La Vergne residents and businesses rolled out the red carpet for the walkers who included retired Navy Seals, the mayor, police department officers and workers who served in the military, and friends of people currently serving. The city came to a standstill for a few moments on Thursday – stopped to acknowledge the valor and sacrifice made by so many who fought for the freedoms that we all enjoy.

To see  our firefighters stand at attention under the flag while police escorted this noble group was nothing short of magnificent.  It is at these times that pride in my community makes my heart swell.  On the city facebook page, this comment was made, “We are receiving calls today at City Hall from other municipalities asking for advice on how they can also honor this dedicated group of veterans.”  That other towns are calling La Vergne about how to honor our veterans is stunning.

I felt great pride in my community this week.  Civic pride is not a new concept, but it is one worth remembering here in La Vergne.  As neighbors and fellow citizens we should take to heart that it takes a community to make this a great place to live.  It will take a community to restore our reputation.  And it takes each and every one of us to stand arm in arm as a community to defend our honor.

Let’s be honest.  People love taking pot-shots at La Vergne.  When our tax rate increased by 50 cents, our city leaders were pummeled by the media, by the internet, by our neighbors, and by our friends.  Now that Nashville may be going up by 53 cents and Smyrna and Rutherford County are considering an increase (don’t be misled by reports otherwise, they will go up within the next couple of years), we hear crickets.  The media has treated these other increases with kid-gloves.  In fact, favorable editorials have been written about the efforts of one municipality to downsize.  You know what?  It’s a lot easier to downsize when you have 400 employees than it is for a town with 150 employees.

I am not here to say it’s not fair (and it really is not fair, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt). Instead I am here to remind you that despite the bitterness that apparently runs deep in some people, La Vergne is well on the road to recovery.  The crime rate is down, infrastructure is finally being repaired, there are fantastic events that build our community.  This really is a pretty darn good place to live.

However when our own neighbors go out of their way to encourage people to not move here in public forums and then bitterly complain that they can’t sell their homes in their next breath, you have to kinda scratch your head.  Cause and effect, my friends, cause and effect.  Light bulb: Your own words are preventing people from wanting to move here.  You are hurting the home values of your neighbors, of your community.

It is time to defend our honor, La Vergne, to defend it against hatred and belittlement.  Now mind you, there is nothing wrong with honest and vigorous debate.  Discussion about issues and concerns is fantastic.  It is our civic duty to be informed about what is going on in the community.  But don’t cut off your nose to spite your face because if you do that,  you deserve what you get.

Open thread!! What’s on your mind dear neighbors?

Typically Moms take on the role of head shopper and chef, so here are some thoughts on our local grocery stores.

We have at least three really great grocery stores to choose from in La Vergne.  Of course the old Smith’s Family Market (now Sav-A-Lot) is famous for their meat selection. The family operation also makes it a desirable place to shop — you know shop local, keep it in the family.

Kroger is the biggest chain store we have. Good prices, decent selection. I love going there to save my three to ten cents in gas.

But the biggest reason to talk about grocery stores today is FOOD LION.  A couple of years ago it was looking a little worn out. Dusty, dirty, tattered, grimy, the back side of 40 if you will.  Have you been there lately?  I was a couple of doors down a few days ago and needed to grab something fast so walked in.  I nearly stopped in my tracks at the beautiful renovation, clean-up.  It looks amazing!  Kudos to the Food Lion team that invested the time and money to make the store a desirable place to go for groceries.

If you haven’t been there in a while, I urge you to go back.  They need our business just as much as our other local stores.

Photo is something found on Pinterest and how perfect is this for the wee ones??

Many thanks to Alderman Broeker who was the person who really spearheaded us getting this system.

One thing that helps with this is CodeRED, an emergency notification system that the City is now utilizing. This can help in not just severe weather events but in many other situations. Here is the city press release about it:

The City of La Vergne is offering CodeRED to residents – a high-
speed notification system alerting people about severe weather and other emergency events. The
messaging system provides notices when severe weather or other emergencies occur at no-charge
through telephone, email, or text messaging.

