February 28, 2022

February 2022 — Replacing Brentwood Middle, Improved Roads and other Brentwood News

When I sat down to put this together, it was a somewhat different world. We were watching the Olympics and talking a lot about NCAA Basketball. Now my thoughts are often in Eastern Europe, and I’m praying for the military and civilians caught in a war I wouldn’t have thought possible. While this goes on, I’m going to take the advice of my good friend Carol who regularly reminds me to “control the controllables.” In spite of what is going on internationally, we still have a job to do, and I’ll do my level best to do it well.

Your City Commission is working hard to represent you and make good decisions for the benefit of Brentwood. While the past couple of years have certainly had their challenges, our community is still investing in schools, roads, and the public works (like water control) that help make Brentwood a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

While there is always “room for improvement” (the biggest room in the world, according to my dad), it feels like we are making progress.

As always, your perspective and feedback are important to me, and you can reach me at either  Nelson.Andrews@BrentwoodTN.gov  if it’s not “on fire” and 615-917-1384 (voice or text) if it is.

Sincere thanks to friends who contribute to the process of creating this newsletter. Keeping people informed is vital to good governance, and “it takes a village.” I link to source material whenever possible and welcome your questions or suggestions.

News

Williamson County approves $28,000,000 to replace Brentwood Middle School’s antiquated building and create additional capacity

  • The Williamson County Commission voted on Appropriations Resolution 2-22-1 – a resolution approving an intent to fund $28,000,000 for improvements and new construction for Brentwood Middle School. This was deemed necessary by the School Board to increase capacity and replace antiquated facilities. Completion is projected for the fall of 2025. The vote was 20 Yes 0 No, and  meeting details are found here.
  • I would like to acknowledge Williamson County Mayor  Rogers Anderson , all the Williamson County Commissioners and School Board Members who worked hard on this project, and in particular Brentwood residents  Commissioner Tom Tunnicliffe , Commissioner Paul Webb, Commissioner Erin Nations, Commissioner Bert Chalfant, and Board of Education members Sheila Cleveland and Jay Galbreath. Thank you very much for your hard work and commitment to our community.
  • You can learn about this and a lot more at  The Tennessean  and on the  Williamson County Schools page.

Update on Flood Control and Stormwater

  • We’ve already had considerable rain and snow this year, and an increase in storm severity and accompanying water damage has put stormwater control at the top of our priority list.
  • The City of Brentwood received $12.6 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, which has to be spent on specific projects, including water and sewer. We have chosen to allocate $5m of this money towards the sewer equalization tank currently in process, and the remaining $7.6 million (approx.) has been deposited in our Capital Projects Fund and reserved for future ARP-qualifying projects.
  • We acquired 18 acres west of Hillsboro Rd adjacent to our pump station and have started construction of the long-planned storm water equalization tank:
  • Brentwood has entered into an agreement with  Schwalls Consulting  to complete a review of our flood ordinance. The goal is to improve our ordinance with one thorough study rather than make incremental changes on a case-by-case basis.

Brentwood Police Chief Jeff Hughes retires after 36 years with Brentwood

Follow Up on Previous News

  • Turf fields at Crockett Park Baseball Fields  —  Brentwood Ball Club  recognized the need for all-weather baseball fields and worked collaboratively with the  City of Brentwood Parks Department  to identify the ideal location in  Crockett Park. In addition to doing substantial research and coordination, Brentwood Ball Club raised $450,000 to put towards the project and is also setting aside funds for ongoing maintenance to the fields are in top condition all year around going forwards. Construction has been approved, and we anticipate completion of the turf on Crockett Fields 5 and 6 by summer 2021.
  • The Pace of new construction in Brentwood appears to be stable but at a lower level than in years past :

Briefly

We have two new Department Directors on our City of Brentwood Team:

Sarah VanWormer, Information Technology Director

April Curlin, Human Resources Director:

Spring Events include:

 

This Month’s Focus: Projects, Rezoning, and annexation within the Urban Growth Boundary

