January, 2010 Events and Meetings now on YouTube

Lakeland meeting and events are presented in "Channel 19" style on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQYujTIBMyE

January 2010 Meetings and events

City of Lakeland meetings scheduled for January 2010 include:

6:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 5: Board of Commissioners/Municipal Planning Commission Joint Meeting (discuss Land Development Regulations)

6:30 p.m., Thursday, January 7: Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting

6:30 p.m. Monday, January 11: Park and Recreation Board Regular Meeting

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 12: Design Review Commission Regular Meeting

6:30 p.m., Thursday, January 21: Board of Appeals meeting (if needed)

Monday, January 18: City Hall closed, Martin Luther King Day Holiday

REFUSE COLLECTION/RECYCLING is one day later week of January 18-23 due to Martin Luther King Day Holiday

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 19: Municipal Planning Commission (rescheduled from regular meeting day of Monday due to Holiday)

8:30 a.m., Saturday, January 23: Board of Commissioners Retreat (City Hall)

6:30 p.m. Monday, January 25: Board of Commissioners Work Session

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 26: Natural Resources Board meeting

6:30 p.m. Thursday, January 28: Economic Development Commission meeting

NOTE: New Refuse Collection regulations are effective January 1, 2010: Only bagged or yard debris in carts will be picked up on regular yard debris route (Yard Debris carts are picked up Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, check www.Lakelandtn.gov for specific day).

Be Prepared for Emergencies!

Emergency preparedness is important!. A slide show on preparing for emergencies is available on YouTube

at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICIgsInex90.

The presentation was prepared by Claude Talford, Lakeland Emergency Management Director.

Additional and more detailed information is available at www.Ready.com.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD RECOMMENDATIONS SUBMITTED

Environmental Award recommendations submitted to the Lakeland Board of Commissioners include:

BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Frazier Construction, for home construction on Lot 109 of the Grover at Lakeland. This project is exceptional in exceeding the requirements of the Lakeland Tree Ordinance in its tree protection efforts and provides environmental benefits of the wooded lot upon completion of construction.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING FIRM: Asknew Hargraves Harcourt (A2H) of Lakeland for their work on the Canada Road Median Landscaping project. The Committee found the project showed innovation in the non-formal design, low flow irrigation, is exceptional in it's scale of almost 1 mile in length and utilizes native plants.

CITIZEN/ACTIVIST: Patrick Fisher, for his organization of two events in 2009 where he gathered trash with volunteers along Lakeland's roadsides, collecting over 40 bags of trash and furthermore separated out 200 pounds of recycling. material.

COMMERCIAL BUSINESS: Woodland Tree Service, for their work in planting trees at the Lakeland Elementary School. Woodland Tree Service donated trees, workers and equipment for planting trees at the school.

The Lakeland Environmental Awards Committee was formed in 2007 and over the course of 2007 and 2008 developed a program of recognition for environmentally responsible activities in Lakeland.

The Environmental Awards Committee reviewed the nominations and recommended award recipients to the Lakeland Natural Resources Board. The Natural Resources Board recommended the above award winners to the Lakeland Board of Commissioners for the First Annual Environmental Awards.

The Board of Commissioners will formally act on the recommendations at the January 7, 2010 Regular Meeting and will formally present the awards at a future date.

Additional information on the Environmental Awards program is available from the Lakeland Natural Resources Department.

Consolidation Watch-Charter Commission meetings

The "Consolidation Charter Commission" is starting to meet on a regular basis. The Charter Commission was established by Shelby County and the City of Memphis to develop a Metro Charter for consolidation of Shelby County and Memphis. Meetings are scheduled for January 7, January 21, February 4 and February 18, 2010 and will start at 4:00 p.m. Much of the work will be done by "committees" which will meet on detailed items and report back to the full Commission. I attended the Charter Commission meeting on December 17, 2009 and am reporting on my observations.

Two representatives of the million dollar funded effort of the "Rebuild Government" group were present and discussed their efforts.

It was interesting to note that one of the representatives had worked with Mayor Wharton (who is pushing consolidation) on the "Town Hall Meetings" on consolidation. These were billed as "listening tours", although I don't believe any were held in this part of the County and were not locally publicized.

