Council Reviews Projects Totaling $11,000

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the March 28 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council reviewed recommendations for allocating $11,000 in funds for Community Enhancement projects.

A committee led by Sarah Marhevsky considered 12 project proposals submitted by the community and narrowed down the list to seven, recommending the following Community Enhancement projects receive funding: $3,179 for sand and refurbishing the restrooms at the youth soccer field on Ball Park Road; $2,049 for mulch at the Elliott Park playground; $1,800 for a picnic table at the Elliott Park playground; $2,200 for electrical repairs at the American Legion Hall; $1,322 for lighting at Angel Park; $300 for soil and bulbs for planting by children in the Plateau Playground group; and $150 to help offset operating expenses for Community Poetry Night.

The Council will vote on the recommendations at the May meeting.

Commenting on the choices, Marhevsky said the committee wanted to continue to support Elliott Park, which received funding last year, and similarly, the soccer field was a community undertaking deserving of ongoing support.

All the projects submitted had substantial merit, Marhevsky said. The committee also received a number of suggestions not formally drafted as proposals. Marhevsky thanked committee members Pixie Dozier, Theresa Shackelford, and Megan Taylor for their commitment to making fair and carefully thought- out recommendations that would benefit a broad segment of the community.

The Community Enhancement program is in the second year of a two-year trial. In the summer of 2014, the Council approved increasing the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate $10,000 to be used for physical improvements and amenities on the Domain. Of the seven Community Enhancement projects funded in 2015, all are at or near completion. The total award for 2016 was increased because the dog park proposal funded in 2015 had $1,000 left after purchasing a fence, and the unspent amount was added to the 2016 fund basis.

Two proposals calling for construction of sidewalks on Brakefield Road and Tennessee Avenue were not recommended for funding, Marhevsky said, because they would have cost $10,000 or more each, using up the full amount of resources available in 2016.

Council member Phil White supported the need for sidewalks and asked the council to discuss this in May.

A visitor asked if the amount of funding could be increased, since there were many worthy projects. Provost John Swallow said increasing funding would require increasing the municipal service fee. The council will consider putting the question before the community in the November elections.

Community Funding Project Invites Proposals

The Sewanee Community Funding Project Committee invites individuals and groups to submit proposals for projects that enhance the community and improve the quality of life for area residents. 

Application forms are available at the Sewanee post office or by sending an email to <SewaneeFundingPro​ject@gmail.com>. The deadline for submissions is March 1.

In the summer of 2014, the Sewanee Community Council approved increasing the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate funds to be used by the Community Council for physical improvements and amenities on the Domain. Charged with the task of deciding how those funds will be used, the new committee will receive and evaluate proposals. The Council makes the final approval of the committee’s recommendations.

The $10,000 in funds can be used for “practical, functional or educational purposes or somewhere in between,” said Sarah Marhevsky, chair of the committee. “Do you want the sidewalk that goes almost to Wiggins to go all the way? Do you want to see a bike repair kiosk downtown or some more flowers somewhere? What else is on your wish list?”

Applicants submitting proposals can identify new projects, as well as projects that are part of an already existing initiative undertaken by a group or organization.

Seven projects were approved last year, the first year of the program. $10,000 was awarded in 2015.

Four of last year’s projects have been completed: creation of the Robin Room at the Sewanee Community Center for free activities; installation of a special-needs swing at the Woodlands Park; assistance with improvements at Thurmond Library in Otey Parish House; and support for the new playground in Elliott Park. 

Projects yet to be completed include a Girl Scout Silver Award project to update kiosks at three Perimeter Trail locations; a Little Free Library and butterfly garden planned for Sewanee Elementary School; and improvements at the Sewanee pound.

The application form asks how the project will benefit Sewanee and its residents, the estimated cost and budget, who will be doing the work and who will be accountable for completion. For more information email <se​waneepro​jectfunding@gmail.com>.

Elliott Park Hosts Grand Opening

More than 70 people volunteered to ready the newly refurbished Elliott Park for its grand opening on Nov. 21. The morning weather was glorious, and the final massive mulch pile was completely distributed by lunchtime. By 3 p.m., despite the misting rain, the playground was covered with gleeful children clambering around on the new equipment. 

Tom Adamson and Chris Crigger added much joy to an already delightful afternoon with their wonderful selection of adult- and kid-friendly tunes, and the Shenanigans Food Truck was on hand to keep everyone fed. 