Operated by Emergency Communications Network, CodeRED Weather Warning is an opt-in
warning product that taps into the National Weather Service’s Storm Based Warnings. CodeRED
Weather Warning automatically alerts affected citizens in the path of severe weather moments after
a warning has been issued. City officials will also have the ability to notify the La Vergne community
when other emergencies arise.

“We are centrally located where the railroad, interstate, and flight paths intersect,” said Alderman
Tom Broeker. “It was important that we have the ability to notify our citizens not just in a weather
event, but if there are other major incidents that require a response from the public – whether it’s a
lost child, a hazmat event, or major road closure. CodeRED gives us the ability to do this without
breaking the bank.”

La Vergne residents must confirm they want to receive severe weather notices and will be able
to pick which ones they want to get (tornado, severe thunderstorm, etc.). However, all impacted
residences with numbers in the system will be notified should other emergencies arise, such as a
hazmat incident, evacuations, etc.

For citywide emergencies like this, the network is adding La Vergne phone numbers obtained from
the white pages, yellow pages, the Rutherford County GIS mapping system, and the Rutherford
County Enhanced 911 System. When a call comes in from CodeRED, the caller ID will read
Emergency Communications Network or 866-419-5000 or 800-566-9780 will appear.

If you are not sure whether you are included in the database, simply visit the city website
at www.lavergnetn.gov and follow the “CODERED Community Notification Enrollment” link.
Additionally, businesses and residents can add unlisted and cell phone numbers to receive calls or
text messages, and provide information for email notification.

“We recommend that all businesses register,” said Emergency Services Coordinator Rick
McCormick. “You should also call if you have an unlisted phone number, you have changed your
phone number or address within the past year, or if you use a cell phone or VoIP phone as your
primary number.”

Those without Internet access may call La Vergne’s non-emergency police number at 793-7744 for
assistance in signing up.

Here is a direct link to sign up:

https://cne.coderedweb.com/Default.aspx?groupid=YmPpwdZTgaLW0aeDalURYw%3D%3D

The air show will also have a huge impact on our own traffic in LaVergne. When the show ends, at least half the traffic will exit out the back gate of the Smyrna Airport, which is located on Jones Mill Road off of Fergus Road.  This means that police will be directing traffic along these neighborhood streets, so expect traffic to be extremely heavy late afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.  Also, when traffic reaches Murfreesboro Road from Fergus, you will only be able to turn right.  There will be NO left hand turns onto M’boro Rd. so anticipate a lot of U-turns on up the road a bit.

Tickets to get in at the gate are $25 for adults – or $20 if you buy in advance online. If you want more information, go here.

But here’s the big question.  If you’re like me, you’re too cheap to spend $80 for a family of four and since LaVergne is right now door, where is the best place in LaVergne to see the show free?  We see a few jets flying over our house and yard, but never quite see the formations. Is there a good place to see them?  Anyone’s back yard?  A parking lot?  Veterans Park?  Any advice would be appreciated!

Photo from 2008 show taken in friend’s back yard.

Drug Take-Back
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., City Hall
Working with the LPD and CADCOR, the DEA will be set up to accept old or unused prescription medications.

FOP Bucket Fundraiser
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Intersection of Stones River Rd. & Murfreesboro Rd.
Money donated will be used to fund Club Knockout, the boxing organization that helps the youth of LaVergne.

Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
A day of bouncies, hotdogs, and other activities in the Rite-Aid parking lot to raise money for the children’s hospital.

PAL Yard Sale
Get a yard sale booth for $25. Yard sale will be held at Merchandise Liquidators on Murfreesboro Rd. Sponsored by PAL, there will be a lot of vendors present.

Too much to do for one day, but all are for a great cause.

