Scotts Blog: A Few Items

TOO MANY TIRES

Someone has been dumping a lot of tires in West Nashville lately. There is a collection in the alley between Georgia and Indiana by Morrow Road. But most aggressive offense is the 100 or so that was dumped behind the Church on 61st and Centennial. It's a disgrace and something needs to be done about it. But what?

You see it all goes back to the economy. A year ago you could take bad tires to Firestone and they would recycle them for free. Now it cost $2 a tire. So all the local tire shops have to dump them somewhere and where better than a quiet neighborhood.

Tires can be recycled, but right now it is not profitable. Can't we get some federal or state money from the stimulus to help with this problem?

MUSIC VIDEO FILMED IN WEST NASHVILLE

Word on the street is that music producer John Rich, formerly of the group Big and Rich, has filmed a video at one of West Nashville's drinking establishments.

Johnny's bar on Centennial Ave. was rented out for $600 on March 17 so Mr. Rich could produce a video for his upcoming single Down in Detroit (or something like that) that should be on CMT soon. Apparently, it is a song about the recent recession and the wanted the foulest little honky tonk bar they could find. Well I've been to Johnny's (mostly to play guitar on jam night) and they sure picked the right location. I hear they closed part of Centennial and Kris Kristofferson and other stars were there.

I don't know if you're a county music fan, but just a few years ago Big and Rich were singing to the excess of being Big and Rich. Now he sings about the the poor working man in difficult economics times, while he builds a 70 foot high house on Love Circle. Thanks John, but don't come back.

ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE

The 51st Ave clean-up is slated for April 11. That is the same date of the Richland Creek clean-up and we will work together to have the maximum amount of trash to pick up. I am off the Friday before so we should be able to get a lot of trash picked up.

The Nashville Urban Harvest is looking forward to their best year ever. Volunteers are needed at any time.

Scott's Blog - TVA Ash Sludge Spill

I guess y'all have heard about that ash sludge spill from the TVA plant up in East Tennessee. So what does that have to do to us here in West Nashville?

Well…if you are reading this on a computer or with the help of an electric light, it has a lot to do with you. See, the electricity to power that light comes from removing mountaintop to reach the coal that the TVA burns to generate electricity.

Think of it this way…if when you flip a switch or turn something on in your house, a little ash or a puff of blue smoke comes out of the plug, would you live there long? Even with the blessing of electricity? We need to think in a new way. Electricity can be generated on a smaller scale though solar or geothermal power and we would, in a way, be paying as we use it. And we wouldn't have to rely on NES or the TVA. I know that the issue is a lot more complicated, but I think West Nashville is the perfect place to start this new way of thinking.

What do you all think?

- Scott

Scott's Blog - Fire on Morrow Road

Last saturday afternoon there was a house fire just up the street on Morrow Road. The fire department was there quickly and contained the fire to mostly one end of the duplex. You've got to give those firemen credit. That's a tough and dangerous job that I wouldn't want to do. They saved the people inside with only one person sustaining minor injuries.
Now this property is right on the corner of 61st Ave and Morrow Road right across from West Park. It's a very old and tiny duplex that has had many differnt tenants since I've been living down the street. It has been up for sale for a year or more. I suppose it still is and now at a reduced price. I wonder what will happen to that little house. It is all boarded up and scorched on the inside and unfit for human habitation. But there are a lot of homeless poeple around here who have been known to squat in an abandoned building.
What I would like to see is that old duplex torn down and the land left alone. The lot is too small for the condos they are building around here now. Maybe even that land could be donated to the city as sort of an annex to West Park.
The strange thing about all of this is - although the guy who lived there moved out with the help of the Red Cross, he left behind his dog. It's one of those pit bull mixes so popular these days. He is still chained to a tree next to his makeshift dog house (at least it didn't burn) looking as sad and forlorn as the charred furniture lying in the gutter. Someone still brings him food and water and he looks healthy enough, but still it's a pitiful sight. I hate to see an animal suffer. Let's hope we can get that place torn down and the dog can find a happy home.
All from the West Side for now. More later.

- Scott