SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR DISTRICT WIDE CHRISTMAS GATHERING/PARTY

Friday December 9, 2011
6:30 pm until 8:30 pm

Planning for Tentative Location - Our District's Very Own Gran Dale Manor - currently the Manor is undergoing stormwater work and may or may not be ready by this date, however Attorney David Waynick shared that all efforts will be made to accommodate our great event should the work be completed by this time. As it gets closer to this date, we will give additional details and will share the alternate location should this be necessary. If you are interested in volunteering to help plan this great event for our district, please contact our District's Beautification Commissioner Karen VanCleave.

Thank You!
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METRO NASHVILLE'S HOLIDAY LIGHTS CONTEST BEGINS AND WE WANT DISTRICT 29 TO SHINE

Please contact our Beautification Commissioner Karen VanCleave for more information
2011 Ann Chapman Holiday Lights
A Metro Nashville Tradition for Celebrating the Season

Sponsored by Mayor Karl Dean, Metro Public Works, Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, Nashville Electric Service, NewsChannel 5

Click here for Entry Guidelines
All Entries must be returned by Wednesday November 23, 2011

Metro nears deal to add 181-acre country club land to parks system

Sharing this article since I am now a newly appointed member of the Parks Library and Recreation Committee of the Metro Council and the Greenway's Commission under the Metro Board of Parks and Recreation as a representative on behalf of the Metro Council.  I sought this appointment due to our area expressing a great need for quite some time for Quality of life improvements in the area of Parks and Recreation.  Efforts continue to be made to bring these great opportunities that other areas of the city currently enjoy.  This article highlights enhancements to East Nashville and the Hermitage area.

Three appointments most recently were made which include myself representing Southeast Nashville, Sheri Weiner representing West Nashville and Charlie Tygard representing At-Large.

I will continue to seek out ways to bring Quality of Life enhancements by supporting Parks and Recreation and seeking opportunities to improve our access to a network of conservation and recreational resources. Two areas of the city have now moved ahead to take advantage of the few funds that are available in the open space plan which is a new plan launched by Mayor Karl Dean.  As a former member of the Metro Parks and Recreation Board, I am pleased to see our city making advancements in preserving developable land to green space that can be enhanced aesthetically and can connect people to beautiful natural areas. 
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Metro nears deal to add 181-acre country club land to parks system
The City Paper

By Joey Garrison

Metro’s Stones River Greenway could expand by 181 acres, with the city working to finalize the acquisition of the privately owned Ravenwood Country Club in Hermitage.

Jim Fyke, of the Metro Finance Department, told The City Paper Metro officials are still
finishing details of a deal that would allow the club’s acreage to become part of Metro’s greenways system. He declined to say how much Metro would pay for the property but said it would come out of $5 million in funds set aside for open space acquisition.

If a deal between the club owner David Watkins and Metro is hammered out this week, the Metro Parks and Recreation Department staff is set to recommend the club’s purchase to the nine-member parks board at its Nov. 1 meeting, next Tuesday.

“They’re recommending — assuming we have a signed agreement — that we go forward with the purchase,” Fyke said. “We still haven’t settled on a final price yet.”

The acquisition –– requiring Metro Council approval –– would come seven months after Metro paid $1.2 million for the 132-acre Cornelia Fort Airpark to add to East Nashville’s Shelby Park.

In hopes of sparing land from development, Mayor Karl Dean recently launched an open space plan that carries the ambitious goal of preserving 22,000 acres of land over the next 25 years. Both purchases fall under the plan’s umbrella.

Fyke said Watkins –– who purchased the country club in 2008 –– must contractually keep the club operating through 2013. Thus, if Metro does purchase the property, it would not take ownership until that time.

“The [country club] membership is getting what they agreed to in 2008 even if we buy it,” Fyke said.

If the club is purchased, Fyke said Metro wouldn’t continue operating the club’s existing 18-hole golf course on the acreage. But he said the city would make use of the club’s swimming and tennis facilities.

“[Metro] Parks will have to adjust,” Fyke said of converting the golf course to park space, “but I think fairly quickly it could be made into quite a bit of public use.”

District 29 Cleanup a Tremendous Success

What a Day of Work and Pride for District 29!