The other representative served on Mayor Wharton's transition team (to Memphis Mayor).

They did not specifically respond to questions about who is funding the organization and why.

As was widely reported, the Charter Commission voted not to include schools in the discussions, but will include funding for schools. Currently 70% or our property tax goes to Memphis schools and 30% to County schools, which represents the actual school attendance to the two systems. The Memphis City Schools also receives substantially more federal funding.

There was a strong push by the Shelby County Commission to increase taxes for the unincorporated County area and suburban cities while decreasing taxes for Memphis for City schools and other services. Decreasing taxes for incorporated Memphis while increasing taxes for the suburban areas is one of the primary reasons for the push for consolidation by consolidation supporters, so this needs to be closely watched. I expect this is why the companies involved in "Memphis Tomorrow" (www.MemphisTomorrow.org) are pushing consolidation and contributing a lot of money to the consolidation push. I suspect they see a large payoff in the suburbs subsidizing their property taxes after consolidation.

This is what has happened in the Nashville Metro as the "independent cities" in the Nashville Metro property tax is within approximately .57 of the "full service" areas. General Services tax is $3.56, paid by everyone in county. Urban Services tax is $.57 (total of $4.13 rate for residents of central city). Over years, differential between two tax rates has narrowed as “urban” services have been declared “general”.

The Shelby County Attorney advised the Charter Commission that if a "Metropolitan" type of consolidation is selected, the Metro Charter can't abolish the "Constitutional Officers", but the Metro Charter can change their functions (except for functions specified in the Constitution.). This could include changing the duties of the Sheriff to only the jail etc.

Also, of interest to Lakeland residents especially, one "independent city" in the Nashville Metro tried to start a City Police Department, but the Nashville Metro refused to let them start their own Police Department, so obviously a lot of independence is lost in the Metro system! (The Charter could be written so this did not happen.)

It was also noted that the Urban Growth Boundaries Statute does not apply to Metro Charters. The annexation boundaries are decided by the Charter so obviously this is something we need to watch.

The next meeting, January 7, 2010, is a discussion of the Jacksonville's Consolidated Government, by their General Counsel, Rick Mullaney. It was noted that he has acted as a consultant to assist in other "consolidations", so he obviously is a strong proponent of consolidation.

Overall, I feel the Charter Commission Members will listen. We need to make sure we talk to them and convey how you feel about Consolidation and the proposed Consolidation Charter. I encourage Lakeland residents to attend the Charter Commission meetings if possible and if not, call or write the Charter Commission to convey your opinion.

Pruning of trees in Lakeland-information and YouTube video available

(This information is provided by Eric Bridges and Nick Bridgeman of the Lakeland, Tennessee Natural Resources Department concerning the requirements of the City of Lakeland on pruning of trees on public right of way in Lakeland.

The MLGW subcontractor, ASPLUNDH, is pruning trees in Lakeland. This necessary maintenance of the utility always causes concern for us and our residents. We’d like to share with you some progress that’s been made on cooperative work between the City and the utility. You may still not like the way the trees looks when it’s all said and done but it will be better for the tree, the utility, the City, and you.

What are the City and the utility doing to help with this issue? We are doing two things; adopting a better pruning standard; and, increasing our removals. Watch this YouTube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFCkv8fxsOg or contact City Hall if you would like more information. (Note: A short cut is to search for "Lakelandtn" and "Eric".)

There are four parts to the issue and as you will see they are all inter-related.

1. Reliability: We need to keep tree limbs out the powerlines to prevent outages. Proper pruning will increase system reliability by decreasing tree-related outages.
2. Costs: It costs a lot of money to prune the entire utility system. Proper pruning can reduce these costs.
3. Safety: Limbs growing near and into the powerlines can become energized and a danger to people who may contact the tree or climb the tree and reach the wires. Pruning correctly will minimize this risk.
4. Tree Health: Pruning property will maximize tree health
5. What can you do to help? Never plant a large maturing tree within the utility easement. Better to plant a tree that has a mature height of 15 feet or less and let it grow to its full form than to plant a large maturing tree and continually fight against its natural tendencies. Consider redbuds, dogwoods, multiple stem crape myrtles, etc. You can also help by calling us when you see a problem. We don’t see and hear everything so we need your eyes out there!

