FIVE FREE AND CHEAP THINGS
HOLIDAY LIGHTS AT CHEEKWOOD
NOVEMBER 28, 2024 | VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 47
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Colemere Manor leads 2024’s Nashville Nine list
Also included in Historic Nashville Inc.’s list of endangered properties are Belle Meade Theater, Merritt Mansion and small music venues D. PATRICK RODGERS
Mayor Freddie O’Connell
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTTHEW MASTERS
O’Connell commits $527 million in new spending plan
Roadway improvements, juvenile center and general maintenance top latest capital spending plan ELI MOTYCKA Mayor Freddie O’Connell filed the city’s latest capital spending plan on Nov. 20, pledging $527 million for citywide projects. Nashville’s new juvenile justice center is the plan’s single biggest line item at $88 million, followed by substantial commitments to roadways and building maintenance. The Metro Council will now review the plan, along with accompanying legislation that precedes a municipal bond issuance. Nearly a quarter of O’Connell’s plan continues funding major projects started under previous administrations. The East Bank — a vast section of the urban core eyed for total redevelopment by the city, private developers and the Tennessee Titans
— gets $33 million in infrastructure dollars to rejigger the street grid and lay down basic utilities. Another $6.5 million pays for project management related to East Bank development within Metro’s Planning Department. Part of the East Bank vision includes moving Nashville’s juvenile justice center from its current site next to Nissan Stadium to the former c site on Brick Church Pike. The $88 million for the juvenile justice center included in this plan brings the city’s total project allocation to $240 million over three phases in three previous CSPs. Other spending goes toward new solar projects, Hadley Park Library construction, turf
athletic fields, sidewalks and updates to Metro technology, including $18.5 million in enterprise software from Oracle. The mayor’s capital spending plan allocates money to specific projects outlined in the Capital Improvements Budget, an annual document that functions like a running wish list of city projects. Each capital spending plan comes at the discretion of the mayor. O’Connell’s last CSP came in at $514 million in January. Major bond rating agencies Kroll, Moody’s and Standard & Poor have all upgraded Metro bond ratings in the past two months, giving the city strong standing on the municipal bond market. >> PAGE 2
Local preservation organization Historic Nashville Inc. on Nov. 18 released the Nashville Nine, its 16th annual list of “buildings, neighborhoods, or historic landscapes in danger of being lost to demolition, redevelopment, or neglect.” Topping this year’s list is Colemere Manor, the building formerly home to restaurant Monell’s at the Manor and now owned by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. Built in 1893 by Confederate veteran and railroad magnate E.W. Cole, Colemere burned in 1929 and was later rebuilt by Cole’s daughter. The historic building on Murfreesboro Pike was the subject of a resolution passed by the Metro Council in May. Though airport representatives said earlier this year that there were no immediate plans for demolition of the property, Colemere was reportedly “in bad shape” and will at some point be “prepared” to accommodate flight activity. The council’s resolution asks the MNAA and the Metro Department of Codes to provide written notice of any action related to demolition of Colemere, and urges MNAA to relocate the building. Also included among the Nashville Nine: the Day-Morgan Cemetery, a family burial area that dates back to the 1870s and sustained heavy storm damage in 2021; the Art Deco-style Belle Meade Theatre, which was constructed in 1940 and remained operational for 51 years, and is >> PAGE 2
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