Nashville Bits and Pieces

[markhollin]

IndyCar executives, including series owner Roger Penske, traveled to Nashville on Aug. 27 to meet with Music City Grand Prix organizers, drawing closer to cementing a deal for a downtown street race.

Some of the business executives supporting the effort include country music artist Kix Brooks, owner of Arrington Vineyards; Scott Borchetta, founder of Nashville's Big Machine Label Group; and Kevin Clayton, CEO of East Tennessee-based Clayton Homes (which owns Gallatin-based Goodall Homes).

IndyCar driver Ryan Phinny disclosed that lineup in an interview with the Nashville Business Journal. Phinny, who lives in Nashville, said he is working to attract event sponsorship for the potential Music City Grand Prix and hopes to race in the event — targeted for Aug. 6-8 next year, Phinny said.

Phinny said a street race can have an economic impact in the range of $100 million to $120 million. IndyCar currently has street races in Toronto; Long Beach, California; and St. Petersburg, Florida.

More behind the NBJ paywall here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/08/28/indycar-music-city-grand-prix-penske-racing.html?iana=hpmvp_nsh_news_headline

[nashvylle]

Wow this is great 

[Sean blackdog]

Or what about this? 

[Bos2Nash]

Everything I've been seeing would have the race around Nissan Stadium. Here is a thought I had for the track. Utilize the river for views from riverfront park, pass under the pedestrian bridge with a chicane to provide a very cool vantage point. The goal here is use as little of the public roadway as possible while producing a cool track. Not really sure where the start/finish line would be, I kinda think an option for the start/finish line could be along the river they could modify the sidewalk along the west side of the stadium to be pit lane. Couple other options for the pit lane are shown in varying colors. The green pit lane makes the least sense as that will take away ALL access to Quality Inn. Access to the soon to be complete La Quinta will also need to be considered.

One of the reasons I would say we want this to minimize the use of public roads would be the timeframe the track takes over. While watching Boston go through the process of trying to get one of these events, the proposed track would take away roadways for amount a month, and they would need a fair amount of improvements. While i agree the KVB option would be nice, that is too major of a thoroughfare to give up for that extended period of time. Same would go for giving up James Robertson Parkway. Those images have what appears to be some branding from NTT Indycar so I could be talking completely out of my arse as well.

[PaulChinetti]

I didn’t realize it was a months worth of road takeover interesting. 

[satalac]

The amount of prep is pretty big. Put up barriers, weld the manhole covers shut (the cars will suck them into the air and send them flying), prep the road surface.

[titanhog]

19 minutes ago, satalac said:

The amount of prep is pretty big. Put up barriers, weld the manhole covers shut (the cars will suck them into the air and send them flying), prep the road surface.

But if they'd leave the manhole covers unwelded...it sure would make for a more interesting race. 

[MidTenn1]

10 hours ago, satalac said:

The amount of prep is pretty big. Put up barriers, weld the manhole covers shut (the cars will suck them into the air and send them flying), prep the road surface.

And I would imagine repaving the road to provide a higher coefficient of friction with some super elevation added on the curves would be prudent improvements. And eliminate the thermoplastic stop bars and other pavement markings (very slick) and replace with high maintenance painted markings. It could become prohibitively intrusive on day to day traffic operations.

[Bos2Nash]

And it is not like IndyCar pays for these enhancements. The local promotion group is responsible for it and if it is on a public ROW you can bet your sweet bottom they will be looking for the city to cover the costs. 

[nashvylle]

4 hours ago, Bos2Nash said:

And it is not like IndyCar pays for these enhancements. The local promotion group is responsible for it and if it is on a public ROW you can bet your sweet bottom they will be looking for the city to cover the costs. 

well then this aint happening. 

[MLBrumby]

Jim Harbison resigns from MDHA leadership, effective at the end of this year. https://www.nashvillepost.com/politics/metro-government/article/21143266/mdha-director-resigning-in-december

[WebberThomas4]

1 hour ago, MLBrumby said:

Jim Harbison resigns from MDHA leadership, effective at the end of this year. https://www.nashvillepost.com/politics/metro-government/article/21143266/mdha-director-resigning-in-december

Only a matter of time after Cooper was elected. It will be interesting to see what happens with all the Envision projects. I think Cayce is okay since it is already underway. Sudekem-Napier and Edgehill might not make it out of the planning phase - we’ll see. 

[PaulChinetti]

55 minutes ago, WebberThomas4 said:

Only a matter of time after Cooper was elected. It will be interesting to see what happens with all the Envision projects. I think Cayce is okay since it is already underway. Sudekem-Napier and Edgehill might not make it out of the planning phase - we’ll see. 

Did they not get along? 

[PaulChinetti]

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/14/nashville-mayor-property-tax-referendum-gut-city-services/5785180002/
 

This sounds like a really short sighted referendum on many levels, in my opinion. 

