Love-Hate Mail
Big green dollarAs I was reading the article concerning the Scottsboro-Bells Bend community plan ("Road Kill," July 10), I was struck by a couple of apparent contradictions between the Planning Department's recommendation and Metro's recent environmental efforts. First, Mayor Karl Dean issued an executive order to establish a "Green Ribbon Committee on Environmental Sustainability" to identify goals to enable Nashville to become a leader in environmental quality and livability. If one of the goals should turn out to be protecting open spaces, then I'd say the May Town Center project is inconsistent with this goal. Second, the Metro Parks Board recently included in the update to the Parks and Greenways Master Plan a recommendation to support an "Open Space Preservation Initiative." This would also appear to be inconsistent with the Planning Department's recommendation to develop the "open space" in Bells Bend. (I am reminded of the great Joni Mitchell song "Big Yellow Taxi," in which she laments, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Tres prescient, Joni!) And finally, with all of the time and money spent to revitalize downtown Nashville, why would anyone in Metro government want to support the development of a competing perimeter city? It just seems counterintuitive.
Nancy Dormannancydorman@yahoo.com (Nashville)Going...going... Great article by Christine Kreyling about Bells Bend ("Road Kill," July 10). I can certainly sympathize with the good folks of Scottsboro. Across the river, we all feel the same way.
The bridge to May Town now wants to go through Cockrill Bend, a low-lying area of prisons and warehouses next to the so-called Nations neighborhood of West Nashville, where I live. Nobody around here wants the bridge to turn our neighborhood into a pit stop. Nobody but our new councilman Buddy Baker, who supports the project despite overwhelming opposition expressed by citizens at a recent neighborhood meeting. Looks to me like the fix was in.
We need to fight this crazy development and not give up one inch on either side of the river. Because once it's gone, it's gone.
Scott Gillihanpedsrnj2000@aol.com (Nashville)
