Rebuilding Greensburg and Drinking Green Tonight

Architect Josh Somes will present a review of the 5.4.7 Arts Center at the Memphis Regional Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC-MEM) May meeting. The 5.4.7 Arts Center was the first structure to the LEED Platinum rating in the state of Kansas and also marked the first structure to achieve the LEED designation in the rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas. Greensburg Kansas was destroyed by tornados on May 4, 2007 and was the subject of a Discovery Channel Documentary, detailing the town’s rebirth. LEED, is a certification program of the US Green Building Council and stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The lecture is part of USGBC-MEM regular series to promote environmental friendly buildings and facility operations. The presentation will take place at the Memphis College of Art’s Callicot Auditorium on May 14th at 6pm. It is open to all interested parties, free for chapter members, and $5 for guests. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer period with Mr. Somes.

Greenlined!

Mark the County Commission's approving the purchase of the Greenline by taking a Google Earth based trip from Midtown to Cordova,



Or if you want to explore it yourself (without getting up), check out the route in Google Maps, or play with it in Google Earth.

3 observations:

1. the organization called the Greater Memphis Greenline seems marginalized in the recent progress. They have rated nary a mention in the most recent stories. Meanwhile, Shelby Farms is all over the story, as fundraiser and manager, after little mention before (other than as eastern terminus). Something is missing here. Perhaps, as the deal with CSX came closer, the quasinonymous purchase group called Memphis Community Connector gave their funds to Shelby Farms who in turn donated them to Shelby County. But why is Greater Memphis Greenline, after being the apparent public face for so long, now barely mentioned? Doesn't matter as far as Greenlining goes, of course, but the true story would help the next citizen activist push the boulder up and over the hill.
   


2. Fewer and fewer articles refer to it as "the Greenline". Recent stories have called it a walking trail or the CSX trail. On top of that, I've heard rumors that Shelby Farms will rename it. While I'm neutral about the last issue (if it is an issue), I'm not neutral about this (if it is an issue). Greenline is a great simple name. Greenline.
   


3. Shelby Farms' stewardessship could mean the Wolf River Bridge is repaired much more quickly, which would be a very good thing.
   
   
   
   
   
   Crossing the Wolf is the Greenline's premier "wow!" moment.
   

Greenline Update

Here's the latest word from the Greater Memphis Greenline's Bob Schreiber:

Our negotiating team again just recently met with a senior representative of CSX, in preparation for a final sale at a fair price. The CSX negotiators agreed that the best use of the space is for a trail. This is a large step forward for us. On the other hand, the value of the land is still a major sticking point. At the moment, there is a quiet period in negotiations which ends June 22. We will continue to put updates as they come available on our website, www.greatermemphisgreenline.org

CSX is clearing a swath in order to make room for their very large machine which pulls up their track. They have a senior arborist as a part of their crew, and they promise that they will take as few of the larger trees as they can.

They are starting on the North side of Shelby Farms, and will work their way West. They hope it should take no more than three months to have the entire line cleared. We hope to have completed the purchase by then, and have it given to the county, which will then issue the Memorandum of Understanding to us. There is a second machine which we hope to have in place as soon as possible which grinds up the gravel underlayment, crushes it, and tamps it down...and we have a useable trail. As soon as it is legal, we will begin scheduling cleanup days!

Since the negotiation period ended this past Monday, hopefully we'll hear some good news soon.

For those inclined, here's the decision that extended the negotiating period and my earlier recap of the issues.

Sierra Club 1st Thursday Members Gathering

This Thursday, December 6, 5:30-7:00pm at Otherlands, 641 South Cooper, the Sierra Club is having its first Thursday members gathering. Sierra Club members, activists and friends can meet in a casual setting to talk about issues and interests. Contact Juliet Jones at 901.374.0582 or email for more information.

Check out the Sierra Club - Chickasaw Group's calendar for other events and activities.

It's not posted there yet, but I think there will be an Old Forest (Overton Park) Hike this Saturday.

Also, the Old Forest Hike on the 2nd Saturday in May will be a snake hike. Tell the kids and mark your calendars.

This Place

Glory in the uniqueness of place.

Gerould Wilhelm of Conservation Design Forum,
speaking at a lecture hosted by the
Mississippi River Corridor - TN

The Path to Rome Goes through the Paw Paw Patch

All the greatness of the world is here and now, in the forests and imaginations and backyards of Memphis.

Don't believe me? Read this Wikipedia article on the Paw Paw Tree, the ubiquitous understory of the Overton Park Forest. Afterwards take the Sierra Club's second Saturday Old Forest Hike (next hike, December 8th).

Then go back in time, to tonight, and see Rome: Impact of an Idea at the Memphis College of Art in Overton Park (details). Thus prepared, you will be free of the neo-colonial conceit that Memphis is unworthy of the Idea.