“Election Administrator Jeff Roberts told The Tennessean on Monday the petition needed 12,124 signatures. More than 12,500 were verified.”

Also am I reading this right it only takes 12,124 signatures to get a referendum vote!?

[nashvylle]

40 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/14/nashville-mayor-property-tax-referendum-gut-city-services/5785180002/
 

This sounds like a really short sighted referendum on many levels, in my opinion. 

“Election Administrator Jeff Roberts told The Tennessean on Monday the petition needed 12,124 signatures. More than 12,500 were verified.”

Also am I reading this right it only takes 12,124 signatures to get a referendum vote!?

praying it does not pass

[BnaBreaker]

I understand the urge to keep taxes low, but you've got to allow for flexibility depending on the situation for gods sake.  What is even the point of preventing your future self from raising taxes beyond a certain point?  You're just shooting yourself in the foot.  Do people not understand that taxes serve a vital purpose?  

[nashvylle]

I'm reading there are a lot of questions on the legality of this amendment. 

https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/09/15/referendum-proposal-on-shaky-legal-footing-before-election-commission-vote/

 

[PaulChinetti]

Y'all went to get a referendum together? Pretty sure we could get together 12k signatures to abolish height limits in the inner core. 

[Nash_12South]

For a lot of voters, the question will be - do you want your taxes raised - Yes or No? Lots of folks are not paying attention, tired of COVID and political news. They won't know the details. The pro folks seem to have money and could launch commercials and mailers to get out the vote. Will the No folks be able to do anything? While I think it's a huge mistake, I also think it will pass. 

[nashvylle]

17 minutes ago, Nash_12South said:

For a lot of voters, the question will be - do you want your taxes raised - Yes or No? Lots of folks are not paying attention, tired of COVID and political news. They won't know the details. The pro folks seem to have money and could launch commercials and mailers to get out the vote. Will the No folks be able to do anything? While I think it's a huge mistake, I also think it will pass. 

The amendment will be discussed in detail at tonight's council meeting, specifically the legality of it. 

[smeagolsfree]

Just remember if it passes and Metro does not balance the budget, all the council has to do is say we cant balance the budget and the State comes in and does it for them . This means the State will not cut schools, police, fire, public health or safety and they being the State can raise the tax rate to what ever amount they see fit to raise it to regardless of what the charter amendment says.

I will say that tax rate will stay for a while as the charter amendment will be challenged in court and some legal experts already say it will not fly.

Many times charter amendments not to mention state constitutional  amendments even if they pass the vote of the people will many times be struck down in the courts. Just like Prop. 187 in Ca. or Prop 8 there as well. I know they are differing kinds of votes but I am no lawyer and there are a lot of laws on the books that could be challenged if this passes.

[e-dub]

Someone on Reddit shared this.

 

[nashvylle]

I feel like I'm setting off a huge political bomb, but....

https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-daily-wire-ben-shapiro-jeremy-boeing-1234577589/

[PaulChinetti]

56 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

I feel like I'm setting off a huge political bomb, but....

https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-daily-wire-ben-shapiro-jeremy-boeing-1234577589/

Woof, gross. I thought all the liberal cities where hell holes though!? Haha

[MLBrumby]

1 hour ago, e-dub said:

Someone on Reddit shared this.

 

Sev

I'm fascinated by old maps, especially of cities. I call it 'map forensics'. Several things I notice from this one which I guess was from around 1954-57.

MLB's Top 10 in this map forensics exercise.

1. The Lafayette "connector" from Murfreesboro to 8th Avenue South was finished. Wasn't that sometime in the late 1940s? 

2. Segregation was still institutional (officially ended 1954, but in Nashville several years later... 1957-1961)

3. James Robertson Parkway was completed (wasn't that around 1955?). Tennessee Supreme Court building was completed around 1952. Victory Memorial bridge finished in late 1950s. And Deaderick Street went straight to the Woodland St. Bridge.

4. Tennessee School for the Blind was at that location until when?

5. You can see the Blakemore to 21st Avenue and the 'gap' that existed to Wedgewood before that was built. I've learned from this board that it was around 1970 (I think). Of course, Magnolia wasn't there either. 

6.  Was Hopkinsville considered to be a more important city than Clarksville? Or was it notated there because it's in another state? Was that map-printing convention? 

7.  Where did 3rd Avenue North go? Dead end at the river?  Metrocenter wasn't built until the 1970s. 

8. Fairfax Avenue had a connector between West End and Murphy Road. 

9. Nothing is named "Music... " anything

10. Despite the plethora of unaligned streets, the core was so much tighter than after the expressways came through there. They truly did add a 'gulf' between sections that formerly were 'closer'. Older maps show much more clearly the 'logic' of why streets were laid out the way they were. No doubt, a key factor outside the CBD was topography, old farm routes (e.g. Woodycrest, which I think is Polk now), railroads and developers of neighborhoods not working in sync with each other. 

Edited September 16, 2020 by MLBrumby