FOREST HILLS NEWSMARCH 2021MARCH 2021

Recycling Clean Out April 10 2Don’t be a crime victim 8

Raptors ofForest Hills 4

Board of CommissionersLanson Hyde III mayor Henry A. Trost vice mayor James C. Gardner III City ManagerAspen Collins City AssistantCharlotte Hunter City EngineerBrad Bivens Planning CommissionDavid Waller III chair Brian Dougherty Tim Garrett Scott Hayduk Clay Jackson Blair Myers Cindy Walker The Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioner also sit on this commission.

Board of Zoning AppealsJane S. Rowland chair Jim Littlejohn Mark Richard Banks

CONNECTwith the CITY

6300 Hillsboro PikeNashville TN 37215

615-372-8677

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Welcome new building, codes official to Forest HillsMark Hill is the new Building Inspector

and Codes Enforcement Official for the City of Forest Hills.

Mark’s job is to review plans for new con-struction or remodeling, meet with contrac-tors and homeowners to ensure compliance with City regulations, and conduct site in-spections to see that the construction is fol-lowing proper procedures.

Mark attended Austin Peay State Univer-sity and Nashville State Technical Institute with studies in Police Science and Electrical Engineering. He has 33 years of combined military and law enforcement service and re-cently retired to start a new career here in the City.

Mark has completed his certification with the International Code Council as a Resi-dential Building Inspector.

He currently resides in Gallatin with his wife and daughter.

Recycling Clean Out returns April 10Get ready to recycle your electron-

ics, light bulbs, batteries, scrap metal, bulk items, and more at Recycling Clean Out Day April 10.

The event runs from 8:30-12:30 rain or shine at Forest Hills City Hall, 6300 Hills-boro Pike.

You can bring over-the-counter and pre-scription drugs for safe disposal by Metro Police and get confidential documents se-curely shredded.

Goodwill returns to collect donations of lightly used clothing, household items, fur-niture, books, appliances, linens, shoes, jew-elry, and accessories.

“For safety reasons, we’re asking every-one to put their items in the trunk and stay in their vehicles,” said City Manager Aspen Collins. “All vendors and volunteers will be wearing masks.”

Since the first Clean Out in 2012, resi-dents have recycled over fifty tons of mate-rial.

Recycling Clean Out Day April 10

FOREST HILLS CITY HALL 6300 Hillsboro Pike8:30–12:30 Rain or shine

Sorry, we can’t accept electronics when it’s raining.

● Bring ONLY items on the facing page.

● Place smaller items in puncture-resistant, heavy-duty bags no larger than 33 gallons or cardboard boxes less than 30x30x30 inches.

● Tie bags closed.

● Do not overload: 30 pounds or less.

● Don’t bring electronics if it’s raining.

BULK ITEMSLarge appliances, mattresses, box springsAll large appliances: washers, refrigerators, dryers, stoves. Mattresses and box springs.

BATTERIESAll types of dry-cell, vehicle batteriesDry-cell batteries, disposable and rechargeable: AAA to D, 9-volt, button, power tool, laptop, cell phone, camera batteries. carbon zinc, nickel-cadmium (NiCad), lithium, lithium-ion (Li-ion), mercury, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), zinc air, silver oxide, lead-acid, hard-case batteries: car, truck, motorcycle, boat, mower, RV, ATV, etc.

Place in a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. Tape positive contacts on non-alkaline batteries as required by law to prevent fire during transport.

ELECTRONICSComputers, monitors, DVD players, broken small appliances, stereosWorking/non-working computers, monitors, CRT/flatscreen TVs, printers, copiers, faxes, scanners, phone systems, servers, calculators, stereos, speakers, cameras, consoles, PDAs, cell phones, accessories, parts including cables, mouse, and keyboards, software, modems, drives, laptop batteries, adapters, docks, credit card readers, DVDs, tapes, diskettes

Non-working appliances (countertop or smaller), microwaves, coffee makers, food processors, vacuums

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SCRAP METALAnything 80% or more metalTools, bikes, lawnmowers, auto parts, grills, exercise equipment, non-working small and large appliances with a cord. All items must be at least 80% metal to be recycled as scrap metal.

LIGHT BULBSAll bulb types, no broken itemsCompact fluorescent, LED, incandescent, residential lamps in a gallon Ziploc bag.

Fluorescent tubes in packaging or bundles of four with rubber bands at each end.

