Mark Richard Banks has been appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, filling the position previously held by Lanson Hyde III.
Hyde left the BZA to serve on the Board of Commissioners. (See story below.)
Banks is owner of Retail Partners Development, a build-to-suit retail development company. He previously was development manager for Newton Oldacre McDonald and affiliate broker for NAI/Mathews.
The City Commissioners voted November 17 to hire retired attorney David McMackin as the City’s first judge.
McMackin, a Forest Hills resident, will hear and adjudicate cases for violations of the City’s laws and ordinances.
Judge McMackin will convene court as often as six times per year, if necessary, for which he will be paid $100 per day. He will convene court at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of even-numbered months if there are cases to hear.
If there are no cases to be heard, court will be cancelled and the judge will not be paid.
The judge said he is extremely pleased at the appointment. “I look forward to being of service to the community,” he said.
McMackin’s term as judge runs through December 1, 2012.
About Judge David McMackin
Lanson Hyde III was sworn in November 3 as Commissioner of the City of Forest Hills, completing the term left vacant by the resignation of Tim Douglas.
Hyde, a resident of Forest Hills for more than 20 years, had served on the Board of Zoning Appeals since November 2008. He is chief operating officer of Surgical Development Partners, a healthcare company that develops and manages acute care hospitals and outpatient surgery centers.
Hyde said the Board of Commissioners has a responsibility to protect the Cityand its residents.
“When the economy comes back, aggressive, ill-considered development will threaten Forest Hills again. The easy lots have already been developed,” he said. “We should protect the beauty and natural resources of Forest Hills by permitting only responsible, compatible new development.”
He said the City’s new ordinances dealing with remodeling issues achieve a balance between homeowners’ needs and community standards.
“We need to ensure our residents have the flexibility to update and improve their homes. It can be difficult having restrictions designed to protect the beauty of the city and overall property values while allowing families the freedom to enjoy their property,” he said. “There has to be a balance, and I think the newly revised ordinances do a nice job of addressing that balance.”
Another important issue Hyde sees is investigating options for household recycling. “My wife and I are tired of having recycling sitting in the garage and then loading it into a car and driving it to another city every week,” he said. “I think we can find better options.”
His term expires in November 2012.
Years of planning and months of construction came to fruition in November as City officials moved into the new Forest Hills City Hall, located at 6300 Hillsboro Pike.
The Board of Commissioners held the December 1 meeting at the new City Hall as the first official function of the new facility. City manager Al Deck and administrative assistant Cynthia Despot managed to move operations while keeping City business up and running, with minimal disruption of services to residents.
Administrative Assistant Cynthia Despot packs a box.
Plans to make the City Hall a reality date back to June 2009, when the Board of Commissioners knew the City had to have better facilities to serve the needs of residents.
After looking at options for renting office space in Green Hills, the Commissioners approved the project to build a City Hall on eight acres of land to be leased from Nashville Electric Service for 99 years at $250 per year. With an estimated construction cost of $1,700,000, building the facility was an economically viable investment, as opposed to the greater expense of $100,000 to rent.
The Board appointed a task force led by David Waller and in November 2009 accepted its recommendation to hire Allard Ward architecture firm to design the new structure. Hodgson & Douglas Landscape Architects designed a comprehensive site plan, and R.C. Mathews Contractor was construction manager.
The official groundbreaking in January 2011 kicked off a year of activity that made the vision a reality in December.
Forest Hills City Hall
6300 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville TN 37215
Phone 615/372-8677
Fax 615/372-8680
City Manager
a.deck@cityofforesthills.com
Administrative Assistant
cityofforesthills@
cityofforesthills.com
After Hours Emergency
309-1324
We're looking for old photographs of life in Forest Hills to showcase at the February 4 Open House. If you have photos the City can borrow, contact Cynthia at the Office.
Participating in the first annual Perennial Swap are organizer Mary Roberts Singleton, Cindy Davis and Lisa Whitten from Chickering Lane, Mello Thompson from Bancroft, Tom Collins (a City resident for almost 30 years), and Cindy Luna from Crater Hill.
Forest Hills neighbors gathered on Saturday, October 8, at Mary Roberts Singleton’s home at 4382 Chickering Lane (corner of Chickering Road and Chickering Lane) for the first annual Perennial Swap.
Residents brought their favorite perennials that they have in abundance and traded them for plantings brought by someone else. The event was a great success, Singleton said, and they intend to do it every year. Everyone is invited to participate.
Watch for details about the second annual Perennial Swap next fall.
The chipper service provided by the City of Forest Hills will pick up residents’ Christmas trees on its regular monthly routes in January. (See schedule below.)
Remove all ornaments, metal and stands from the tree before placing as close to the street as possible, but not in the ditch, said Dan Beasley, manager of the tree division at The Parke Company.
Beasley said Forest Hills residents can also call 350-6033 and request to have their trees picked up before their regular monthly service. Schedule
Residents on Kingsbury Drive, who complained the new speed bumps were too high, will find their drive less jarring in the future.
The City Engineer determined that the contractor added new asphalt on top of the old bumps instead of replacing them. Repairs will be underway soon.
Reports of robbery and theft soar around the holidays, as criminals take advantage of unwary shoppers, distracted homeowners, and careless travelers.
If you are victimized, be sure to report any theft, attempted theft, or any other crime to Metro Police at 862-8600. The amount of crime reported in Forest Hills affects how Metro assigns patrol officers to the area.
During the season, use extra precaution along with common sense to keep yourself and your belongings safe.
Lock your car, even in your own driveway, even in “safe” neighborhoods.
Keep the exterior of your house well lit. Leave outside lights on or install motion sensor lights.
Trim bushes and shrubs around the house so they don’t provide shielding for intruders.
Stow away valuables like bicycles and sporting equipment.
Boxes from big-ticket items like a television or computer announce your new acquisitions to burglars. Break down the boxes instead of taking them intact to the curb, to make them less conspicuous.
Shopping tips
Ask a mall security officer to walk you to your car if you are uneasy about going alone.
Avoid strangers handing out information. All too often, this is a con, with a partner sizing up the situation.
Park only in well lit areas. Have your keys out so that you don’t have to fumble after you get to the car.
Lock your doors as soon as you get in the car and keep them locked.
Avoid taking large amounts of cash with you. Use credit or debit cards instead. Put away receipts with debit or credit card information on them.
Don’t carry a wallet in your back pocket. Keep a purse close to your chest.
Don’t walk around overloaded with packages. Instead, take your purchases to the car when your arms get full, and come back to continue shopping.
Don’t leave packages or valuable items visible in the car. Lock them in the trunk or put them out of sight.
The past year has been a busy one for the City of Forest Hills. Some activities—the construction of a new City Hall for example—are highly visible. Others, like the review and revision of our Zoning Ordinances, less so. This article is an attempt to provide a state of the City report as we look ahead to 2012. More
Resolution 2011-05, appointing David McMackin as City Judge for the City of Forest Hills, cited several sections of the Tennessee Code giving the City of Forest Hills the authority for appointing Mr. McMackin. In particular, TCA 6-21-501 grants to the Board of Commissioners the power to appoint a City Judge who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. More
The 2010 Census reported City of Forest Hills’ population well below expected levels. The low count encouraged the Board of Commissioners to challenge the results; however, the Bureau requires a waiting period before the City can have a new census conducted. More