After more than 3,000 votes were cast, North Nashville and Bordeaux residents are learning the results of how their neighbors want to spend $2 million from the city.
Eleven approved projects were announced Tuesday, including speed cushions on Haynes Park Drive, beautification of Hadley-Lillard Park and improvements to Pearl-Cohn High School.
Over 400 ideas were submitted by residents to improve parts of North Nashville and Bordeaux. From there, residents in the community volunteered to refine the list to ensure projects met pre-determined criteria and were equitably spread, which dwindled it down to less than 30 ballot items for their neighbors to vote on.
This is called participatory budgeting and it’s Nashville’s second time using this process.
“I think we did a pretty good job this year, as you can see by looking at the projects that were selected,” Quinta Martin, a resident and the chair of the steering committee, said at a media event announcing the 11 projects. “We will follow up to make sure these projects get done or report back to you on anything that’s stalled. Or has to be modified. But we are working for you and of course the mayor’s office.”
The 11 projects are
- WeGo Bus Shelter 300 feet from 4007 Clarksville Hwy
- Bordeaux Library Land Acquisition
- Upgrades to Moormans Arm Road/Whites Creek Pike Drains
- Speed cushions on Haynes Park Drive, Kingsview Drive and East Fairview Drive
- Improvements to Pearl-Cohn High School – new HVAC unit and practice field water unit
- Playground Equipment for Preschoolers at Ivanetta H. Davis Early Learning Center
- Traffic Calming in Historic North Nashville
- Beautification of Hadley-Lillard Park
- Improve Hartman Park with an interactive chalk wall
- Bordeaux Gateway Beautification & Art
- Looby Community Center and Library Revitalization with a mural and outdoor
In recent years, organizers have demanded using a participatory budgeting for residents to have a larger role in setting the city’s overall spending.
This week’s announcement at the Looby Community Center and Library marks the second year the city’s used participatory budgeting in this part of town. Last year the community center received money to put an air conditioning unit in the gym. From this year’s funding, it will receive a mural and outdoor seating.
Resident Hurlene Clark was in attendance at the media conference to hear the new projects announced. A main road in her neighborhood received speed cushions last year.
“Since we had the cushion they’ve slowed down,” she says about drivers. “But before they realized they were there, they would hit that hump like, ‘uh oh.’ ”
She says her community has worked for a decade for traffic calming.
“Good things come to those that wait and wait patiently,” she says. Clark held a community event in her front yard to celebrate and Mayor John Cooper and some of his staff were in attendance.
Community members are hoping next week the Metro Council will approve $10 million in funding from federal COVID money. But in the future, the aim is to target other parts of Nashville.
“It is my hope that soon residents all across Davidson county will be able to participate and fund various projects for their neighborhoods,” Mayor John Cooper says.
Correction: This story originally gave the wrong amount for how much was funded through the most recent round of participatory budgeting. It was $2 million, not $20 million.
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