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VW Hires First 22 Workers for Plant Production

2010-02-09T09:15:46-05:00

From Volkswagen Group:

Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations has hired the first group of production workers for its new manufacturing plant this week. Delivering on the promise of job growth for Chattanooga and Hamilton County, 100 percent of these employees are residents of Hamilton County, Tennessee.

The group, consisting of 22 production team members, will spend three weeks in Volkswagen orientation classes which serve as an introduction to Volkswagen products, culture and efficient manufacturing practices. Some of the production team members will travel to other Volkswagen manufacturing facilities around the world for first-hand experience.

When fully trained, these team members will work in the paint shop, the body shop and the assembly shop once the plant is operational.

“The hiring of our first production team members is another important milestone in this project,” said Hans-Herbert Jagla, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Volkswagen in Chattanooga. “As we have said from the beginning, we prioritize hiring as close to the plant as possible—it just makes good sense,” Jagla said.

The second group of production team members to be hired will begin the process next week and will also be made up 100 percent of residents from Chattanooga and Hamilton County. The process will continue throughout 2010. The team members will be building a new midsize sedan that is currently undergoing initial quality tests.

Chattanooga Voting to 'Stand and Deliver' for Education

2010-02-08T17:15:00-05:00

Education continues to be one of the area's most pressing issues, and a new grassroots effort is underway to generate ideas and create change. CreateHere is asking Chattanooga residents to vote for Stand and Deliver, a proposal to organize two citizen-led education summits, in Pepsi's Refrsh Everything grants program.

Refresh Everything, which is organized by GOOD magazine and funded by Pepsi, is giving away up to $1.3 million per month throughout 2010. Each day during the monthlong voting periods, registered users can vote for up to 10 project proposals. Projects voted into the top 10 for each of three monetary categories—$5,000, $25,000, $50,000—will receive funding.

Stand and Deliver is asking for a $50,000 grant to develop "a six-month process focused on improving education in Chattanooga, Tenn., culminating in two citizen summits and a family of projects backed by locals," the online proposal says.

Josh McManus, co-founder of CreateHere, says the project could benefit more than just Hamilton County students. "Stand and Deliver is not a project exclusively geared towards Hamilton County students: it’s for the entire Chattanooga area, and indeed, it may be a model other cities can use around the world," he said in an email. "There will be countless benefits to students in the area. We expect that more citizens will play an active role in local schools as a result of Stand and Deliver; and that materials and projects that come out of the project will be uniquely tailored to the needs of those they serve."

Because the grants are awarded based on a public voting process, organizers have been calling for public support. Patty Streip, Family Partnership Specialist at Battle Academy, sent an email to parents asking them to review and vote for the project. And last week, a Chattanooga Times editorial called on citizens to support the initiative. Supporters have been using social networking platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to urge friends to vote daily.

McManus also noted the importance of building public support. "I should stress: the voting process is significant, but what matters more is energizing a base of people in a process that encourages creative problem solving," he said. "We’ve seen firsthand that citizens have the power to revitalize neighborhoods, create enduring models and methods, and support one another. Stand and Deliver taps into that spirit of collective accountability: we owe it to each other to make sure education improves."

To learn more about CreateHere's proposal, or to vote, visit www.refresheverything.com/createhere

Fairmount Ave. Zoning Goes to Planning Commission

2010-02-06T13:30:00-05:00

The outlook is grim for the Chattanooga Housing Authority's proposed 36-unit apartment complex on Fairmount Avenue in North Chattanooga. This Monday, the Regional Planning Commission will consider a request to rezone the existing complex, which C.H.A. plans to demolish, to a lower density. If approved, C.H.A. could potentially lose a $4.2 million stimulus grant to pay for the new development.

The zoning request—proposed by the mayor and triggered by a Chattanooga City Council vote in January—is recommended for approval by RPA Staff. Other than the existing C.H.A. building, the area consists primarily of single-family homes, the agency's report says. The RPA report also notes that (had the agency existed), it would not have recommended the current, high-density R-3 zoning in 1968.

A lower density "means fewer units which translates into less traffic and reduced impact on the current street system, which is not well suited to high density development and other infrastructure," the staff report says.

The report will influence the Planning Commission's decision on Monday, as well as the City Council when it considers the same measure. The 15-member Planning Commission consists of city and county representatives including Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield and City Councilman Jack Benson. Both have criticized C.H.A.'s plans in recent weeks.

During the State of the City address on Thursday, the mayor unequivocally condemned C.H.A., saying that the agency is a "problem child" that has moved "from one developmental and financial disaster to another."

"If the Chattanooga Housing Authority is to survive the decade ahead and serve out its greater purpose, it will require a new attitude and new leadership," Littlefield said.

C.H.A. Executive Director Betsy McCright attended the mayor's address and left shortly after the event. On Friday she said the tone of the speech was disheartening. "We have made every effort to work cooperatively with city officials on the Fairmount project, and we will continue to do so," she said.

Prior to the mayor's address on Thursday, the C.H.A. Board of Commissioners authorized McCright to take any action necessary, including legal remedies, to preserve the agency's property interest at the Fairmount Avenue site.

The City Council's action in January "seriously affects both the viability of the proposed development, as well as the C.H.A.'s property interest in the existing apartment complex should the zoning change become effective," the C.H.A. resolution says.

Once the Planning Commission deliberates on the issue, an ordinance to rezone the site will move back to the City Council. An ordinance to lower the site's density will be accompanied by recommendations from both the RPA Staff (to approve) and the result of the Planning Commission's upcoming vote.

The original resolution that triggered the zoning request was approved by the City Council in a 7–2 vote.

Update | Feb. 8, 2010 Chattanoogan.com reports that the Planning Commission postponed the decision to rezone the Fairmount Avenue site at the mayor's request:

Mayor Ron Littlefield said Monday afternoon he is conferring with HUD officials to try to work out a settlement in regard to the controversial Fairmount Apartments in North Chattanooga.

On the mayor's recommendation, the Planning Commission tabled a proposal by the city to rezone the three-acre property from R-3 to RTZ, which in effect would have killed the CHA plan to use $4.8 million in federal stimulus funds to rebuild the complex for low-income residents.

Mayor Littlefield said the settlement would involve "changes to the site, design and density."

Weekendist | CSO and Free First Sunday at the Hunter

2010-02-05T12:31:08-05:00

Hunter Museum By joevare via Flickr .

Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

AEC Independent Film Series: An Education

Adapted for the screen by novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), An Education is based on Lynn Barber's memoir of the same name. Watch the trailer. The film opens today at the Carmike Majestic 12 and plays all week. For showtimes, visit carmike.com.

CSO: Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

Maestra Mei-Ann Chen debuts with the CSO for Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov's musical telling of the "1001 Arabian Nights."

How I Became the Bomb, Moonlight Bride, Zut Alores

Chattanooga and Nashville favorites Moonlight Bride and How I Became the Bomb join forces for the show of the weekend at JJ's Bohemia.

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010

CSO: The Opera Show

The Opera Show premiered in England in the summer of 2008 and features a high-caliber performing company of four vocalists, five dancers and eight musicians. The show is anchored by a collection of well known arias sung by consummate vocalists.

Jim Pfitzer Presents Storytelling in St. Elmo

In 'St. Elmo's Living Room', Isaac Blevins will tell a variety of stories from folktales and legends to epic sagas, accompanied by Mountain Music Folk School co-founder Christie Burns on hammered dulcimer.