By the powers invested in me by the Holy Writ of the Blessed And Sanctimonious Gates of Memphis, I command thee to do all of the above.

Memphis is Rome. Rome is Memphis.

Explore, discover, imagine, create, build, teach, learn, refine, repeat.

The Dancing Trees of Overton Park

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Strokes

On the day we learn that Memphis is the most sedentary city in the country, I think we need to stare at some pictures on a screen.

This is a view of the Walnut Grove bridge over the Wolf River before construction began on its replacement.


Count the lanes.

And here's a rendering of the replacement.

Count the lanes.

4 to 10. 10!

This is the most excessive example of automobile overcapacity EVER. It's grotesque on its own merits, but more so considering that the City Engineer has fought "squeezing" a bike lane on his monument to obesity.

This is not news, but I hadn't seen the renderings until today. Here's some more information on the project, plus a template for a letter you can send local officials to show your support for bike lanes.

Are We There Yet? Greenline Progress

I had asked a few months ago if anyone knew the status of the Greenline.

Last Saturday I was able to talk to Greater Memphis Greeline board members, Bob "Bob" Schreiber and Syd Lerner at the Vollintine-Evergreen Forest Faire. Here's what I got:

1. Memphis Community Connector (MCC), which is an acquisition group for the Greenline right-of-way, is negotiating with CSX, the railroad and present owner of the right-of-way, for a rails-to-trails agreement. In a rails-to-trails agreement, the railroad will sell the right-of-way, but the Surface Transportation Board (the federal regulatory agency with jurisdiction over rail restructuring transactions, henceforth known as the STB) will retain authority. This means that the right-of-way could one day be returned to rail service, e.g., light rail.
   


2. MCC (later joined by Shelby County) has also petitioned the Surface Transportation Board for exemptions and waivers in preparation for a possible “adverse” abandonment application for the Greenline.
   
   As I understand it, CSX can undertake a voluntary abandonment or possibly be subject to an adverse abandonment. In the latter case the Surface Transportation "Board does not compel a railroad to abandon its line, but rather approves abandonment, which then, with the shield of the Board’s authority removed as a result of that approval, may be used to compel the railroad to transfer the line under state eminent domain laws or other laws for that purpose. " (from their decision on MCC's petition). So whether the abandonment is voluntary or adverse, the STB must remove their authority before state eminent domain law can apply.
   


3. In a letter on September 12, 2007 to the STB (pdf), MCC attorney Nicholas J. DiMichael noted that CSX had filed for voluntary abandonment, then withdrew that filing, then re-instated the filing. He asked that MCC's petition for waiver and exemptions for an adverse abandonment application remain in effect in case CSX changes their mind again. The Board must grant the petition so MCC can file an adverse abandonment application -- just in case CSX doesn't agree to a rails-to-trails agreement or voluntary abandonment .
   


4. According to Schreiber and Lerner, CSX is clearing the brush and removing the tracks on the Greenline. They think that this is a good thing as it indicates that CSX at least will voluntarily abandon the line.
   


5. On October 10, 2007, the STB ruled on the exemptions and waivers petition, some in favor of the MCC, others not in favor. But from my non-lawyer perspective, it looks as though the adverse abandonment application can proceed, if CSX doesn't negotiate a rails-to-trails agreement and changes its mind about a voluntary abandonment.
   

After reading through dense and near-inpenetrable rails-to-trails-geekery, a hike from Midtown to Shelby Farms will now seem easy.

Hopefully, you'll get your chance in the not-too-near-term future.

The Gates of Memphis White Oak

Except it might be the Nuttall Oak. Can anyone tell?

I prefer White Oak because a leaf from a Quercus Alba is on the Great and Holy Seal of Memphis.


The tree hopeful came up in my back yard late last summer, and in February I moved it to the front. My neighbors wondered why I planted a stick. But it came alive and has looked healthy all spring and summer, except that it hasn't grown an inch.

White or Nuttall, it's my first step in returning my yard to forest.

The Stupid Gardener says: "it lives, it stays!"

Toward The River's Edge

In Memphis it seems we either suppress the edge


or ignore it.


We pour concrete or stone on top of it,


we clear cut and mow it,


we abandon it.


Maybe we suppress it for the same reasons we run from the forest. And we ignore it because we're stuck with a vision of someone else's waterfront -- San Diego, or New York or Destin, or Pickwick.

Memphis needs a vision of the architecture and landscape for the River's edge. The vision should recognize both the edge's natural beauty,

and us.


The River should be the landscape architect.

The man-made structures, the paths, or boat docks, or houses, should be built to survive the River's power, and complement the natural --the River's water, mud, trees, etc. And they should point us to the River. They should tell us to use it. And reward us with their beauty when we look back from the River.