As umbrellas popped up, Sewanee Civic Association (SCA) board member Elizabeth Duncan gave a quick welcome to the crowd and thanked the many individuals and groups who helped make the new park possible. She made special mention of Emily Puckette who, as a member of the SCA Parks Committee, was truly the individual who instigated the overall process. Her enthusiasm and work on the front end provided the strong path to see the project to fruition. 

She also mentioned David Hill at Gametime, Inc., who worked diligently to keep the overall cost affordable, and Greg Connex, who installed the equipment. Duncan noted that the beauty of the park would not have been possible without the partnership between the SCA and the University of the South, which undertook all of the site preparation and hired American Contractors to build the beautiful sandstone wall. 

Duncan then introduced University Vice-Chancellor John McCardell and Provost John Swallow, who spoke eloquently of relationships and committed community leadership. He thanked Duncan, SCA past president, and Kiki Beavers, current president, for their dedication to the mission of the SCA. McCardell and Beavers officially cut the ribbon to open the playground, which was already well in use. 

Elliott Park Opens With Saturday Work Day

The new playground at Elliott Park is almost complete. Please mark your calendars for the volunteer work day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 21. Volunteers (and wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels and pitchforks) are needed; go to the website <www.signupgenius.com> if you would like to help. Use the email “eduncan@sasweb.org” to find the event. 

After the required fiber mulch is spread, opening festivities will start at 3 p.m., with live music and the Shenanigans food truck. All are welcome to join the celebration as Sewanee’s second community park becomes a reality. 

While it is very exciting to see the area take shape, it will not be until Saturday, Nov. 21, that anyone will be allowed on the equipment. For safety and liability, the community is advised to not enter the playground until it officially opens. 

Elliott Park Playground Installation Has Begun :: Park Opens With Work Day on Nov. 21

The materials began arriving on Nov. 10, and Gametime, Inc. has started the assembly process for the new playground at Elliott Park. 

While it is very exciting to see the area take shape, it will not be until Saturday, Nov. 21, that anyone will be allowed on the equipment. For safety and liability, the community is advised to not enter the playground until it officially opens. 

Please mark your calendars for the volunteer work day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 21. Volunteers (and wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels and pitchforks) are needed; go to the website <www.signupgenius.com> if you would like to help. Use the email “eduncan@sasweb.org” to find the event. 

After the required fiber mulch is spread, opening festivities will start at 3 p.m., with live music and the Shenanigans food truck. All are welcome to join the celebration as Sewanee’s second community park becomes a reality. 

Nov. 21 New Date for Elliott Park Opening

The date for the community work day to install the required surface material to complete the new playground at Elliott Park has been changed to Saturday, Nov. 21. 

Ongoing delays due to weather resulted in the need to move the date for the installation of playground equipment, which will take place during the week of Nov. 9. A variety of physical plant items will then be taken care of during the days prior to the final steps of spreading the fiber mulch. 

The work will begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 21. Festivities to celebrate the completion and opening of the playground will begin at 3 p.m., with live music and the Shenanigans truck.

Please sign up ahead of time at <http://www.signupgenius.com>; search for the event by using the email address <eduncan@sasweb.org>. 

The Sewanee Civic Association, in partnership with the University of the South, has brought to completion the second project in the Sewanee community parks system. The community, along with the South Cumberland Community Fund, the Sewanee Community Council Funding Project, the Kaj Krogstad Memorial Fund, the Joel and Trudy Cunningham Charitable Fund, the Monteagle Sewanee Rotary and donations through a designated fund with the Sewanee Community Chest, donated more than $56,000 to purchase and install the new playground equipment, which is located in Elliott Park on University Avenue adjacent to the bookstore.

Elliott Park Ground- Breaking & Work Day

A special community work day to install the required surface material to complete the new playground at Elliott Park, will begin at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7. This will be followed by a grand opening of the renovated Elliott Park, with a celebration and ribbon cutting. 

The Sewanee Civic Association (SCA), in partnership with the University of the South, has brought to completion the second project in the Sewanee community parks system. The Phil White Dog Park was the first park that SCA sponsored in the community.