This person said:
Hello, I am a branding and marketing professional. I enjoy history of companies, logos and their creation and proliferation. If you take a moment to think of the Nike “Swoosh” and the McDonald’s “M” you realize that you have several logos etched in your memory. This type of branding creates loyal customers and a favorable impression of a company.

If a company does not use a consistent brand their products are often confused and looked upon as unpredictable. Companies without an established brand or logo often do not create loyal fans and purchasers and often do not flourish. The exception to this rule is government instillations like a high school.

In 1987 (according to the old La Vergne City Website) the city of La Vergne decided to officially make La Vergne 2 words and not one. Thank you for using the proper spelling in your site.

In 1988 La Vergne High was built and the plaques inside the school clearly have the name spelt in two words.

Nationally (see any interstate sign) we are two words. Any Internet search is complicated by this fact.

Given this fact: Why is LHS not called LVHS?

We are not “Lavergne and Shirley” we are LV! Please help me fix this mistake.

I have uncovered several mistakes that have created the branding nightmare that is LVHS:

- When the school was built there was not a principle assigned to the school and the current principle of the soon to be split Smryna High (B. Rakes) ordered lockers signage and other things for the school at a half-paced effort. Oddly the signage at Smryna High (where he was to be placed after the build) is all consistent and correct.

- LVHS was originally to be green, as La Vergne is translated into either “The Green” or “The Tree” both green (La verge City Website), not blue. A bad decision led to the color scheme of the school. The official colors are Blue and Silver. Black is not a color of La Vergne High. I have some details on why the colors are not used.

- LVHS was not intended to be the Wolverines. Wolverines have nothing to do with our community and they are not indigenous to this area. A large rat like animal the Wolverine mascot was chosen with another bad half-effort decision. I have heard rumors of why this animal also know as a skunk bear or a quickhatch was chosen.

- LVHS should reclaim it rightful name and color. I also would like to see a complete rebranding of the school to create a loyal following and more school pride.

Would you like to help?

This is their problem: I want to complain about this site

Uh. Okay. While I appreciate their passion, I cannot pretend that I even know what to say about this. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

And here’s a horse of a different color entirely from one “tom* taxpayer”:

This person said:
Seems like the new city leaders are doing the same thing as the old leaders. New cycles for police (rather expensive i might add), same old thing. It’s not our money, we’ll just raise property taxes and buy whatever we want. The vice mayor moved out of his old house and never bothers to tend to his yard, nothing will happen to him and houses around his suffer. Laws are not for city officials, they are for the governed. Wow, what if there were a town hall meeting where taxpayers could review the budget and allocated funds and maybe ask a few questions. Can’t fight city hall seems to ring true here. Bet a wooden nickel if this gets to the mayor she’ll just laugh.

This is their problem: I want to complain about the city of La Vergne

Well, well. I do have some answers for this one. First, and someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but the police motorcycles were in the budget year prior to the current one which includes the tax increase, and the former police chief was the one who ordered them. There is nothing “new administration” about those.

Secondly, “we’ll just raise property taxes” cracks me up since this was not a decision the board made lightly, because raising taxes is like political death in Tennessee, if it didn’t HAVE to be done, do you think anyone in their right mind would have done that? As far as the Vice Mayor, I will have to let him speak for himself, however, I do know for a fact that again, what happened with him was not some lighthearted, “oh, I don’t feel like mowing my lawn anymore, I think I’ll just move out of my house” kind of thing.

Laws are not for city officials? That’s super hilarious because the current city officials we have are some of the most honest, upstanding people I know who abide by the letter of the law in all cases.

Town hall meeting? Where were you in July, when they had one? Did you also know that all the budget meetings are open to the public? There is the chance to ask questions either at citizens’ comments before the BOMA meeting or, you could pick up the phone and call or text or email any one of the board members to ask questions. My recommendation is that you call on Alderman Broeker, he has never failed to answer a single one of my city-related questions. And he always returns emails. I remember the previous board, emailing them and NEVER receiving an email back. Funny.