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010

Free First Sunday

The Hunter Museum offers free access to all galleries, along with family-friendly craft activities, for all visitors. Creative Underground will present a special Black History Month performance.

Music Review | 'Scratch My Back'

2010-02-05T09:26:20-05:00

Peter Gabriel
Scratch My Back
(EMI, 2010)

Peter Gabriel, one of the music industry’s most prolific contributors, will release a new album later this month. Scratch My Back is a collection of cover songs originally penned by some of the most famous stars of the last twenty years, including David Bowie, Bon Iver, Talking Heads and Regina Spektor.

If every musician that had success in the late-70s and early-80s continued to pursue their career as doggedly as Gabriel has, the market would be saturated, world music would most likely be considered pejorative, and the earpiece microphone never would have been laid to rest. It is almost as if he failed to consider such a thought, or just didn’t care, when setting his career trajectory.

Thankfully, these descriptors fail to encapsulate Gabriel’s donations to his craft. Scratch My Back resounds in the universe in a uniquely Peter Gabriel manner, featuring only the acoustic instruments typical to the symphony orchestra and piano.

Choosing to cover such a broad swath of artists on a single album poses a real challenge in seeking overall unity. The original versions are stylistically diverse, each artist having gained acclaim from different pockets of the music industry—you would be hard-pressed to find both Lou Reed and Arcade Fire on any other LP. Despite the obvious challenge wrapped up in this effort, Gabriel’s choice to create an album with unique orchestrations and bizarre source content makes this one stand apart.

While still colored by that good, old fashioned feeling that is innate to the likes of the Genesis/Tony Banks sound machine, Scratch My Back successfully avoids the schmaltz that is often associated with the powerful pop vocals and songwriting a la "Red Rain" and "Sledgehammer."

On “Flume”, Gabriel covers Wisconsin indie darlings, Bon Iver. When Bon Iver released For Emma, Forever Ago, it was met with rave reviews both here and in the UK. The immense amount of feeling wrapped up in this music is what skyrocketed it to the top of the charts, and thankfully this feeling is not lost in Gabriel’s reinterpretation. Gabriel’s voice is tinged with the achy timbre of a long career, but in some way that has made his ability to reshape “Flume” into an equally poignant and moving aural experience.

Not all of Gabriel’s re-articulating is as enjoyable as his work with “Flume”, however. Sometimes the orchestrations are heavy on the lush side, such as the cover of Magnetic Fields' “The Book of Love." Erring on the side of soundtrack-y is a stereotype that most people will agree Gabriel has to own up to. Thankfully, the successes on Scratch My Back outweigh some of its overly fulsome undertones.

Campaign Disclosures Reveal Top Contenders, Says National Political Magazine

2010-02-05T07:45:00-05:00

The Congressional Quarterly's online publication likens campaign finance reports to "a strong cup of coffee or a cold shower." Here's an excerpt:

The open-seat race doesn’t include any elected state officials, but Robin Smith, a former state Republican Party chairwoman, appears to be the candidate with the best connections among Volunteer State political insiders. She used those connections to bring in $91,000 from October to December leaving her $180,000 in cash on hand at the end of the year.

Unless the field changes before the April candidate filing deadline, Smith’s top competitor in the GOP primary appears to be Chuck Fleischmann, an attorney and former radio talk show host who is proving to be one of the top self-funders of the cycle. He has loaned his campaign $380,000 since filing in May and reported $451,000 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31.

Be sure to read the rest, including a discussion of Georgia's 9th District, which covers much of Chattanooga's metro area on the Georgia side of the border.

A recent letter to chattanoogan.com, on the other hand, decries the notion that contributions should determine who represents us in Washington. Kelley McNabb wrote:

The Chattanoogan.com has been brimming the last few days with candidates from all of the races rolling out the rhetoric to try to convince the public that their bank balances should mean something to us.

Show me the candidate who has more ideas than dollars. Show me the candidate who has more experience than attitude. Show me the candidate who seems to understand that they’ll represent all of us in Congress: those who contributed to one side, those who contributed to another, and the majority who made no financial contributions at all.

In City Address, Mayor Sets a Bold Agenda

2010-02-04T23:09:22-05:00

Mayor Ron Littlefield during State of the City Address. By John Hawbaker.

Water quality, green infrastructure, consolidation of governmental services. These were the three priorities Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield highlighted in his 2010 State of the City address Thursday evening. Speaking at the newly restored Lindsay Street Hall, the mayor set a bold path for a new decade and addressed long-standing challenges to an audience of more than 200 city employees and officials.

"As we emerge from the great recession we find ourselves on the threshold of a new age of promise and progress," he said. "We have survived the most significant economic contraction since the 1930s. There are new rules, a new model of sustainability and environmental responsibility, but it’s a new game in which Chattanooga is uniquely qualified to play."

Recalling the "golden age of Chattanooga" between 1900 to 1910 in which the population doubled and much of the existing city infrastructure was initially established, Littlefield said the city needs to devote resources to build a new, sustainable foundation for the next decade.

Public housing and water quality were two of the challenges posed by the mayor in the 45-minute speech. Housing must be inclusive, he said, and the city must focus on retaining a "high standard of livability" for increasingly diverse communities.

Littlefield criticized the Chattanooga Housing Authority for working against the city and moving forward on a proposed 36-unit apartment complex in North Chattanooga. "In recent years, the Chattanooga Housing Authority has stumbled and staggered from one developmental and financial disaster to another," he said. "They do not need to repeat the sad experience, yet they seem determined."

"Chattanooga needs a partner, not a problem child," he said.

Like 2009's state of the city and inaugural addresses, water quality and sewer jurisdictions were major themes. On Thursday, the mayor proposed green infrastructure as one solution to reduce stormwater runoff, which he said would meet federal standards at a fraction of the cost, and could potentially lower contentious water quality fees.

He also pledged that new city-constructed buildings would meet rigorous, energy-efficient standards. "Beginning now, any building done by the City of Chattanooga will be LEED certified," he said.

The mayor concluded his address with three proposals that would increase municipal government's size and clear a path for metro government in Hamilton County: form an industrial-grade water and sewer utility, resolve tax inequalities between city and county residents; and consolidate governmental services.

The mayor proposed several consolidations, the first being the City Treasurer's Office and the office of the Hamilton County Trustee. He called for a merged Parks and Recreation department. And a proposal to merge fire and police departments between the city and county was met with resounding applause by the audience.

"Let's not place boundaries on public safety," Littlefield said. "If we are to enjoy the greatest benefits of the decade ahead, we must have unified, skilled and equipped departments providing a modern urban level of services without regard to borders or jurisdictional limitations."

Transcript | State of the City Address

2010-02-04T18:30:00-05:00

Prepared remarks delivered by Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield at the Lindsay Street Hall Thursday.

State of the City 2010

"Every year—every New Year—arrives with a sense of anticipation and optimism...a burst of positive energy and enthusiasm.

The old year has been packed away with the holiday ornaments and we gather our thoughts, our hopes and our dreams to consider the possibilities.

Some of us make resolutions, some of us set goals and some just hope for the best.

Then, there are those special years—the ones that usher in a new decade—those special years that end with a “0”. These are census years and the comprehensive counts that take place at that time establish a baseline on which we build our future.