NOT ACCEPTED: Broken or crushed items, broken lamps.

NOT ACCEPTED● VEHICLE TIRES● VEHICLE FLUIDS

Take to AutoZone or Pep Boys

● STYROFOAM● SCRAP WOOD● RUGS● PAINT

We are not legally allowed to transport paint for you. Metro will accept some paints and many other household hazardous wastes for disposal at the facility located at 943A Doctor Richard G. Adams Dr.

● ITEMS NOT ON THIS LIST Take to 943A Dr. Richard G. Adams Dr.

SHREDDINGPaper, photos in untied garbage bag or open box Shred on the Run will shred documents onsite, then take them for recycling. Bring old credit card statements, canceled checks, tax returns, and anything that could be used to steal your identity.

NOT ACCEPTED: Binders, newspaper, hardback books

DONATIONSClothing, household items, furniture, books, appliances, linens, shoes, jewelry, accessoriesGently used clothing, accessories, jewelry, shoes/boots, housewares, appliances, antiques, furniture, paintings, linens, books, musical instruments, tools, seasonal items, clean items for rags divided into a separate bag, etc.

GUIDELINES: Items in clean, good working order are most beneficial. Goodwill is unable to repair broken items.

MEDICATIONSOver-the-counter, prescription drugsMetro Police will collect prescription drugs for proper disposal. Medications can be mixed together. Please cross out name and address if you choose to leave it in the original packaging.

Prescription medications, all over-the-counter medications, pet medications, medicated ointment, lotions, or drops, liquid medications in leak-proof containers, inhalers, pills in any packaging, including glass, plastic containers, plastic bags, glass, foil.

NOT ACCEPTED: Illegal drugs, narcotics, needles/sharps or syringes with needles, blood sugar equipment, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products (lotions, shampoos, etc.)

CFNOIDEN

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By JIM GARDNERBoard of Commissioners

JUST DOWN THE STREET and up the hill from Radnor Lake’s east parking lot is a unique slice of nature worth inves-

tigating. The Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center hosts several interesting birds of prey, all of which call Forest Hills ei-ther home or flyover territory.

I first learned of the Center a few years ago when I ran into Rad-nor’s well-known manager, Steve Ward. Seeing scratches all over his face and arms, I asked him if he had lost a fight with a local bobcat. He replied that he had been working with a new raptor exhibit’s golden eagle. Apparently, developing a rela-tionship with an eagle is a bit riski-er than teaching a parrot to pose for a social media post or say, “Let me out.”

The Center is housed in and around a cabin that served as a lo-cal family’s residence until the Park acquired it in the late nineties. Backed and funded by The Barba-ra J. Mapp Foundation, Friends of Radnor Lake, and numerous bene-factors, the Center opened in May

2015. Local businesses like a wire company with Forest Hills connec-tions and a well-known electrical contractor headed by lifelong Nash-villians provided discounted services and material to the effort. The Cen-ter repurposed 163 donated NES poles for use in the decking and bird enclosures. Needless to say, the exhibit is large, impressive, and very resident- and guest-friendly.

Home for injured aviansThe stars of the exhibit are the

two bald eagles, golden eagle, red- tailed hawk, great horned owl, and black vulture who call the Cen-ter home. All the residents have ex-perienced some sort of injury that has made successful release into the wild impossible. Fortunately, the Center provides them with com-fortable, well-fed, stimulating lives. Each bird has a favorite staff mem-ber with whom it has a strong bond and working relationship.

Upon visiting the birds, it be-comes evident that each one has a unique personality, with a couple of the eagles and the vulture hav-ing the most demonstrative dispo-sitions. The golden eagle is the one Ranger Ward can take out of the enclosure to interact with guests. Weighing nine pounds with a six-plus-foot wingspan, she is an im-

posing bird. As she sat on his gloved wrist, Ranger Ward noncha-lantly told me her massive talons, her weapons of choice, could ex-ert 1,300 pounds per square inch of pressure, or enough to break any bone in the human body. All the while, she cooed, purred, and chirped at Steve, sounding almost like a contented chicken or happy cat. I kept my distance and respect-fully avoided prolonged eye contact.

While we were interacting with the golden eagle, the bald eagle in the neighboring exhibit began to protest jealously. Apparently, she, too, likes Ranger Ward and want-ed some attention. After he entered her space, she happily jumped on his glove.