And yes, I did forward it to the Mayor and she and I did have a very good laugh over this, because nothing in this email is true. Thanks for playing, though.

Send me some strange email via the complaint form and you could be featured here next! Woot!

*Pick another fake name next time, you can do better than that.

Second, let’s talk about what went down at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting last night with the parking in the yards issue. As I have written before, ordinance 15-604 is, at best, confusing. There was a comment on that post that, I think, clearly explains the same stance City Attorney Evan Cope has taken. I could have done without the dig about reading comprehension, but whatever. I can see both sides of the issue. However, at that meeting Alderman Broeker introduced an amendment that would have killed the suggested, controversial “no parking in yards” section AND would have introduced language in 15-604 that was clear.

Basically, it would have stated “No parking in the streets, except where it is allowed with a permit as mentioned in 15-608.” It had far more legal language but I am paraphrasing. So Alderman Broeker introduced the amendment, and then explained it in very clear language.

I was pretty shocked when I saw Alderman Waldron begin stonewalling this. He basically said this amendment was too much and that it should be sent back to the Planning Commission (?) to get the ordinance right. I do not understand this line of thinking at all. This was to introduce language that would clean up 15-604 and stop 15-609 which was the proposed parking in yards ordinance. Voting yes on this would have given the city time to go back and get 15-609 right. So why vote no on this?

I was equally shocked to hear Alderman Green vote no on this. More shocked, perhaps since she and I had already had a brief conversation about the parking in yards and I was under the impression that she also believed that 15-604 needed to be cleaned up and 15-609 stopped for now, at the very least. Maybe she didn’t understand what she was voting no on? Maybe she thought she was voting no on 15-609 only? I don’t know. I was very frustrated to see the amendment fail.

They then voted to deny 15-609. So feel free to park in your yards.

I have to say something about this. I have heard over and over, stories of people who bought houses in areas of La Vergne that do not have much parking. They buy a starter house when their kids are young and due to the economy are there still, now that their kids are older, they have more cars than they have space to park them. Sound familiar? I know it does to me, I’m living that life. It’s difficult.

But I still support doing away with allowing residents to park in yards, *provided* the city comes up with a way to compromise with the citizens. Like, parking in the street. Or, I don’t know, not that the city can afford this, but it’d be cool if the city could provide little parking lots all over Lake Forest. I don’t know what a good compromise is because each idea has its downfalls.

I do know this. For years, the Board allowed to the developers to run roughshod over any kind of city planning that makes sense. Not just the postage stamp sized lots but everything, the way our water lines are laid, for example. We have an awful lot of line breaks and when Distribution goes to fix it, they find yet another example of the water lines being laid incorrectly. I shake my fist at all the inadequacies our city has faced due to that.

And now we have a board who has two people who were on the board during that time, one who was on the board during part of that time- and if you check her voting record (Mayor Mosley ) you would see her being the lone vote of dissention, and two members of the board who had absolutely nothing to do with this. And it makes me downright irate to see Alderman Broeker, one of the new board members, try to clean up one of the many ordinances that is not entirely clear, and it be voted down because…I don’t even understand the reasoning behind that.

I thank Alderman Broeker for trying to get that passed last night. His constant attention to matters that affect us all, is incredible. If only everyone saw things the same way.

I say good for you, LaVergne!  I pay my taxes on time, so why shouldn’t other people?  Our tax bill came in the mail in October and we had until the end of February to pay up.  That’s about five months to pay.  Then at the beginning of March (26 days ago) a reminder notice was sent to people who had not yet paid.  So in all people are given six months to pay.  If money is still owed a year and a half later, the city turns it over to the Chancery Court in accordance with state law.

