WEST MEADE, Tenn. (WTVF) — West Meade area residents are looking to use public-private partnerships to fund neighborhood improvement projects.
Tucked away on Hathaway Court is the West Meade waterfall. It's a hidden gem, and newly elected Metro Council Member Thom Druffel said his vision is to make it part of a trail system that can be enjoyed by residents.
"We have the potential with the trees and the nature behind us to connect to a trail called Radnor to River," Druffel said, "One common goal most everybody has discussed is we need more parks, we need more amenities for our district, we have not really seen much in the last 20 years."
In addition, he wants to add a dog park and playground to the green space by West Meade Elementary School. Druffel feels the infrastructure in District 23 is lacking. He wants to build a boardwalk to connect Hillwood High School to nearby neighborhoods too. In the Jocelyn Hollow Road area, he said they need sidewalks or a boardwalk over drainage areas, as many residents are forced to walk in the street as vehicles zip by them.
Druffel has been meeting with various neighborhood groups on how to use private money to help fund some of these projects since there's a budget shortfall in Nashville.
"We have this idea, that if we build our own chamber, we could possibly do some of the beautification projects that we’re really excited about," Druffel said, "We really want to enhance it, I think we have a great opportunity. If we can pull our neighbors together, and we can really coordinate, I think we can do a great job of making this just we think the best community in the world."
Monday evening, he's meeting with neighborhood presidents to create committees to manage the beautification projects.