Her distinctive yellow talons can only exert about 900 pounds per square inch of pressure, but … her equally distinctive yellow beak looked to be twice the size of the golden eagle’s. If one got on the fighting side of a bald eagle, one would have to contend both with talons and that massive beak.

The bald eagle is the same size as the golden eagle but appears larg-er. Apparently, our national symbol is not as laid back, as far as eagles go, as the golden, and has a more intense, aggressive posture. (Think NFL linebacker.) She enjoys visits

in our midstThe Barbara J. Mapp Aviary at Radnor Lake

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from Ranger Ward and voiced her gratitude for his stopping by her perch.

The second bald eagle—a re-gal young male—the beautiful red- tailed hawk, and the great horned owl with the penetrating stare are all striking birds, too. More re-served than his fellow eagles, the male bald eagle came to Radnor from American Eagle Foundation at Dollywood. Some may know the owl from local rehabilitation cen-ter, Walden’s Puddle. We take for granted the red-tailed hawk, which is a commonly encountered bird. Up close, one can see how utterly spectacular his plumage and color-ing really are.

Oddly enough, a real star in his own right is the black vulture. Ranger Ward insists that he is the

smartest, indeed craftiest, bird of the group. He can open an un-locked door and seemingly enjoys hamming it up by hopping around and actually approaching guests.

I have always had a soft spot for vultures. Growing up in For-est Hills, in which wildlife and cars frequently have unfortunate inter-actions, I have always felt vultures perform an invaluable service and are in many ways nature’s unherald-ed essential workers.

Gourmet meals, daily showers Although unable to lead a wild

existence, the Center’s birds have the best lives the devoted Rad-nor staff can give them. Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service perform regular inspections, and the Center

retains the services of a veterinarian who spe-cializes in raptors.

They eat well, with the eagles enjoying a daily diet of prepared quail and Bucksnort trout (items right off the Nero’s Cactus Can-yon menu of old).

Ranger Ward point-ed out the showers in the separate exhibits that automatically ac-tivate three times a day in spring and summer months. In between shower times, it is not unusual for a bird to re-quest a quick spray.

They also have daily visitors. Steve frequently sees multiple bald eagles hanging out on the rail-ings outside the eagle exhibits. Similarly, vul-tures congregate around

the mischievous vulture’s home. Interestingly, none of the birds

has a name so that everyone recog-nizes that the residents are and for-ever will be wild birds. What re-spectful relationships he has with them result from years of training and regular, consistent interactions.

As we talked, Steve pointed to a young bald eagle flying over. Grow-ing up in Forest Hills, I thought of bald eagles as limited to far-off regions like the Rockies and Alas-ka. Little did I know that in a few short decades we would have them winging their way over own back-yards to a destination we all enjoy.

Raptors and land use policiesThe return of eagles to and the

general proliferation of raptors in Forest Hills and Radnor Lake have been a pleasant surprise. According to Ranger Ward, protecting natural areas and watersheds are critical to supporting their presence.

Recognizing the intrinsic value of our City’s natural resources and the beauty of our landscape, res-idents have promoted the preser-vation of trees, tree canopies, and open spaces. The City has also de-liberately sought to protect its hills, watersheds, floodways, and plains. A happy result of responsible land-use policies has been the return of majestic wildlife. Ranger Ward as-serted that Radnor’s health is close-ly linked to Otter Creek’s well-be-ing. He pointed out that it is indeed Forest Hills’ creek—most of Otter Creek, which once again hosts its namesake, is in City limits.

Take a tourThe aviary is open to all ages and

fully accessible. Tours are free but please consider a donation. Visit radnorlake.org/explore/aviary for more information.

Forest Hills is host to no fewer than eleven different raptors. Local residents include red tail hawks, sharp shinned hawks, Cooper’s hawks, great horned owls, barred owls, barn owls, screech owls, American kestrels, black vultures, turkey vultures (pink heads and necks), and now . . . bald eagles.

At this point, bald eagles are not nesting in Forest Hills or around Radnor Lake but do consistently hunt in both locations. Golden eagles do not stay around the area but do migrate through here, considering us flyover country.

While everyone is familiar with the red tail hawk, the sharp shinned and Cooper’s hawks are smaller cousins that primarily hunt other birds. They are high strung hawks with long legs and dexterous talons.

Barred owls are common in Forest Hills and Radnor, and one local owl resident has even been known to descend on unsuspecting walkers whose hair or hats he finds attractive.