Don’t get me wrong. I know paying taxes is never popular, but it’s what we as a society are tasked with in order to have schools, roads, police, fire protection, and other vital services.  So why should people who owe money have that sitting in their their bank accounts – collecting interest that the city should be earning on behalf of the rest of us taxpayers – while the rest of us paid on time?

The list that will supposedly be published next week will be an interesting one indeed!

Ivy says: Generally, I like taxes. They buy civilization.

While we run through meadows of yellow and purple flowers, our elected officials and department directors are struggling to define the most urgent projects that need to be addressed in the 2012-13 budgets. According to the city web page, two workshop meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks.  On Thursday, March 22nd and Wednesday, March 28th at 1:00 p.m. both days, the board is gathering to talk about budget items.

Personally I do not envy them the decisions they must make.  Yes weather sirens were all the talk last year.  Although I heartily agree that the city needs a warning system, now that the disrepair of the CAD system has come to light it is an enormous relief that money prioritized for the system is now available for a working 911 system.  Meanwhile, kudos to the board for agreeing to install CodeRED – a phone alert callback system that can notify households in a specific path of an oncoming storm or area in danger.  This is LaVergne will publish all information as it becomes available about how to sign up your cell number for calls, texts, and other available notifications.

There has been much discussion about health care costs being paid by the city for employees. It’s important to bring to light one aspect that everyone tends to forget.  It is not free for employees.  You read that right.  While the initial insurance premium is paid by the city, employees do pay plenty out of pocket.  First there is an annual deductible of $300 for employees, and $1,000 $600 for families. After that deductible is met, the employee pays 10% of expenses and the city pays 90% – and that’s IN-network. If an employee goes out of the network, those expenses go up significantly.  Also noteworthy is that the insurance amounts paid are topped out at a certain point, so once the set-amount is reached, the employee pays everything out-of-pocket. I will ask my sources what those amounts are next week, but one *police officer told me that he and his family paid well over $3,000 (maybe even $5,000) last year.  And remember, where the pay of city employees is low – below the living wage level for anyone with more than one person in the home – that the city does offer to pay the initial insurance premium for workers really helps to attract qualified employees.

Speaking of police officers, the Fraternal Order of Police now has a fundraiser going on for Club Knockout.

Club Knockout sponsored by our very own F.O.P. has started a Pizza fundraiser!! For anyone interested in purchasing a Little Ceasar’s Pizza Kit just stop by the gym (on Buchanan Street next to Old Waldron Rd.) or talk to your favorite Club Knockout boxer! We will be selling them through April 2. Delivery of the kits will be April 12 @6 at the gym. So stop by and purchase your pizza kit anytime between now and April 2 from 5-7pm Mon-Fri.

If you’re interested in supporting this great cause that helps give teens something to do besides going all gangsta, comment on the FB page link and someone will get in touch with you.

My sources tell me that the FOP may be having a bucket fundraiser in late April where they’ll be accepting donations at the intersection of Murfreesboro Rd. and Stones River Rd. one afternoon. Watch for more information here!

Meanwhile if you like bowling and you like helping people in need, there is a great event planned next weekend where you can do both! Candice Stacy is raising money for “Team in Training” to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  “Bowling for a Cure” will be held at the Smyrna Bowling Center at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25th. The cost is $12 for two games and shoes.  You can rsvp to candi @ inbox . com or call 507-4916.  Also you can donate online here.

Has anyone noticed that the Daily News Journal no longer covers LaVergne at all?  Well, unless it’s unavoidable like the lunatic man that stabbed his wife’s girlfriend.  Personally, I don’t miss their slanted editorials.

What’s on YOUR mind this weekend?

*Said officer did not know he was talking to the mysterious enigma that is Lola D.

