN.org

You May Also Like

April 25, 2019

Endorsement by The Sargent Legacy Fund

Sargent Legacy Fund P.O. Box 11515 Franklin, TN 37065 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Sargent Legacy Fund announced its inaugural endorsements for candidates in the Brentwood City Commission race.  The Sargent Legacy Fund is a political action committee focusing on local, Williamson County and city elections.  The Fund intends to support candidates and causes that Charles would have supported.  A strong…

Read more

April 11, 2019

Citizens for Brentwood Green Space Candidate Questionnaire

2019 Candidate Questionnaire, Nelson Andrews, Citizens for Brentwood Green Space QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Where would you rank the preservation of green space in Brentwood compared to other priorities facing the City? There is a hierarchy to the needs of our City, and at the front are things like public safety (police and fire) as well as well as roads and other…

Read more

Add Your Comment

Paid for by Elect Nelson Andrews, Jim Wiseman Treasurer