Our ultimate goal is to make sure the right tree is growing in the right place.

Holiday Schedule

Meetings and closings over the next few weeks include:

-Board of Commissioners Work Session, 6:30 p.m., Monday, December 21, 2009 (Beer Board at 6:15 a.m.)

-Municipal Planning Commission, Tuesday, December 22, 2009

City Hall closed Christmas Eve, December 24 and Christmas Day, December 25

City Hall closed New Year Day, January 1, 2010

Board of Commissioners/Municipal Planning Commission Joint Meeting (Land Regulations) 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Board of Commissioners regular meeting, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, January 7, 2010

Land Regulations Joint Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 5, 2010

NOTICE OF JOINT MEETING

CITY OF LAKELAND

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

& MUNICIPAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Notice is hereby given that the City of Lakeland Board of Commissioners and Municipal Planning Commission will meet in joint session to review drafts of the proposed Land Development Regulations, by Farr Assoc. The joint session will be Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 6:30 p.m., at Lakeland City Hall, 10001 U.S. Hwy 70.

I-40/Canada Road traffic signals status

City Engineer Philip Stuckert reported the following status on the traffic signals at the I-40 and Canada Road interchange:

The Contractors have submitted product literature to the consulting engineer and TDOT for approval of signal equipment. This was completed on November 21, 2009. They are waiting for this product submittals to be approved by both agencies. Delivery of signal equipment takes anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks. Once the submittals are approved, they plan to order the equipment. They suspect the submittals will be approved prior to Christmas. Once the approvals are completed, they plan to schedule their work at the interchange. I suspect that work will start in January and be completed by March 2010.

IH Clubhouse classes scheduled

CLASSES CURRENTLY OFFERED AT IH MANAGERIAL CLUBHOUSE
4523 Canada Road



ADVANCED AND COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING FOR CHILDREN AGES 4 - 15

Advanced and competitive Cheerleading is available from the local Young Champions organization (373-3655), www.youngchampions.us. Classes are held Thursday evenings for children ages 4-15 at IH Clubhouse, 4523 Canada Road through a public/private partnership between the City of Lakeland and Young Champions.

DANCE LESSONS AND DANCE OFFERED WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

Featuring West, Imperial, and East Coast Swing
IH Clubhouse, 4523 Canada Road

When: Every Wednesday 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Cost: $5.00
Lesson included - No partner needed
Lessons are from 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m., Dance until 10:00 p.m.
Drinks and water available for a Donation
Contact: thewtsd@gmail.com for more info.

EXPERIENCE A NEW APPROACH TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS WITH GYROKINESIS.

Classes will be Held at IH Clubhouse, 4523 Canada Road, Beginning January 4, 2010, at 7:30 a.m.

Cost: $25 Per Class (Recommend 6 Classes to see benefits.)
For more information or to enroll, contact Bonnie Carr at 592-9247

Using simple breath patterns and gentle movements of the spine, Gyrokinesis workouts lengthens muscles, stimulates circulation and joints, and increases flexibility. Incorporating principles of Yoga, Dance, Gymnastics, and Tai Chi, Gyrokinesis is a series of exercises that anyone can perform regardless of age, health, or fitness level.

All sessions are conducted by a Licensed Physical Therapist with more than 30 years experience in advanced training in Pilates, Gyrokinesis, and Gyrotonic.

IH CLUBHOUSE AVAILABLE FOR RENT

The IH Clubhouse is available at special rates for community classes and instructions Monday through Thursday. Call Lakeland City Hall at 867-2717 for additional information. It is also open for viewing every Wednesday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for residents new to Lakeland and anyone interested in renting the Clubhouse. The City of Lakeland schedules the Clubhouse for both public and private events such as Company gatherings, Christmas, birthday, and anniversary parties, weddings, reunions, etc.

For further clubhouse rental information, call City Hall at 867-2717

(Compiled by Gerry Burditt, Editor of Qnetcola@bellsouth.net. To receive this on-line newsletter of Lakeland news and events, e-mail Qnetcola@bellSouth.net)