The community, along with the South Cumberland Community Fund, the Sewanee Community Council Funding Project, the Kaj Krogstad Memorial Fund, the Joel and Trudy Cunningham Charitable Fund, the Monteagle Sewanee Rotary and donations through a designated fund with the Sewanee Community Chest, donated more than $56,000 to purchase and install the new playground equipment, which is located in Elliott Park on University Avenue adjacent to the bookstore.

The mulch-like fiber surface material needs to be installed; community members are asked to sign up for shifts, as well as bring wheelbarrows, rakes and pitchforks to lend for the event. 

Volunteers should wear gloves and closed-toe shoes when working and children are welcome to participate. Snacks and beverages will be provided during the four hours. Volunteers are asked to sign up via the Sign Up Genius form at <www.signupgenius.com>; click Find A Sign Up and search using the volunteer coordinator email address <eduncan@sasweb.org>.

A minimum of 50 volunteers will be needed during the course of the day in order to spread the fiber material throughout the playground. Students from the College, St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School and Boy Scout Troop 14 have been invited to participate, as well, to help complete the task.

The phrase “The more the merrier” could never be more true.

The celebratory festivities to honor the park’s opening will begin at 5 p.m., with live music from Sewanee’s The Hill Brothers Band featuring Paul Schutz, Tom Adamson and Chris Crigger. 

The Shenanigans Food Truck will be on hand, and everyone is invited to bring a blanket and picnic dinner if they choose to enjoy the first day of the new Elliott Park. 

Civic Association Gets Updates on Projects :: Barry Offers Advice on Beating the Winter Blues

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Oct. 14 dinner meeting of the Sewanee Civic Association, members and guests received promising updates on the Elliott Park Playground and the 2015–16 Community Chest Fund Drive. Following the business meeting, certified dietician Jade McBee Barry offered advice on how to beat the winter blues.

Civic Association President Kiki Beavers announced the organization successfully raised the $57,000 needed for construction of the Elliott Park playground, making a loan from the Opportunity Fund unnecessary.

“We now own the playground equipment,” Beavers said, congratulating the membership. Offering a historical footnote she said the Civic Association at one time owned Sewanee Elementary School, another community project funded by the organization

Parks Committee Chair Stephen Burnett said heavy rain and removing abandoned data and phone lines from the site had slowed progress, but construction of the park was well underway. At a community build scheduled for Nov. 7, volunteers will spread mulch and wood chips. Those wanting to help should bring pitchforks and shovels. University Physical Plant Services will provide a tractor and blade to help facilitate moving the material.

Reporting on the Community Chest fund drive, co-chair Elizabeth Clark Duncan said $4,300 had already been raised toward the $100,000 goal. Plans call for sending out more than 4,000 letters, asking area residents to contribute to the Chest which funds an array of area programs, with the majority youth-oriented. 

“We want to increase the donor base so we can increase the amount we give in gifts,” Duncan said. Last year only 10 percent of letter recipients made donations, with the entire Community Chest funded by just 310 contributors. Send donations to Sewanee Community Chest, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375.

Certified dietician Jade McBee Barry offered smart insight into why so many people suffer from the winter blues and how to avoid slipping into depression.

Lack of sunlight, high-carbohydrate and high-calorie foods, and a sedentary lifestyle combine to cause depression during the winter months, Barry said. Less sunlight leads to lower levels of vitamin D, necessary for mood balance, and to higher levels of the hormone melatonin, resulting in lower energy. 

And while the sweet and high-carbohydrate foods popular during the holidays activate reward centers in the brain, making us happy, she said, the holiday overstimulation causes a loss of reward receptors, so fewer feel-good neurochemicals get to where they need to go to work their magic. The third culprit, Barry said, is sitting more during the winter months. The body draws less fat from the blood for use as fuel with the unhappy consequences of weight gain and, even worse, heart disease.

Barry recommended taking a vitamin supplement if one’s vitamin D level is below 30 ng/ml, standing instead of sitting, and walking 10,000 steps a day. She also offered a number of tips for making healthy eating choices: focus on whole foods, keep convenience foods out of the house, limit yourself to a three-bite sample of dessert, and at holiday gatherings don’t eat the non-homemade offerings. Barry’s number one rule for the grocery store: shop the perimeters, where the shelves are stocked with fresh and unprocessed foods.

The Civic Association meets next on Nov. 18.

Fund-Raising Complete for Elliott Park Playground Project :: University and Civic Association Sign Memo of Understanding

Thanks to the generosity of our community, the Sewanee Civic Association has raised the full cost of the Elliott Park playground equipment, as of Oct. 1. More than $56,500 has been donated or pledged for the project. 