A census is underway right now and the result will affect life for just about everyone as the decade unfolds. It is important that we get it right.

Decades are particularly meaningful measures of time.

Decades - We give them names: “The Roaring Twenties”, “The Fabulous Fifties”. The unique qualities and personalities of decades are woven into the colorful fabric of our history.

The first two decades of the last century were a golden age for Chattanooga. Much of the infrastructure and many of our great buildings of Chattanooga are products of that age.

From 1900 to 1910 the population of the city and adjoining suburbs doubled from approximately 50,000 to over 100,000.

The City was laced with 79 miles of street railway, electric lights throughout the city and suburbs, a modern gas system and a very efficient telephone system.

Further, the city had 29 miles of paved streets and 47 miles of sewers. Scratch down through the layers and I’m sure that we are still using those miles of basic infrastructure. Some might argue (hopefully in jest) that we haven’t done much maintenance on them since that time.

Interestingly, in researching history for this occasion, it was learned from old news reports that on Sunday, December 10, 1911, the Incline Railway went out of service for several hours while it was converted from steam to electric power. We need to prepare to celebrate that centennial anniversary next year.

And so, looking back at the history that first established Chattanooga as a significant city, let us look forward to the decade ahead and the issues and actions that will determine what sort of city we shall become.

The decade ahead. Now and the near future.

There are two current concerns that have long term implications. Loosely they might be gathered under two titles:

Our built environment—particularly Housing—having to do with our quality of life and neighborhoods, and

Our natural environment—particularly Water—having to do with the quality and sustainability of this place that God has given us.

We proudly tell the world that Chattanooga is the most transformed city in America. How many times we have related the true tale of that dark day in 1969 when Walter Cronkite announced on his top ranked national news program that the most polluted city in the United States was, in fact, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our climb back from that low point is something that has put us on the short list of progressive communities. Now, hardly a week goes by without Chattanooga at least being mentioned and often featured in some mainstream publication—often one of the lifestyle journals—most recently BusinessWeek and Fast Company magazines. We are surely a city on the rise.

In terms of housing, we have become known as a city of walkable, livable neighborhoods. Our greenways and trails, our parks and our commitment to extending our network of sidewalks are paying a healthy return. We are seen as one of those rare communities where people choose to live here because the living is good here—not just because they work here. It is a quality that pays dividends in retaining our citizens, giving them reasons to “age in place” as the new term puts it—and even to attract retirees from nearby cities like Atlanta and even distant places like Michigan and Florida. I find that more and more at national gatherings the attractiveness of having a climate that is essentially free of the fierce cold of the north and the fierce storms of the coastal south is seen as something of great advantage. When I tell mayors from other places that Chattanooga is very attractive to “half backs”—and then explain that I’m speaking of those individuals and families that move from north to south and then half way back—the others simply smile and shake heads knowingly or shrug as if to say “What can we do to compete with that?” In the decade ahead, we must do more to take advantage of this natural but fragile quality.

We have been invited by Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, to contribute a chapter to a book that he is producing on city livability. Cisneros has been to Chattanooga a few times over the years and he has witnessed our great transformation first hand. Since leaving government, he has become a keen observer and advisor regarding proper directions in housing of our growing and changing populations. He now is Executive Chairman of City View companies dedicated to producing workforce homes in America’s cities. He has produced two books on the subject of measures to improve housing and neighborhoods.

The first, Casa Y Comunidad on the special needs of Latino families was published in 2006 by the National Association of Homebuilders. Two years later with the aid of the Brookings Institution, he produced a second book, From Despair to Hope describing a new way of thinking on the subject of low income housing. It was a new concept based on personal inspiration from James Rouse—the same individual whose inspiration led to Chattanooga Neighborhoods Enterprise.

During his watch as HUD Secretary, Cisneros fostered the shift away from the old, traditional concept of simply warehousing the poor in bland, depressing multistory high density housing projects to a more hopeful and enlightened approach of developing housing that is integrated with its community and neighborhood. In short, public housing that does not look or feel like public housing.

In this context, I have to say that it is difficult to understand why our own housing authority would wish to take a step backward and build, once again, a public housing development that concentrates and isolates the poor in a location that lacks the needed elements such as access to public transportation and other qualities that give the residents options and add to hope and optimism. Whatever else can be said about the proposed high density housing development at the steep and narrow end of Fairmont Avenue, it unquestionably will look and feel like public housing. No one takes issue with the need for public housing in general or the utility of the Fairmont site in addressing the community’s overall goal of inclusion with safe and livable housing for everyone, but the development as proposed ignores the lessons learned over the decades since World War II and offers a 50 year retreat in thinking. It must not be built as currently planned and designed.

The coming decade will demand that we retain a high standard of livability and that means housing that is inclusive—where people of mixed incomes, colors and cultures can live in harmony and in proximity to one another. Where the aging and infirm can feel that they remain a vital part of their neighborhood. Henry Cisneros’ plan for replacing despair with hope is the correct approach.

In recent years, the Chattanooga Housing Authority has stumbled and staggered from one developmental and financial disaster to another. They do not need to repeat the sad experience, yet they seem determined. In their diminished economic condition, they do not need to be wasting resources hiring lawyers to fight the very city that they were created to serve. Most importantly, as we move into the decade ahead and as we as a community continue to strive to set a national example of quality of life, strong neighborhoods with safe and livable housing for everyone, Chattanooga needs a partner not a problem child. Accordingly, I stand ready to offer the Housing Authority more appropriate and affordable office space in closer proximity to City Hall, additional development sites and other assistance to seek our mutual goals. However, if the Chattanooga Housing Authority is to survive in the decade ahead and serve out its greater purpose, it will require a new attitude and new leadership. We need a partner, not a problem child.

Finally, regarding a special issue related to housing let me say just a word about those with no home at all. I do not often agree with Harry Austin, one of the editors of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. And those who read him on a regular basis will know that he does not often agree with me. In fact, he often takes me to task about one thing or another. But he wrote something just the other day that I absolutely agree with. He noted that the recent days of bitter cold and challenging weather condition underscore the need for an emergency shelter to house our homeless during such occasions and for those other emergencies such as storms which force us to press recreation centers and other facilities not designed for the purpose into temporary service. We’ve made great strides with the Community Kitchen, the Interfaith Homeless Network and other facilities. But it’s time for a well designed and specialized emergency shelter. It’s time.

Now, let’s talk about water—clean water and not-so-clean water.

The electrical outage that resulted in the overflow of untreated sewage into the Tennessee River last week helped in a very harsh way to underscore a reality: We are not just a city—not just a loose confederation of different political jurisdictions; we are a region joined together by one all-encompassing environment. We share a watershed. If during the recent sewer overflow crisis you had poured dye down a drain in East Ridge or Red Bank or any of the outlying areas with sewers, you could have seen that dye reappear at the overflow points and at the outfall for the City of Chattanooga.

All of the issues that we are presently discussing and debating relative to water: water quality fees, sewers, leaking service lines and, yes, even annexation are related to how we provide and manage the water that we as a community claim as a resource.

As for the shock and shouting over the recent rise in water quality fees, I certainly understand. I pay them too and I sense the pain of businesses and particularly that of nonprofits and churches. I will not try and downplay the financial impact of that necessary action. It is regrettable but necessary.