Roads and Congestion Improvements

  • Roundabout at Murray Lane and Holly Tree Gap   — this 3-way stop was identified as one of our best opportunities to improve traffic flow in Brentwood. Because usage has huge peaks and valleys, a roundabout was recommended as the best, most cost-effective long-term solution. Construction begins this summer.
  • McEwen Drive  —  The extension of McEwen Dr. was identified as a priority in the Brentwood 2030 Plan. Completion of this roadway section will provide a direct link from the I-65 interchange to Taramore. When this section is built, it opens the possibility of extension to Pleasant Hill Road, Clovercroft Road, and eventually Nolensville, Smyrna and I-24 providing an alternative east/west route for traffic from Nolensville & Smyrna to reach the Cool Springs area. Such an extension would help relieve traffic flow on Brentwood streets such as Concord Road, Crockett Road, Moores Lane, and Split Log Road.
  • Sunset Road  —  This project is the third since 2018 to focus on safety improvements to Sunset Road. Previously completed projects have realigned the dangerous Ragsdale/Sunset Road intersection, and widened Sunset from Concord, north of Ragsdale Road. The third and final phase of this project will next widen Sunset Road from Ragsdale Road to the city limits at Waller Road. The improved road will include a three-lane curb and gutter cross-section with a 10-foot-wide multi-use path on the south side.
  • Old Smyrna Road  – The feedback I received about Old Smyrna Road has been overwhelmingly in favor of preserving the historic nature of this part of Brentwood. To that end, we have added the new “Agricultural Residential Estate – Innovative Project” (AR-IP) zoning to our code. This zoning category is intended to preserve the scenic and historic quality of the Old Smyrna Road corridor. Sometime in the future, we are going to have to address the width of Old Smyrna Road and find a way to balance current city safety standards with scenic appeal. I think this is one of the bigger challenges we will have to address.

City Facilities

  • Fire Station 5  –  construction is underway, with a target completion date in Fall 2022.
  • Renovations to City Hall  – now that the Police Department has moved out of city hall into the new Police Headquarters, we have the opportunity to rethink and renovate City Hall for the first time in over twenty years. We believe we can do it in a cost-effective way that helps improve operations and allows us to continue to attract top talent.
  • Facilities for the Brentwood Parks Department  – we are exploring the opportunity to move the Parks & Recreation Department team into Crockett Park as a way to improve operations and have them closer to the people using the park every day.

Parks and Playgrounds

  • Construction is underway for the  Miles Together Inclusive Playground  at Granny White Park. We hope to have it complete and open this coming summer.
  • Playground Equipment previously at Granny White has been moved to Crockett Park  at the far end of the lower fields near the restroom facilities. Surface prep and edging still remains, but we hope to have it open around March 2022.
  • There is a lot of energy around adding  Mountain Biking to Smith Park , and a group of citizens is working to fund the engineering study and raise money to help offset construction costs.

Rezoning – Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home (rezoning of a portion at the rear)

Annexation of land in our Urban Growth Boundary

  • The  Urban Growth Boundary  (UGB) is the area not currently in our city limits identified years ago as land that could be annexed into Brentwood at the owner’s request with City Commission approval.
  • For more than 20 years, Brentwood has planned its infrastructure  – water and sewer in particular – with the Urban Growth Boundary in mind. We have been sizing our city knowing everything within the urban growth boundary is likely to be a part of our city. That said, we have also declined to extend our urban growth boundary since we have not planned services for an area outside our current UGB.
  • We received two requests to annex property, by owner consent, that lie along the east and west sides of Split Log Road and north of Sam Donald Road, to be part of the Rosebrooke subdivision. Additionally, two properties that would have been located in an enclave created by the annexation proposal are also included as part of the annexation but are not part of the proposed development plan.
  • Resolutions 2022-08 and 2022-09 were passed unanimously by the Board of Commissioners on February 14th. These resolutions call for the scheduling of a public hearing on the annexation of these properties on March 28th.
  • The commission is supportive of efforts like this because:
  1. This land has long been identified as future expansion for Brentwood
  2. We have planned for appropriate services for the area and
  3. If we decline to annex it, it can still be developed but will follow Williamson County codes and ordinances instead of meeting City of Brentwood standards.

 The City of Brentwood has an online map that you can use to pull up a map that shows the current city limits and the urban growth boundary.  You can find it here  or by putting “City Brentwood TN Zoning Map” into Google. The “layer list” tool at the bottom will let you select any options you would like, including “Brentwood City Limit” and “Brentwood Urban Growth Boundary”.

Resources:

 

Writing this newsletter is an enjoyable and educational experience for me, and I hope my enthusiasm for the job and our city comes through to you as you read this. I feel lucky to be here doing what I do, and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity. Thank you for your help and support.

Nelson

Nelson Andrews
Vice Mayor
City of Brentwood
“From Brentwood, For Brentwood”

As always, your perspective and comments are very important to me, and I want to encourage you to contact me at either  Nelson.Andrews@BrentwoodTN.gov  if it’s not “on fire” and 615-917-1384 (voice or text) if it is.