University Provost John Swallow and Sewanee Civic Association (SCA) president Kiki Beavers met on Sept. 30 and signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Elliott Park Playground Project. 

Recognizing the need for renovation of the Elliott Park playground, the SCA identified the project as a community priority and the University of the South offered to help with site preparation and construction. 

“This is an important partnership between the SCA and the University of the South to benefit the community,” said Beavers. “The five-year MOU clearly identifies the separate responsibilities of the Civic Association and the University.”

She added, “This is a reminder Sewanee is a place where families live and are valued.”

Major funders include the South Cumberland Community Fund, the Sewanee Community Council Funding Project, the Kaj Krogstad Memorial Fund, the Joel and Trudy Cunningham Charitable Fund, and donations through a designated fund with the Sewanee Community Chest. Community families had a lemonade stand and bake sale fund-raiser for the project in late August that raised $1,670. 

Located on University Avenue in the center of campus near All Saints’ Chapel and the University Book and Supply Store, the new Elliott Park playground will include a balance beam, bridge, climbing structures, swing sets, spinning elements and a musical component. The park will be accessible for all children and will incorporate local and natural materials. 

In addition to securing funding for the purchase of the equipment and installation, SCA will be the point of contact for complaints; secure and maintain safety certificates with GameTime, the playground equipment manufacturer; and under GameTime’s supervision, oversee the community-build portion of the construction and installation.

Under the agreement, the University is responsible for site preparation and drainage; accessibility and improving parking facilities; and the cost of moving and or replacing the playground equipment if the site is needed for other purposes. Site preparation began in September. Organizers hope that the playground will be delivered later this month. There will be time during this process for community participation in the playground’s installation. 

Civic Assn. Approves Elliott Park Agreement

$21,000 Remains to be Raised before Sept. 30

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the special called meeting on Aug. 26, the Sewanee Civic Association (SCA) overwhelmingly voted to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Civic Association and the University of the South for the Elliott Park playground. Recognizing the need for renovation of the Elliott Park playground, the Civic Association Parks Committee identified the project as a community priority in early 2013. The park, which had a long history of community support, had fallen into disrepair.

Located on University Avenue in the center of campus near All Saints’ Chapel and the University Book and Supply Store, the new Elliott park playground will include a balance beam, bridge, climbing structures, swing sets, spinning elements and a musical component. The park will be accessible for all children and will incorporate local and natural materials. 

“This is an important partnership between the SCA and the University of the South to benefit the community,” said Kiki Beavers, SCA president. “The five-year MOU clearly identifies the separate responsibilities of the Civic Association and the University.”

The Civic Association will secure funding for the purchase of the playground equipment and installation; inspect the boundary and notify physical plant services if action is needed; be the point of contact for complaints; secure and maintain safety certificates with GameTime, the playground equipment manufacturer; and under GameTime’s supervision, oversee the community build portion of the construction and installation.

The University will be responsible for site preparation and drainage; accessibility and improving parking facilities; and the cost of moving and or replacing the playground equipment if the site is needed for other purposes. 

In response to a question about the location of the playground, Provost John Swallow said, “Yes, there is a planning document that shows a new library in that location. But since that building has a $50 million price tag, I don’t see it happening any time soon.” 

The issue of insurance, Beavers said, was still under discussion, but was important to both the Civic Association and the University.

The Civic Association must raise $21,241 by Sept. 30 for the playground. To date, $43,759 of the playground’s cost of $65,000 has been raised. Major funders include the South Cumberland Community Fund, the Sewanee Community Council Funding Project, the Kaj Krogstad Memorial Fund, the Joel and Trudy Cunningham Charitable Fund, and donations through a designated fund with the Sewanee Community Chest.

“If everyone living in Sewanee gave $10, we’d be finished,” Beavers said, encouraging community members to step forward and make a contribution to a project that will benefit Sewanee residents.

The Civic Association has a number of grant proposals pending. Beavers said other possible sources of support for the final funds are the Community Chest Opportunity Fund and financing through GameTime. Civic Association attorneys are still reviewing the MOU. The vote of approval granted Beavers power to approve the final document at her discretion.

Site preparation is slated to begin in September. Organizers hope that the playground will be delivered in mid-October. There will be time during this process for community participation in the playground’s installation.