A tremendous number of volunteers, neighbors and our great friends at Public Works, the Sheriff's Department, Goodwill, Shred It and State Representative Janis Sontany with the help of our city's drug court volunteers, our area Boy Scouts and youth helped to make this one of the largest and best events to be held this year. Our Boy Scouts who participated received badges from Metro Beautification Commissioner Karen VanCleave, Mayor Karl Dean and your Metro Council Member. :-)

We also collected food items for their canned food drive. Mr. Edwards a District 29 homeowner loved by all who happens to own our District's almost 40 year business Homestyle Bakery provided us with the best doughnuts in town and our Nashboro Starbucks provided us with coffee to start the day as well as our area Starbucks in Hickory Hollow. Also Krystal's provided breakfast sandwiches which was another wonderful highlight to our morning thanks to the manager Eddie and his crew. We also had drinks, chips and more from our area Target. Our district's Shell Gas Station owner Duke and Misty provided ice and so much more and they even helped pick up trash on the sides of our roads. What a Day! We want to also thank Sue Paugh, Mike Hassell, Steve Cardin, Phyllis & Leon for cranking up the food on the grill as well as Sue Luttrell, John & Marge Lewis, Roy & Jackie Tracey and many many neighbors who helped to organize and get our teams out to our intersections to take down signs and to clean our main roads. For all who did not get to bring their items on Saturday, we have heard much feedback thanking Public Works and our Sheriff's crews (Sheriff Daron Hall is awesome!) for picking up additional items with the Bulk Curbside Cleanup that will continue until the end of this month. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!

If you are interested in helping with the organization of next year's cleanup, please email or call our District's Beautification Commissioner Karen VanCleave or myself. District 29 Cleaned Up and Cleaned Out!

We Mean Business in Keeping our Community Clean.
Thank you!

Click on the link below to view more pictures from our event.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.211166672286263.50443.136610609741870&type=1

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS - OUR COMMUNITY SHINES BECAUSE OF YOU!

MAYOR KARL DEAN

Cigna to buy HealthSpring for $3.8 billion

Associated Press

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. -- HealthSpring’s stock has soared 33 percent so far this morning after news of its sale to Cigna.

Managed-care company Cigna Corp. said Monday it would buy fellow health insurer HealthSpring Inc. in a $3.8 billion deal that would boost Cigna's Medicare Advantage business.

The Bloomfield, Conn., company will pay $55 per share in cash for HealthSpring, which is based in Franklin. That represents a 37 percent premium over the stock's Friday closing price of $40.16.

HealthSpring shares soared $13.34 per share to $53.50 in premarket trading, while Cigna stock was up more than 3 percent, or $1.55, to $46.25.


Cigna said the boards of directors for both companies have approved the deal, and it is expected to close in the first half of 2012.


Medicare Advantage plans are privately run versions of the government's Medicare program. They are subsidized by the government and offer basic Medicare coverage topped with extras or premiums lower than standard Medicare rates.


HealthSpring has about 340,000 Medicare Advantage customers in 11 states, including Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas. It also has a Medicare prescription drug business with more than 800,000 customers.


Cigna said it has a commitment from Morgan Stanley for bridge financing, and that plus available liquidity will fund the acquisitions.

Cigna is the fourth-largest commercial health insurer based on enrollment, trailing WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Aetna Inc. It operates health care, group disability and life segments in the U.S. The insurer also has a growing international segment that sells individual insurance in several countries and operates an expatriate business that covers people living outside their home countries.


Big insurers like Cigna have reported strong results in recent quarters. Analysts have speculated that companies would look to make acquisitions with the cash they were piling up.


Cigna said Monday it will move up its third-quarter earnings report to Friday from Nov. 3.

Governor wants pay analysis for state workers

Bank Fee Information, Cleanup Reminder and Invite to Breast Cancer Event

Cleanup Reminder 10-23-2011
Please Support our area Boy Scouts. They will have a tent set up to collect canned foods as part of their community service project for Arlington United Methodist Church Food Pantry. The cans collected will help families in our district. Our area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will also be participating and helping with all activities for the cleanup
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Please Share this information with everyone you know. Why Bank with a Financial Institution that charges allot of fees. Click on this link to view information on fees being assessed by area banks shared by the Nashville City Paper
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/files/citypaper/Banks.pdf

Smith Springs Church of Christ will hold their Sanctuary Re dedication Sunday, October 23 at 10:00 am. We all remember the devastating tornado that ripped through our community and severely damaged and destroyed the sanctuary's for both Priest Lake Presbyterian Church and Smith Springs Church of Christ. Priest Lake Presbyterian Church had a beautiful re dedication of their sanctuary back in August.

Please support our neighbors and friends this Sunday at Smith Springs Church of Christ.

Click here for more information.

Thank You!