There is a simple solution to it all. If every property owner will just take responsibility for the precipitation that falls on his or her own piece of real estate, the problem can be solved. If every residence, business, church and industry could just capture and hold a one inch rain and allow it to soak into the ground—never leaving the site in question– the issue would be largely handled without further governmental action or expense.

Of course, that’s not how we’ve been building and developing our cities. Instead, we have followed a development pattern that assumes that we can catch, channel and convey our natural precipitation and dump it on our downstream neighbor. Somewhere, it is assumed that any pollutants in the water will be filtered out.

Every acre of impervious surface, such as asphalt, concrete and rooftop creates over a million gallons of stormwater runoff per year. An acre is about the size of a football field minus the end zones.As you drive around our city visualize football fields as you look at the pavement and try to imagine the amount of water...hundreds of million gallons...even billions of runoff that are created by that. Our approach in the past has been to try to put more and more pavement on top of the ground and more pipes and bigger holding areas under the ground. That approach is not financially sustainable for us or any other city. More importantly, it is not cleaning the water from all the oil and other pollutants that are carried from the parking lots and other hard surfaces.

I know that I might be getting a little technical and detailed, but please bear with me. How we handle this issue will have a very significant effect on how we progress in the decade ahead.

For cities with combined sewers, the problem is even worse. We have heard horror story after horror story from leaders in our peer communities. A few weeks ago, I sat in Washington with the Mayors of Akron and Lima, Ohio—listening to them outline the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to address federal clean water guidelines. Just last week, l was back in Washington with others from Kansas City—said to be saddled with a $2.6 billion program—and the Mayor of Des Moines—a city that will only need $250 to 500 million.

Philadelphia estimated that it would take $16 billion of pipes and holding areas over the next fifteen years just to meet their requirements and those of EPA and the state of Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately, for all of that expenditure they would get no visible benefit. (Kind of like the plumbing in your home, it's necessary, but not the focal point of the home.)

They have found that by putting green infrastructure on the surface (holding areas, landscaping, trees) that they canmeet their requirements for 10% of that cost (or $1.6 billion instead of $16 billion). In the process they accomplish multiple objectives: Communities and Business Districts are revitalized. Recreation areas are created. The city is more attractive and healthier. And, thousands of jobs will be created in process. None of that happens by just expanding the city's plumbing by adding more pipes and pits underground.

Again, I don’t want to lose you, but this issue is critical in how our community will move forward in the decade ahead.

Philadelphia wants every stream fishable, swimmable and accessible in twenty years...we have had similar goals...this will facilitate us reaching those goals—and it is both environmentally and economically sustainable.

To do this we will have to change the way we design and build our city. Many of our codes and ordinances are out of date and don't allow the very things that we need to do in order to create green infrastructure. We must update and integrate those codes to create a new way of designing and building our man-made environment. And, we will follow our own rules. If an ordinance or code is too much trouble for us it is too much trouble for everybody else and needs to be changed. We will lead by example.

Last year the City Climate Action Task Force (my Green Committee) asked that we establish an office to pursue implementation of our very thorough and award winning plan. I have taken that action by appointing former councilman David Crockett to position of Director of the Office of Sustainability. Dave has a love for the job at hand; he has something of a worldwide reputation and following. Everywhere I go, someone asks “How’s Dave Crockett?” or “What’s Dave Crockett up to these days?” It happened again just last Friday in Washington. He’s a whirlwind of energy and we’ve told him to charge ahead.

So, how will things be immediately different?

Beginning now any building done by the city of Chattanooga will be L.E.E.D. certified. L.E.E.D stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”. The local nonprofit agency “Greenspaces” has been our partner in implementing this concept with recent city buildings and promoting the concept for others in private enterprise.

Buildings built to this standard save energy, materials, water and money. Some cities like New York now require that every new building meet that standard. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers builds every building for the Army to that standard. The two large construction projects done recently, the Blue Cross Blue Shield office complex and the Volkswagen automotive plant, are both L.E.E.D. certified projects. These two large projects along with many other significant L.E.E.D. projects, including city of Chattanooga projects, have already set that high standard and we will maintain it.

Chattanooga will pursue a course of creating “green infrastructure” as an alternative to our past practices of grey infrastructure below ground and impervious surfaces above ground. Green infrastructure is just that. It is a new way of collecting stormwater above ground with natural vegetation and systems that are attractive, less expensive and accomplish multiple objectives. They not only deal with stormwater but become the central theme for neighborhood and commercial revitalization, creating additional recreational areas and becoming a significant job generator for our city and region.

We will adopt the philosophy and practice of Thomas Jefferson: retain and conserve the water - recharge rather than discharge. Somehow we got on the wrong track - conveyance and treatment...as opposed to retain and recharge….

This is a new path. We will learn together. We will partner with business and communities to develop new approaches. We will partner with leading cities around the country to transfer their experiences and knowledge. We will profit from this by developing new skills, new business opportunities and hopefully new technologies that can be used here and in other cities across the country. We will develop new codes and ordinances for landscaping, urban forestry, stormwater, street design, etc. that are integrated and promote functional and attractive green infrastructure.

I will task our City Departments and the Office of Sustainability to provide the resources and support for us to begin that learning experience.

The decade ahead: The challenge and opportunity of joint utilities

As a community, we have experienced and demonstrated the value of unity through our recent economic development successes. Just a few weeks ago, a gathering of Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia elected officials discussed ways to improve planning and development across our 13 county region.

One of the more prominent factors under review was the need for coordinated water and sewer resources. The group discussed the sensitive but necessary process of breaking down emotional resistance and other barriers in order to merge small utility districts into a more workable and larger entity. It was acknowledged that the greatest resistance often relates to individuals and their egos and the personal identification with membership on boards for small jurisdictions.

In the Chattanooga / Hamilton County urban area, the real challenge is to put our egos aside, check our jurisdictional prejudices at the door and get on with the serious business of building a better community for our children and grandchildren.

If we are to achieve all that we might hope for during the decade ahead, Chattanooga—and I mean by that the Chattanooga Area—will need an industrial grade water and sewer utility—much like the Electric Power Board, but focused on providing the best possible water and sewer services and even being responsible for storm water. It is all about water quality. This is an environmental issue that is not going away but is instead likely to grow in importance in the decade ahead. As I said in the beginning, this issue arguably also affects annexation since numerous failing septic systems were observed in surrounding subdivisions during the recent actions to annex within the city’s growth boundary. (And all of that septic overflow collecting in ditches outside the city flows downstream into Chattanooga.)

The city is in possession of the key piece of the puzzle: The Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant and the central interceptor sewer system. This state-of-the art facility consists of the main plant rated at 140 million gallons per day, several large pump stations and 1255 miles of sewers. If built today, just the main parts would probably cost more than $2 billion.

I am proposing that we offer this as the central asset of a larger and much more comprehensive system to serve the growth needs of the entire area.

Some might argue that bigger is not always better and sometimes that is quite correct. But in the case of water and sewer services, larger operations are necessary to properly staff and manage and properly address environmental issues and regulations. As we have learned and as has been recently demonstrated, the provision of modern water and sewer service is a very technical and complex process.

Chattanooga’s success in the decade ahead will depend to a very large degree on how we deal with this issue. It is critical. Accordingly, I have asked Councilman Peter Murphy to represent our interests by serving on a commission of local leaders to move this idea toward reality.