Photos courtesy of Radnor Lake State Natural Area Cover photography by Jim Gardner

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Hillside changes impact storm drainageBy JIM LITTLEJOHN Board of Zoning Appeals

An important aspect of the Board of Zoning Appeals is consid-ering the potential impact of drain-age and erosion from stormwater.

The Hillside Protection Or-dinance requires complete over-sight of construction plans by the BZA to assure downstream condi-tions are not adversely affected and sound principles are followed.

The Board reviews of the site en-gineer’s analysis of how runoff is treated, slowed, detained, and man-aged, and what protection it pro-vides from runoff for downstream lots and homes.

The BZA’s process is meant to protect adjoining residents not only from erosion and scouring during construction, but also ensure that permanent vegetation and slope protection measures are also re-viewed and considered post-con-struction.

Retaining walls often neededHillsides with slopes greater

than 20% (one foot vertical in five feet) often require retaining walls to accommodate the change of grade. Without careful consideration, there are times that retaining walls can be very imposing to neighbors. The BZA considers those impacts and often regulates the surface ma-terials of the retaining walls to make sure they are consistent with

the natural surroundings or similar to the materials on the dwelling.

Landscape plan requiredAnother way the BZA amelio-

rates the impact is by evaluating the plant materials proposed. A regis-tered landscape architect is required to prepare a plan that aims at min-imizing the impact on the sur-rounding neighbors of the structure (retaining walls included) and pro-viding reasonable planting around the structure.

The BZA considers cases af-ter the applicants submit to ob-tain a building permit for either a new home or an addition if there are requested exceptions to the or-dinance.

Applicants are often asked if there are any design alternatives to comply with the Zoning Ordi-nance. Sometimes that is just not possible. The home may already not comply due to historic setbacks or slopes created after construction.

Neighborhood notificationOne key reason the BZA hears

these cases is to notify neighbors and members of the community when an exception is requested. Af-fected citizens within 300 feet are mailed a certified notice of the up-coming BZA meeting so neighbors can express concern or learn more.

Often the BZA tries to achieve a compromise whereby the appli-

cant is requested to accept condi-tions for a win/win solution be-tween neighbors and the applicant. If not, the BZA either requests the applicant to defer and work out is-sues, or even denies the request. In those cases it is not uncommon for the applicant to resubmit with re-visions.

Many times the Board is actu-ally thanked for looking at the de-tails further than the applicant did, as examination results in superior solutions for everyone concerned. That is the aim of the BZA’s action.

All this said, the Hillside Protec-tion Overlay and other zoning or-dinances have been carefully craft-ed to reflect the values of Forest Hills. The BZA keeps those values in mind with all their reviews and decision making.

For more information about the Hillside Protection Overlay, vist cityofforesthills.com.

Erosion control prevents runoffStormwater causes significant lawn

and infrastructure damage from ero-sion. Here’s how to minimize it.

1 Change mowing patterns. Mow in varying directions on slopes to

prevent rutting and erosion.

2 Cover bare spots. Plant vegetation to soak up water. If you can’t grow

grasses, try ground covers like peri-winkle or liriope.

3 Reinforce problem areas. Use crushed stone, wood chips, and

other similar materials where vegeta-tion is hard to establish.

Stormwater management information is provided as part of the City’s education requirement under its state permit.

For more tips visit cityofforesthills.com

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CLEAN WATER TIPS

City offers free monthly chipper serviceThe City provides free chipping ser-

vice and leaf pickup on a monthly ba-sis by The Parke Company, 615-350-6033.

This service is provided to Forest Hills residents for normal yard mainte-nance. It is not designed to assist with

clearing properties of trees, shrubs, or trash.

If you hire a professional to trim or take down trees, that provider is re-sponsible for removing all debris. Please make those arrangements when you hire a tree service.

