Dear ,

Best wishes for the holidays! As we get into this busy time of year, here are some quick updates. Please let your friends and neighbors know they can sign up for this newsletter at claycapp.com.

Naval Building, aka: Shelby Commons!

Before carrying any legislation to the Council about the proposed rehabilitation of the Naval Reserve Building, I will be hosting, along with Friends of Shelby and the Arts and Business Council, two community meetings. We want to hear about, first, the needs of neighbors to this project, and second, how the project can support the diverse community of artists and makers in our city.

The first meeting will be on Saturday 12/9, from 9am-12pm, at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. The second will be on Thursday 1/18/24, from 4:30-6:30pm, at the Kirkpatrick Community center.

These will be drop-in style meetings, so come by any time, check out the concepts, and share your ideas and feedback — excited to see you there!

Main St/Gallatin is being re-paved, in a year

A large Water infrastructure project will be happening beneath Main Street/Gallatin in late 2024 or early 2025 (I will keep everyone posted on closures, etc.) But because the road will have to be-repaved, NDOT is hosting community meetings about potential upgrades to the street.

Two initial sessions have been scheduled: 12/6, from 12-1:30pm, at the East Branch of the Library; and 12/14, from 5:30-7, at the East Park Community Center.

This came up quickly and so I wanted to let everyone know. There will be more meetings down the line. There are no proposed designs to share, but I will as soon as there are. As always, if you have ideas or feedback, either in general or about specific proposed designs, and aren’t able to make a meeting, please email me ([email protected]) and I will make sure NDOT receives it.

My resolution against defunding our schools

You all have heard that Republicans in the State Legislature are considering defunding our public schools by rejecting billions of dollars in federal education money (which would also have the side effect of sending the federal taxes you pay to support education in other states, instead of our own). I believe that Nashville must stand together against this alarming and reactionary idea, and so I have authored a resolution, which the Council will consider next week, asking our State Legislature to continue accepting the ordinary federal support for public education. There is nothing more important that we do as a city, or a society, than educate our children, and I will do everything I can to protect and promote public education in Nashville.

The East Bank Committee

The East Bank Committee held its first meeting before Thanksgiving. The main takeaway is that the Mayor’s Office is continuing the process, begun under the previous Mayor, of negotiating a lease that will govern development of the first 30 acres of the site. I don’t have any insight into the discussions, except that they’re moving quickly: the Administration hopes to submit that lease to the Council before we take up consideration of the Budget in the late Spring. So please stay tuned for community meetings on the East Bank in the new year! I will continue advocating for an East Bank that is a neighborhood instead of a tourist zone, one filled with housing, and accessible to transit. The next regular meeting of the East Bank Committee is on 12/12 at 4:30 in the Council Chamber.

I know this is a lot of meetings. But there is a lot going on, and much of it quickly. In a sense, I go to all of this so you don’t have to! But it’s great when you can attend, and if you have a question, just ask me. As always, please reach out to me directly at [email protected] or 615-864-0008. You can also use Hub Nashville for an array of city services and other Metro requests.

Hope to see you soon. Yours in service, Clay