The decade ahead: The challenge and opportunity of tax equity

The old sales tax sharing agreement—negotiated in the 1960’s when Ralph Kelley was Mayor of the City and Chester Frost was Hamilton County Judge is due to expire May 23, 2011.

Over the years, this agreement has been debated, discussed, detracted, dissected and (often) detested. The original purpose might have been a good idea with all the right intentions, but its effect on the city and county and the joint services that it was designed to finance has never been comfortably resolved. Over the years, both principal parties to the agreement—the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County have expressed feelings of dissatisfaction and a sense that one side or the other was getting more or less than bargained for. In short, the equity of the arrangement has never been settled.

This is a complex matter but central in setting joint goals and establishing working relationships going forward. Last year, I had an intern research the issue and he produced hundreds of pages of documents including the original agreement plus numerous amendments and newspaper articles on the issue. It is a Gordian Knot of complications and entanglements, but it must be dealt with. It will take persistence and a special gift for handling details. Toward that end, I have asked Councilwoman Deborah Scott to represent the city’s interests in a multi-governmental committee to untangle and define the details of the existing agreement and to determine how we might fashion a new arrangement that is fair and equitable for all citizens.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the best “bad example” of city and county cooperation and joint funding—under the old sales tax agreement—is, in fact, the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library. As we wrestle with other elements of tax equity, we will not wait to move forward with implementing the plan that we developed a few months ago. Accordingly, we have engaged Partners for Livable Communities—a Washington DC based group that worked with us during the Chattanooga Venture years—to help us make this institution a fully updated and world class example of what we can accomplish together. One of the elements of our plan will be the development of a “model branch” library—probably in Brainerd—taking advantage of the unique relationship with the Brainerd Mission and its significant place in the Chattanooga community and the history of the Cherokee nation.

The decade ahead: Other opportunities for consolidating services

For some time now, we have talked of CONSOLIDATING SERVICES. It has been agreed that we can begin with the City Treasurer’s Office and the office of the Hamilton County Trustee. To that we have added the City and County Court Clerks, but these are baby steps—necessary steps, but a decidedly small step toward our goal.

Next, we need to move toward a complete consolidation of city and county Parks and Recreation functions. We have already demonstrated that we can work together successfully on specific properties such as the riverwalk. The new athletic facilities developed by the city such as the Summit of Softball will serve the entire region and, at least to some extent, the greater Chattanooga and Hamilton County area should join in support. There are successful models presently operating in the State of Tennessee. In Blount County a Parks Commission serves both the county and principal cities with recreational properties and services. Locally, it should go beyond athletic facilities. A Parks Commission for Chattanooga and Hamilton County should be responsible for a full range of recreational activities—including ornamental and passive parks and recreation centers.

In similar manner, the Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts and Culture manages and maintains the Tivoli Theater and the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Auditorium and provides inspiration and animation for civic centers in Hixson and East Brainerd. These are community assets that need to be supported by the combined interests of all local jurisdictions.

Let’s not place boundaries on Public Safety—if we are to enjoy the greatest benefits of the decade ahead, we must have unified, skilled and equipped departments providing a modern urban level of services without regard to borders or jurisdictional limitations.

As for fire protection, we have the best trained, best equipped and most qualified fire service in the area—not a brag, just a fact. In response to the recent and continuing tragedy in Haiti, we signaled authorities that we were prepared to send a ten person team of our firefighters—specially trained in urban search and rescue skills. The group was kept on alert and ready to go until orders came from those managing the crisis that our group could stand down. Other current factors include a new Enterprise South Fire Station scheduled to open in August of this year. Several new pieces of equipment are on order. A class of 30 firefighter recruits is presently in training and planning is advancing for a second fire station in Lookout Valley.

Regarding police, it should be noted that our department has retained accreditation and continues to set the standard for law enforcement in the Chattanooga area. In terms of size, it has remained stable at about 450 commissioned officers, but intends to grow to a force of 500 as soon as economic conditions permit. In spite of financial limitations and the pressures of a growing community with new and constantly changing challenges of a major urban area (such as the relentless evolution of gangs and drugs) the Chattanooga Police Department has succeeded in reducing crime totals in both violent and non-violent categories. As we studied annexation, we learned that almost 60 percent of our officers are driving their patrol cars to their homes in the county. Since it is acknowledged that they are always on duty protecting our community, we need to institutionalize this situation. We need a consolidated countywide police force.

Public Works—This department has lived a dual existence for the last year and a half. On the one hand, many of those in the department have had full-time jobs working on the Volkswagen site and a second full-time job handling the regular responsibilities of a public works department serving a major city. We learned the value of unity when both the city and county crews were jointly assigned to site preparation for the VW initiative. If we are to enjoy the full fruits of success in the coming decade, we need a unified department serving the entire community.

For the decade ahead, consolidation for the sake of efficiency, economy and unity is the key.

As we emerge from “The Great Recession” we find ourselves on the threshold of a new age of promise and progress. We have survived the most significant economic contraction since the 1930’s. There are new rules, a new model of sustainability and environmental responsibility, but it’s a new game in which Chattanooga is uniquely qualified to play. Accordingly, what we must be about at this time is building a foundation for the next decade.

Ladies and gentlemen, the State of the City is good, but the decade ahead can be much better.

As we enter the “20 Teens”, we should claim the coming decade - the years to come as our special time “The Chattanooga Decade”.

One hundred years ago, we were described by our Chamber of Commerce as “The City that pays dividends”. In more recent times, we have been described as a community rich in history, bright with promise—a city with more untapped potential than any other.

Now, with unity of purpose we can turn this proud moment into a truly catalytic time when we once again “turned talk into action” and established Chattanooga as more than that community with a musical name. We can legitimately lay claim to the title of “best midsize city in America”

As we emerge from the Great Recession and wait for strength to return to our financial institutions in advance of a new wave of development, there is nothing more important, nothing more transformational that we can be about than the process of consolidating our services and unifying our governments.

This administration has 3 years and 2 months to accomplish its purpose, to put the structure in place for Chattanooga to achieve its destiny. That is time enough, but not too much time. To borrow the words of Robert Frost, we have “promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep….”

Here is our chance, it is our time.

It is “The Chattanooga Decade”….. Let’s go to work."

Chattarati Live: 2010 State of the City Address

2010-02-04T17:00:00-05:00

The Real House Candidates of Hamilton County

2010-02-04T11:30:00-05:00

It all started with that rarest of occurrences: the newspaper accidentally reported something that wasn't factual. Specifically, the Chattanooga Times Free Press included Dave Goetz in a list of Chuck Fleischmann's financial supporters. Dave Goetz, you see, is a Democrat. And he's not just any Democrat: he "serves as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration."

Mark Winslow, a campaign spokesman for Robin Smith, sent an e-mail to Smith supporters that not only castigated Fleischmann for accepting money from a member of the opposing party, but also swiped none-too-subtly at said party itself.

"Democrats finally have a candidate in District 3! Dave Goetz (Bredesen's right hand man and TN Commissioner of Finance) was one of the few people who actually contributed to Chuck Fleischmann's campaign in the last quarter of 2009.

Goetz is widely known as a democrat party insider and partisan campaigner for democrats in middle Tennessee. I guess democrats finally found their candidate."

Records show that Commissioner Goetz did make a contribution in the 3rd District race—to former Democratic candidate Paula Flowers, who dropped out last year.

The Fleischmann campaign issued a denial and demanded an apology.