So I thought, 15-604, huh? I went and looked it up. Here’s exactly what City Ordinance 15-604 says:

15-604. Where prohibited. No person shall park a vehicle in violation of any sign placed or erected by the state or city, nor:

(1) On a sidewalk;

(2) In front of a public or private drivesway;

(3) Within an intersection or within fifteen (15) feet thereof;

(4) Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant;

(5) Within a pedestrian crosswalk;

(6) Within fifty (50) feet of a railroad crossing;

(7) Within twenty (20) feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station, and on the side of the street opposite the entrance to any fire station within seventy-five (75) feet of the entrance;

(8) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when other traffic would be obstructed;

(9) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;

(10) Upon any bridge;

(11) Alongside any curb painted yellow or red by the city.

Hmmmmmm…. does that look like, to you, that that bans parking on the streets? Sure, it says “in violation of any sign” but the sign says that ordinance 15-604 bans parking on the street and IT DOES NOT. In fact, if you look at the entirety of Section 15 in the La Vergne Municipal Codes, you see that 15-601 tells you how you can legally park. Check it:

15-601. Generally. No person shall leave any motor vehicle unattended on any street without first setting the brakes thereon, stopping the motor, removing the ignition key, and turning the front wheels of such vehicle toward the nearest curb or gutter of the street. Except as hereinafter provided, every vehicle parked upon a street within the City of La Vergne shall be so parked that its right wheels are approximately parallel to and within eighteen (18) inches of the right edge or curb of the street. Notwithstanding anything else in this code to the contrary, no person shall park or leave a vehicle parked on any public street or alley within the fire limits between the hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M.* or on any other public street or alley for more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours without the prior approval of the chief of police.
Furthermore, no person shall wash, grease, or work on any vehicle, except to make repairs necessitated by an emergency, while such vehicle is parked on a public street. (1994 Code, § 15-601)

So, let me ask you this. If it is illegal to park on the street in La Vergne, why does the municipal code spend an entire section telling you how to park legally? I believe the only possible interpretation is that parking on the street in La Vergne is not illegal, unless you are violating any of the rules in this code.

I have spent several hours tonight looking through the codes in pubrec and at MTAS and looking through ordinances to see if there was something I had missed, but I just couldn’t find anything else. If anyone knows of anything and wants to prove me wrong, please do. But as far as I can tell, there isn’t anything.

Here’s the thing. The last time this ordinance was changed was in 2009, to add the section which (oddly) allows people who are having a party to get a permit to allow people to park in the street. (Scroll down to section 15-608) Okay, but WHERE does it outlaw parking in the street? This is what is so frustrating about our old administration, why would you do the job halfway? Not change the ordinance to specifically disallow people to park on the street, instead slap up signs saying parking in the street is not allowed? Who would look up the actual ordinance, they probably thought. Well, me, I finally looked it up.

I support the ordinance banning parking in the yards. You can say all day that the government shouldn’t intrude on people’s property rights and that people should be able to do whatever they want to with their yards. But if I put a 50-foot naked statue of me in my front yard and a giant billboard in my backyard with a picture of Keith Richards on it, would that not hurt your property value? What if I then added a fence and put 50 vicious dogs in there? See, I believe your right to do whatever you want on your property ends, when it affects other people. And these people who are parking a bunch of cars on their lawns every single day, are definitely hurting property values.

I applaud our current board and the Codes department for trying to clean up the city. I am glad to see they see a problem and are working to fix it. But the fact is that a long time ago, someone in the administration allowed the developers to put houses right smack up against each other with very little parking, and then slapped up signs saying parking isn’t allowed in the streets because it IS hard or impossible for emergency vehicles to get through when there are cars parked on both sides of the road. I know on my own street I can hardly get my small sedan through when people are parked on both sides of the street. Something has got to be done. Some kind of compromise has got to be met. Until then, I’ll be parking in the street, just because I can.

*Fire Limits, as I understand them, are districts where it is required that buildings are made from less flammable materials because of their close proximity. This apparently dates back to the Chicago Fire. I also thought it might be possible that when they refer to the fire limits, they are talking about the area of La Vergne where the Fire Department services. If that is true, it IS illegal to park on the street between 1 and 5 AM.