Grants/2009 HUD
May 20th, 2010GRANT MANAGEMENT PLAN HBCU-09-TN-230
September 11, 2009-September 11, 2012
WSMV Reports: TSU Grant Funds Used to Improve the Campus and Community
- Goal 1-Eliminate a blighted interstate underpass that divides the Jefferson Street commercial district.
Tennessee State University (TSU) was awarded an $800,000 grant to improve a blighted interstate underpass located in a commercial redevelopment district into a safe and attractive gathering place that improves pedestrian access to the commercial corridor and creates a space to honor the history of North Nashville. TSU is partnering with the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership, The EDGE Group (landscape architecture firm), the Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Metro Development and Housing Agency to combine efforts and funds to eliminate blight along the Jefferson Street Redevelopment District and create a safer, more beautiful, pedestrian friendly environment that capitalizes on the strong heritage this area has had in the African American community in Nashville. The new interstate underpass will be transformed into a pedestrian plaza that serves as a community recreational space; connects the Jefferson Street Commercial corridor, and historically celebrates the unique history of Jefferson Street.
Detailed Project Description:
Goal 1 Activity Description-”Gateway to Heritage, Phase IB
This grant funds Phase IB of the “Gateway to Heritage” project that is focused on the I-40 underpass on Jefferson Street. The rendering to the left, provided by the EDGE Group, changes what is now a fenced-in, inaccessible, blighted dark space that is a barrier for activity into a pedestrian friendly and accessible gathering space that celebrates the history of Jefferson Street, while leaving room to chart a new, revitalized future. The plan calls for the plaza to incorporate art into the project that celebrates the history of the area. TSU professors in Art, History, Architectural Engineering, and Geography have committed their involvement to work with the community, merchants, neighborhood leaders, and will commission their students to assist in determining what type of history will be represented in the plaza and how it will be implemented into the design. Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County and Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership are partners in the project to complete:
- remove and replace chain link fencing with screening that is more attractive and more environmentally friendly;
- create of a safe, easy to maintain, attractive, and accessible flooring that unifies the space and improves pedestrian access;
- improve lighting to increase safety and attractiveness;
- implement art through painting or other means to unify the underpass space and represent the history of the area.
The Edge Group has been hired by Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County to create detailed design drawings for this task which the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency will fund. Final designs have to be approved by the city, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration, prior to implementation. In addition to the HUD environmental review, the project must also go through the Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration environmental review process. Initial estimates are provided below, which may change when detailed designs and governmental approvals are completed. Up to $447,576 is allocated toward Goal 1 of the HUD HBCU grant.
For more information please visit:
Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County
HUD Office of University Partnerships
Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement staff are using this opportunity to create a multidisciplinary service learning project that will encompass art, engineering, geography, and history. Art students will research and recreate the architecture of the area; engineering students will create lighting, pavement, and other structural ideas for the plaza; history students will research the history of religion, music, education, and economy along Jefferson street from the 1860s to 1960s; and geography students are working on mapping demographics of the university students and employees. They are also working on a walking tour associated with the plaza.
To view student presentations click here:
- Goal 2-Improve the housing stock for low and moderate income by rehabilitating owner occupied homes in the target area.
TSU has also decided to continue a successful partnership with Affordable Housing Resources to help elderly homeowners of limited means stay in their homes by making them safer, more energy efficient and more accessible.
Task 2 will provide seven (7) grants to low or moderate income home owners in the target area. The target recipients of these home maintenance grants are homeowners who need minor home rehabilitation or maintenance projects up to a value of $15,000 per home, who do not have the means to improve the energy efficiency, accessibility or maintenance of their property. TSU will partner with Affordable Housing Resources (AHR) to complete this task. AHR, a nonprofit affordable housing provider, and TSU will work with neighborhood leaders, churches, and nonprofits to identify potential homeowners who would most benefit from this program. This way, the program will support long-term homeowners who are committed to staying in the target area. Renovations will be overseen and managed by AHR staff, who will serve as the general contractor on each project. Their responsibilities will include finding subcontractors, overseeing work, creating construction schedules, obtaining needed permits, and inspections. Homeowners, who receive these home improvement grants, will also receive two to three hours of one-on-one counseling on energy efficiency, information about their specific repairs; everyday home maintenance tips; and the basics of financial fitness intended to maximize the impact of the program. TSU engineering faculty and students will work with AHR and the Metro Development and Housing Agency to conduct energy audits of the homes selected. They will also assist the homeowner and AHR with volunteer labor. Other TSU students, faculty, and staff will be able to assist with volunteer opportunities as well as part of the TSU annual Service Day.