Robin Smith is playing the same old game we have come to expect from politicos and party bosses. Her attack on Chuck Fleischmann is 100% untrue, and she knows it. In attempt to cover up her poor fundraising effort last year, and the fact that Chuck has 2.5 times more cash-on-hand than she does ($451,000 to $180,000), she has sent out an email accusing Chuck of receiving a donation from a member of Governor Bredesen’s cabinet. All Mrs. Smith had to do was simply look through Chuck’s disclosure with the FEC and she would have known it is simply not true.

[…] "Robin should apologize to Chuck for her rush to judgment, and consider taking the high road throughout the remainder of this campaign.”

The politicos in (former party boss) Smith's campaign were quick to pick up on the "politicos and party bosses" line, and issued a diatribe against, well, party bosses and paid political consultants.

In a release today, Fleischmann’s paid consultant, former Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chip Saltsman, attacked Smith as a “party boss” and continued to mischaracterize the financial status of the Republican candidates in the Third District primary. Mr. Fleischmann and his consultant repeatedly point to Mr. Fleischmann’s ability to use his personal wealth, gained as a collections and personal injury lawyer, to loan his campaign cash as a sign of strength while average Tennesseans are struggling to make ends meet in a tough economy.

“Mr. Fleischmann and Mr. Saltsman, the ‘party boss’ on his payroll, have no grounds to lecture anyone on honesty,” [Smith campaign spokesman Mark] Winslow continued. “After scraping in a paltry $24,000 in contributions for the final quarter, it is clear Tennesseans have heard Chuck Fleischmann and said no thanks. What they will not tell you is that Mr. Fleischmann’s total contributions from individual voters over three quarters have dropped from $60,000 to $54,000 to $24,000. While Mr. Fleischmann will not acknowledge the falling support revealed in his lack of contributions and chooses instead to attack Robin Smith, he cannot cover up the fact that he has no traction, no message and is left to attempt to buy the election. In August, Tennesseans will have the opportunity to decide if they wish to be represented by a true conservative leader with a 20 year record or a slick but empty campaign crafted by professional consultants.”

For those who have followed Tennessee politics for some time, none of this is very surprising. First of all, it's politics. Even candidates and supporters who have previously been "on the same team" are going to look for ways to distinguish themselves from rivals.

But Robin Smith and Chip Saltsman, both former chairs of the Tennessee Republican Party, have a little more history. Saltsman, you recall, ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign. The following is entirely speculation, but that could have put distance between him and Tennessee Republicans for whom former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson was the preferred candidate.

Not speculative is the fact that Saltsman ran for National Republican Committee Chair last year, and that Smith endorsed South Carolina's party chair, Katon Dawson, over Saltsman. (Saltsman had arguably narrowed his chances of winning the post by sending a controversial Christmas gift to friends the month before.)

Until yesterday, the messages coming out of these campaigns were mostly aimed at "liberals in Washington." As the the August primary draws nearer, though, we can expect to see more attacks on opponents, especially from campaigns that, through breadth or volume of financial clout, see themselves as the most viable contenders for the spot.

There may not have been any "demon sheep" in yesterday's season opener, but there are almost six months to go. Enjoy the show.

(UPDATE: Link corrected to the "demon sheep" article. Thanks to reader Dan Lehr for pointing out the error.)

A Mission With a Heart For Art

2010-02-04T10:00:00-05:00

Is it possible for one person to be so moved by public art that it could redirect the path of their life? Ellen Heavilon, Executive Director and Founder of Hart Gallery definitely believes it is.

While enjoying the current installment of public art on Main Street, Heavilon was so struck by the power of the homeless voices that created Home, a mosaic tile tower collaboratively created by Francis McDonald, Julie Clark and the participants of Mark Making, that she set on a sole mission to unleash those same voices in a larger venue.

Her desire, as noted on Hart Gallery’s web site, is to “build on the concept of Home and expand the mission from the homeless to any non-traditional artist in the area that may not otherwise have the opportunity to express themselves through their art.”

The chosen location, where else but in the heart of the booming creative district on the Southside. With the restoration of the old Varnell Hardware building on Main Street underway, the 501(c)(3) status pending, and agencies chomping at the bit to participate, Heavilon’s mission is becoming a reality.

She shared more details of her plan for the Hart Gallery.

Q: What is the current status of the Hart Gallery?

Heavilon: The physical space at 110 E. Main St. is no more than four sides of a building right now. We have full architectural and engineering drawings completed and are in the process of applying for city building permits and putting bids out for construction. We hope to have the first floor gallery space ready to go by the end of summer.

Q: What is the connection between bringing art classes to nonprofits and the Gallery space on Main Street?

Heavilon: My intent, at this moment, is to use the space for artists' works, discovered through workshops held at nonprofit agencies, and the works of the artists who mentor/teach/give their time at these workshops.

The agencies I am working with include Partnerships for Families, Children and Adults, Interfaith Hospitality Network and the Community Kitchen. As a not-for-profit gallery, proceeds for the works sold will go back to the artists involved and the nonprofit agencies that housed the classes. In some cases, I will offer gallery space to the "teaching" artists, and their work can be sold on our website as well.

In addition to the actual work, I'd like to include the story on the artists and their mentor to be displayed along side the art.

As the mission grows and more funds and artists become available, I hope to expand the number of agencies involved. Both the Boys and Girls Clubs and Unbroken (through the mayor's office) have space available for classes and are very receptive to the concept.

Q: How are you discovering or identifying the artists you'll be working with?

Heavilon: I hope that by participating in the art classes held at nonprofits, the participants will be able to relax, play with assorted paints, clay, etc. and realize that they are seen and that they matter. Occasionally, I hope to find someone who discovers they have a talent and enjoys creating. For those individuals, I will supply needed material and match them up with a volunteer artist.

Q: What role can established artists play in this process?

Heavilon: I am interested in any artist who would like to donate their time to get involved. Artists can give as little as a couple of hours a month up to however many hours they choose. Ideally, I’d like to have enough artists to hold classes at 3–4 nonprofits once or twice a week.

I am also looking for artists who feel comfortable assessing the commercial value of works once they are created.

Lastly, I am looking for a few individuals who would like to mentor individuals outside of the classroom setting. It will be these artists and the regular classroom teachers to whom gallery space will be offered for their own works. In some cases, stipends will be offered for their time and expertise.

Q: How should artists wanting to participate contact you?

Heavilon: The best way to reach me is through the website, let me know what medium you work in and in what ways you want to share your talents.

I believe this collaboration will have mutual benefits far beyond what we can imagine.

School, Community and Service

2010-02-04T09:30:00-05:00

On Friday, Feb. 12, most students in Hamilton County will have a half day of school. The students at Signal Mountain Middle/High School will use that half day to take part in a school wide day of service. Scheduled activities include:

Visiting and making Valentine's Day cards with residents at Alexian Village
Work for the Signal Mountain Tree Board
Work at the Mountain Arts Community Center and at the Bachman Community Center
Maintenance on hiking trails
Ball field maintenance
Taking donations to the Room at the Inn
A Walk for Haiti, in which students will get pledges and walk laps for donations to earthquake victims

Over 1000 students will dedicate their energy and time to serving members of the community. Janet Brodsky, the International Baccalaureate Program Coordinator at SMMHS, is organizing activities for the day of service and would like to invite members of the community to participate as well. She can be reached by email at brodsky_janet@hcde.org if you would like to volunteer or have a project to suggest.