ScheduleWeeks 1 and 2: Alcott, Arco, Ash Valley, Bal-bade, Beauregard, Beekman, Carlton, Chateau, Chickering Park, Crater Hill, Dresden, Everett, Foxwood, Fredericksburg, Granny White north of Otter Creek, Harding Place, Hemingway, Hillcott, Hillsboro north of Tyne, Laurel Ridge, Lynmont, Lynnwood, Maplemere, Mary Helen, McGrace, Merrimac, Otter Valley, Priest, R.E. Lee Court, R.E. Lee Drive, Ridgewood, Rose-lawn, Saxon, Skymont, Stanford, Still Hollow, Stuart Glen, Sunset Hill Terrace, Tara, Timothy, Toddington, Tyne, Twinmont, Tynewood, Vintage, Wayland, Yancey

Weeks 3 and 4: Andover, Ashland, Bed-dington, Bridleway Trail, Carl Seyfert, Cherry Blossom, Chickering Court, Chickering Lane, Chickering Road, Cliftee, Confederate, Cromwell, Earlington, Edenbridge, Gardendale, General Forrest, Goldstone, Granny White south of Otter Creek, Havering Chase, Hickory Springs, Hillsboro south of Tyne, Jefferson Davis, Kenwood, Kingsbury, Litchfield Way, Melbourne, Montcrest, Norton, Old Hickory, Otter Creek, Page, Piccadilly Place, Pinehurst, Sherwood, Stonehaven, Stonehurst, St. James Place, Taggartwood, Timberwood Drive, Timberwood PlaceNOTE: The City cannot specify which day your collection will take place.

How to prepare your limbs and leaves

A few restrictions are necessary to give the contractor time to cover the City each month:

A Place your limbs and bagged leaves as close to the street as possible without putting them in a ditch.

• Branches should not exceed eight inches in diameter, and trunks should not include root balls.

• Put leaves in plastic bags, not paper, which breaks easily.

• Bags should contain only leaves. The vendor will not pick up bags with garbage or debris, which prevents recycling.

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B Do not pile limbs or rake leaves into the street, ditches, culverts, or anywhere that water flows. Blocking the flow of stormwater or clogging culverts causes flooding and erosion of roadbeds.

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Pipelining process speeds storm system repairs

Recent repairs to the City’s stormwater infrastructure used a process that saved money with less inconvenience to residents.

Rusted-out corrugated pipes un-der Tyne Boulevard and Chickering Park Drive needed replacement. Met-ro Nashville proposed road closures of several months for the project, but Forest Hills chose a different route.

Pipelining involves slipping new carrier pipes through the existing damaged pipes. “The greatest thing is we didn’t have to close the road at all,” said City Engineer Brad Bivens.

The restoration included new pipes, headwalls, and more riprap to reduce runoff.

The City will look at the process for future projects, Bivens said. “We can use it on dead-ends with no oth-er outlets and highly traveled streets without closing them,” he said.

The crew slips the carrier pipe through the rusted one, above. The repairs include a new headwall.

6300 Hillsboro PikeNashville TN 37215

PRESORTEDFIRST CLASS

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNASHVILLE, TN

PERMIT #3731

The map for ZIP 37215 shows a number of assaults, burglaries, and car break-ins in and around the City in the past three months. You can track local crimes at crimemapping.com

Be proactive to avoid becoming crime victim

DO watch your neighbor’s property and note suspicious persons and vehicles. Notify the Metro Police at 615-862-8600 and describe the location, number of sus-pects, race, age, clothing, vehicle, and tag number. If it’s a burglary in progress, call 911. Keep watching and stay on the line.

DO strengthen all doors and locks—solid core or metal doors and deadbolt locks, little or no glass. The door jam should be as solid as the door. Consider two deadbolts to make entry harder.

DO install a wide-angle peephole to inspect visitors.

DO change your door locks if you lend keys and lose track of them.

DO lock or bolt windows. Approx-imately 25% of burglars enter this way. Most won’t break the glass.

DO install locks on sliding glass doors to prevent door from being lifted out of the track.

DO secure window-mounted air con-ditioners so they’re not easily removed.

DO secure garages and basement win-dows—consider a metal grill.

DO deactivate garage door openers when gone for extended periods of time.

DO consider outside floodlights with infrared sensors.

DO lock up when at home, when cut-ting the grass or gardening. Burglars drive around looking for this opportunity and just walk inside.

DO use care with wedding and funeral announcements.

DO consider a dog—the larger the better. Use “Beware of Dog” signs.

DO mark and photograph/video valu-ables and keep a home inventory record with brand names, model numbers, serial numbers, and other owner applied mark-ings or distinguishing characteristics.

DO consider lawn care and house sit-ters while on vacation.

DO consider safes, either hidden or large, heavy gun safes.

DO consider a professionally installed and monitored alarm system with stickers and an audible alarm.