Preview | 'An Education'

2010-02-04T08:57:46-05:00

Jenny Miller (Carey Mulligan) is an English schoolgirl on the cusp of graduation in 1961. She falls into a whirlwind romance with an older man, David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard). The two run away to Paris and get engaged, but Jenny becomes disillusioned by his seedy past. Adapted for the screen by novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), An Education is based on Lynn Barber's memoir of the same name.

The film was recently nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Carey Mulligan) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

An Education opens on Feb. 5 at the Majestic 12 as part of the Arts & Education Council's Independent Film Series and plays until Feb. 11. For showtimes and ticket prices, visit carmike.com.

Synopsis

From the AEC:

Jenny is a top A-level student who has hopes of attending university at Oxford in the early-1960s, but she meets a charismatic older man (Peter Sarsgaard) who offers an exciting alternative of seeing and experiencing life. The story is adapted from Lynn Barber’s memoirs by British novelist Nick Hornby. The film won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2009.

About the Film

An Education
Sony Pictures Classics, 2009, U.S.
Director: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Dominc Cooper
Written by Nick Hornby, Lynn Barber

About the Independent Film Series

The AEC Independent Film Series brings award-winning independent films to Chattanooga that would otherwise be unavailable on our city's big screens. The Series is held twice a year, showing a new film each week for 12 weeks at the downtown Majestic Theatre. The Spring Series runs from January through April, and the Fall Series runs from Labor Day through Thanksgiving.

Dreamers Welcome

2010-02-04T08:30:00-05:00

I don’t know if it’s the New Year or the weather but I keep finding myself in moments of in-depth daydreams. I told my business partner the other day that I feel like J.D. on Scrubs and if I show up on a scooter, he should worry.

It hadn’t occurred to me that this was a good thing until the musings became often enough that I could connect the dots. You see, I daydream when I run. This is most recently where the dots connected. As I run through Highland Park I look around and let everything just kind of sink in. I often have my dog and she’s on a mission. I on the other hand am just enjoying the 30 minutes as a brief reality break and as an update on what’s up in the neighborhood.

How many houses are for sale?
Wow! That new front porch looks great on that bungalow.
Sweet, I’m so glad someone bought that house and is getting it back to par.
The corner house that sat for two years looks awesome now.

As these thoughts come and go, I start to get into kind of a daydream state, kind of a runner’s high. I see my attraction to the “hood” very clearly now. I can hear the bustle of the city in the distance, and it is like the white noise that people pay to have in their bedrooms; this is comforting. I see a busy street in the near distance, but I am totally alone on this block aside from a fellow working on his car in the driveway who says hello.

As I turn on McCallie the mood changes, but the feeling does not. I pass Anna’s place (Architectural Exchange) and admire the stained glass in the front window. Geno is getting ready for business, and Deli Man staff people are already ramping up for the day.

I turn right and run through Highland Park proper. I mean this as a term of endearment for the most refurbished part including Duncan and most of Chamberlain. I love the blocks where the yards flow together with mutually complementary grass heights. I am lost in thoughts of how great everything will look come springtime. I pass Charlie’s house—they are painting. I see that the trees on Holly are doing pretty well and I can visualize how they will close the gap in ten years just like the newly painted house does right now.

As these visions fade in and out, I realize that I love this area and feel as though I am in the right place because I am among my own kind.

I am in awe of the visionaries of long ago who had the insight to build an urban neighborhood with grace and true architectural longevity. Even more remarkable to me is how many distinctly different people saw an opportunity to re-energize this almost forgotten gem. I am amazed by some of the houses that were literally outside walls and crumbling foundations transformed into modern counterparts of their original beauty. Some of them would have no doubt been more easily torn down and hauled away than restored to such beauty. I know that not everyone agrees on what looks the best on a Victorian house or whether a fitting restoration must include period specific trim and doors. However, what seems to ring true for most of us is that we love that truly individual process. I am always impressed with how the neighbors band together to welcome a new neighbor with email advice for the right place to find a painter or a practical behavior suggestion to make their acclimation to the area smoother. There is no cookie cutter for this area in style, charm or beauty and therefore there is no possibility for a cookie-cutter community.

Imagining the visions of others coming to life in the finished products that I see, watching the continuing transformation of an entire block, and daydreaming about what I or someone else could do to a dilapidated masterpiece all equal the same sensation to me.

Some of my best ideas have come from said daydreaming and I can tell that here in Highland Park, others have had similar successes. So as I look around as I drive, walk or run though my neighborhood, I think to myself, “Yes, daydreamers are welcome here.”

Chattanooga State of the City Address Is Tomorrow

2010-02-03T09:41:42-05:00

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield will deliver the 2010 State of the City Address on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. The address, given annually, will assess some of the accomplishments and challenges that the city has faced in the past year as well as where it is going in 2010.

The event will be held at the Lindsay Street Hall in downtown Chattanooga. The public is invited to attend.

Chattarati Live will host a real-time video stream of the State of the City Address from the Lindsay Street Hall, live blog coverage and interviews with city officials. The live blog will incorporate Chattarati comments and Twitter posts that use the #CHAsotc and #sotc hastags, as well as Flickr photos tagged 'sotc' or 'CHAsotc'.

The video and live blog is powered by OnLocation, a custom live blogging application that creates real-time conversations around community events.

Chattarati Live is sponsored by Airnet Group Inc., which is providing internet service for the video and live blog feeds at the Lindsay Street Hall.

Know Your School Board: Linda Mosley, District 7

2010-02-02T20:12:58-05:00

The Hamilton County Department of Education faces numerous challenges, from falling test scores to rising enrollment and a multi-million dollar budget deficit. The nine elected school board members make decisions that affect our children today and our economic prospects for the future. Get to know them—and their positions on pressing issues—in this interview series.

This week, District 7 board member Linda Mosley answered our questions.

Q: What is your professional background?

Mosley: I have a B.S. degree in Elementary Education, but my professional work is banking.

Q: What compelled you to run for school board office?

Mosley: The financial challenges the school system faces as well as preparing students to be workforce or college ready when they graduate from our school system.

Q: Why do you think the citizens of your district chose to elect you?

Mosley: The strength of my message as well as my business background.

Q: What are the challenges Hamilton County faces in educating its young people?

Mosley: The new state standards are difficult. Rising to the standards without students, teachers, administrators and parents becoming discouraged will be challenging for a couple of years.

Q: What are the biggest successes and challenges of the schools in your district?

Mosley: The schools in District 7 have high achievers, involved community and motivated students and staff. The challenge would be overcrowding in most of the schools,

Q: What are you most proud of in your tenure on the school board?

Mosley: Although I was not involved with the initial stages of the planning, I am very proud of the new East Hamilton School that opened this year.

Q: What questions are you most often asked by your constituents?

Mosley: Mostly about the overcrowding in the District 7 schools.

Q: What is the most important thing an average citizen can do to help improve our schools?

Mosley: Become involved in a school.

Q: What could have been done to prevent the current financial crisis?

Mosley: This "crisis" as you call it has been forming for many years. It is up to the current elected board to stop it.

Q: What are your long-term recommendations for addressing the financial crisis?

Mosley: Primarily, the health insurance issue must be addressed and the current system changed. Although this is only one component, it is a starting point.

Know Your School Board Interview Series

Editor's note: Linda Mosley declined to answer two questions posed in the questionnaire.

Widgets & Stone: What Matters Now

2010-02-02T07:16:47-05:00

What Matters Now By Widgets & Stone.

In January, Chattarati invited leaders and thinkers to participate in What Matters Now, a commentary series of ideas for our region in 2010.

Borrowing

Written by Caleb Ludwick, Matt Greenwell, DJ Trischler and Paul Rustand for Widgets & Stone.

View the full-size illustration.

Chattanooga is becoming known for innovative ideas, cool events and great places to have great experiences. But what about the spaces—and times—in between? The long stretches of dead street between point A and point B. Boring Tuesday afternoons and silent Saturdays.

As a city, we need to deliver more than big, cutting edge, glamorous, attention-grabbing moments. We also need the connective tissue that connects the dots.

Here’s one idea for bringing everyday animation to these gaps. What if some of the holes in the downtown experience were publicly shared by their private owners, on an interim basis? With simple, low-cost space interventions, space could be created for life to grow organically, at human scale.

Rather than inhibiting development of these spaces, such animation can inspire new ideas and new tenants. So that now—as well as later, when they're developed—they bring life to the city, and the city to life.

Widgets & Stone is a branding and design firm in Chattanooga, Tenn.

In the Classroom: 100 7th Graders Invade Books-A-Million

2010-02-01T12:46:40-05:00

While Hamilton County School officials continue to face annual budget deficits, prepare for new curriculum standards, and wrestle with federal and state mandates, teachers across the district are charged with preparing more than 40,000 students for higher academic achievement as well as life outside the classroom. Take a look at some of the ways teachers are meeting the challenges of educating students in Hamilton County. What they do in the classroom can change lives and improve schools for years to come.

Students Choose Their Own Books

The idea is simple. Start with the individual learner, build instruction around his or her needs, and let creativity become the driving force for academic growth. For instance, instead of prescribing literature that students do not want to read, let students choose their own books from the classroom library. Or if there is not a wide selection of books in a classroom's library, let students handpick the books they want to read in class. At least, that is what Marianne Schand did.

Schand, a 7th grade reading teacher at Hunter Middle School, is the recipient of a mini-grant awarded by Unum. With $1,000 at her disposal, she decided to build up her classroom's library with books that her students selected—from Books-A-Million that is. Last week, one hundred 7th graders invaded the book store to stock their classroom library with a variety of books, which were generously discounted by the retailer.

The project blends seamlessly into a program piloted by a handful of Hamilton County schools, including Hunter Middle. The program, The Reading and Writing Workshop, was developed by the Teachers College of Columbia University and aims to use students' interests and creativity as the foundation for teaching curriculum standards. Or as Schand puts it, "To light a fire and passion for reading—one of life's greatest joys! And to teach the skills as they read selections of their own choice from the classroom library."

Hunter Middle School's 7th grade writing teacher Suzanne Simmons says her students learn grammar through their own creative writing and personal narratives. This allows her to identify each student's academic strengths and weaknesses. Simmons can then differentiate (or individualize) instruction and challenge her students to not only identify problems in their own writing, but apply new skills necessary for standardized tests.

For reading teachers, The Reading and Writing Workshop means building up classroom libraries to reflect various genres and reading levels. Each student is allowed to choose from a variety of books with different themes, subjects and reading levels. “We try to pair students up with a book on their reading level and increasingly challenge them along the way,” Schand said.

But it's not just about giving students books they want to read; the Reading Workshop model also gives teachers more resources for teaching curriculum standards. "These kids choose a book," Schand said. "So obviously, they are going to read it if it's something that is their choice. And then we teach skills, and they have to find the skills within the book. So it's like an individual reading program for each child."

So how is each student’s progress evaluated? Through regular conferencing, Schand assesses each student’s learning and focuses on new skills each time.

Vampire books are the big thing right now, Schand says. But between the school librarian and herself, students are being turned on to other genres as well. The important thing, Schand explains, is that her students “are on fire for this program."

"They are loving reading,” she said. “With this program, I’ve seen them just blossom. Because they get to choose.”

'Breast as Brush' Opening at Asher Love Gallery

2010-02-01T07:22:06-05:00

Photographs on display at the Asher Love Gallery. By Heather Cronin.

The Asher Love Gallery, a local photography studio and gallery featuring work by Asher Mendonsa—Asher Love is his chosen artist’s name—is located in the same building as Pasha Coffee and Blacksmith’s Bistro and Bar at 3914 St. Elmo Ave. Mary Barnett met with me recently to discuss their upcoming exhibitions.

“The Resolution will be Photographed!” is an open call for submissions to the Gallery, asking artists to submit photos that convey their new year’s resolution: a truly original beginning to the new decade. Please contact Mary at the Gallery to discuss your submissions.

“Breast as Brush” will open in February, featuring colorful renditions of breasts to express the beauty of all shapes and sizes of this feminine feature too often ravaged by cancer and surgery related to breast cancer. A press release from the gallery's blog explains the process and the event:

In order to bring about a more holistic view of self, Breast Cancer Survivors were invited to participate in a painting experience. The Body as Brush group held painting sessions at the Rivoli Art Mill in November, December, and January.

The resulting paintings are the work of these survivors and their friends…The collection of these works of art on paper and canvas [will] be sold at a silent auction to support a local team participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walking event.

This Valentine’s weekend, come to the Breast as Brush exhibit auction and reception on Monday, February 15th from 6–8 p.m. at Asher Love Gallery to support ... the fight against breast cancer.

Asher himself specializes in model photography, and his work is always on display at the Gallery. Some of his photographs are featured above. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. To contact the Asher Love Gallery, call (423) 822-0289, or email asherlovegallery@gmail.com.

Weekendist | Independent Film Series Opens Friday

2010-01-29T11:51:56-05:00

Christian McKay as Orson Welles, left, and Zac Efron as Richard Samuels in 'Me and Orson Welles.' By CinemaNX Films One Ltd..

Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

AEC Independent Film Series: Me and Orson Welles

Based in real theatrical history, "Me and Orson Welles" is a romantic coming-of-age story about a teenage actor who lucks into a role in "Julius Caesar" as it's being re-imagined by a brilliant, impetuous young director named Orson Welles at his newly-founded Mercury Theatre in NYC, 1937. Watch the trailer.

The film opens today at the Carmike Majestic 12 and plays all week. For showtimes, visit carmike.com.

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010

How to Run for Public Office

A seminar designed to help individuals thinking about running for elected office or playing a leadership role in someone else’s campaign will be held between 9–3 a.m. at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The non-partisan seminar, How to Run for Public Office, will include presentations by UTC political science professor Robert Swansbrough, Hamilton County Sessions Court Judge Kristi Sell and City Councilman Andraé McGary.

3rd Congressional District GOP Debate

The Chattanooga Tea Party and Campaign for Liberty are joining together to sponsor a series of LiberTea Debates in preparation for the 2010 elections.

The first of these public debates will feature the seven announced Republican candidates for Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2–5 p.m. at Woodland Park Baptist Church. The debate will be free and open to the public.

Chattarati will be streaming video and hosting a live blog of the event.

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

Computer and Friends With Nite Nite

Computer and Friends, a monthly dance party hosted by Joel Ruiz, will be held at JJ's Bohemia starting at 10 p.m.