They should not be built to overpower its natural edge.

Are We Afraid of the Forest?

Considering that Memphis would be a cool, dense, deciduous and beautiful hardwood forest if we stopped cutting the grass, why do we keep cutting the grass? Or more reasonably, why do we have so much stinking grass that we have to keep cutting?

We have fields and ribbons and pockets of it everywhere, not just at our homes and parks, but everywhere, unused except for the cutting. It's boring, it's unnatural, it's environmentally taxing, but we covet it. Why?

Because grass makes us think our bungalow or ranch-style is Versailles (repeating Mrs. Greenthumbs).

Because we're afraid of the forest. The forest is wild, and wild is inappropriate.

In Memphis, the forest should be the rule, not the exception.

3rd Annual Forest Faire on the V&E Greenline

Third Annual Forest Faire

Saturday, October 20, 2007
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
V&E Greenline

In conjunction with Alliance for Community Trees, the third annual Forest Faire takes place Saturday, October 20th on the V&E Greenline between Dickinson and Avalon Streets one block north of North Parkway.

Join us for demonstrations of tree-plantings, urban forestry programs, plant swaps and tree sales. Community organizations supporting the issues of urban forest neighborhoods will also be on hand with information tables. For more information call 901-276-1782.

Greenlines and Planning: A Brief Conversation with Mary Wilder

This is an email conversation I had with Mary Wilder, citizen, activist, former interim State Representative and present candidate for City Council. It is not an endorsement. Picking candidates is an exercise I leave for the reader and myself.

What part did you play in the establishment of the Vollintine-Evergreen Greenline?

I started gardening up on the space before VECA owned it. Several other neighbors started mowing the grass. Then VECA got the NPI grant. I was the coordinator working with a committee of volunteers. Bob Schneider and I were the ones to negotiate the purchase of the V&E Greenline from CSX in 1996.

How far towards Downtown and towards Raleigh does the old railroad right of way extend past the VE Greenline? Does the western end extend past the Sears Crosstown and I-240? Does the eastern end extend to the proposed Wolf River Greenway?

The Greenline is the old M&O then L&N then CSX. It was the second oldest rail line in Memphis stated by Robertson Top in 1856. It ran from downtown where the MATA station is now out to Raleigh Springs.

It is abandoned from St. Jude’s downtown out towards Raleigh/Barlett. St Jude’s has purchased sections and built across it. Boral Brick on Hollywood still uses a section of the rail line.

Have there been any efforts to extend it in either direction?

When it was abandoned in 1983 VECA asked the city to buy the rail line for a bike trail. They were not interested. At present I don’t know of any effort to secure/purchase the rest of the abandoned line.

I see from the VE Greenline web site that that greenline was purchased from CSX Railroad. CSX is also the railroad that owns the right-of-way for proposed Memphis Greenline. There's been a lot of talk that CSX's asking price is much too high for that right-of-way. Are you seeing a difference in CSX's price or attitude with the Memphis Greenline than with the VE Greenline?

I don’t know if there is a difference. The price is high for undevelopable land. My question is: has the City or County started the rail banking process with the Federal Transportation Department?

You want to be the new City Councilperson from Super District 9-3. What would you specifically do as Councilwoman to make the Memphis Greenline and Wolf River Greenway a reality?

I would look into the rail banking process at the federal level. I would see what has been done to date and I see what is holding the process up. Is it just money -- the purchase price?

What do you think is a reasonable amount of time to complete either project for at least walking trails?

I don’t know. We just started mowing our area and the cinder bed served as the walk way.

So how would you work with Councilpeople from other parts of the City, parts that may not even have the Greenline or Greenway in them, to make this happen?

The V&E Greenline draws people from around midtown. Greenways are not neighborhood specific. I would try educate council on the economic benefit and the community enhancement of usable green space.

Speaking of green, do you think the laws and enforcement we have in Memphis now are adequate to protect our urban forest? It seems like we still have a lot of clear-cutting going on.

Did we ever get an urban forester? I would want to promote the best urban forest laws and policies we could.

I noticed on your campaign website that you want to re-establish the Planning Commission. Why would this improve on the present Land Use Control Board and other planning organizations and systems?

Land Use Control is not a Planning Board. It is a zoning board to review land use in context of existing zoning or approve zoning changes. A Planning Commission is a citizen, government, business based policy board or commission that in conjunction with a planning staff (OPD)
develop the long range growth plans for the City. These plans then become ordinances that guide the development of the city. We are developing now in a spot zone method with no guidance from a legislative Growth Plan.

I see. Would there be a "judicial" compliment to the Planning Commission -- a place for interpretation and exceptions and appeals? I'm probably blinded by the one-off disasters of the LUCB, but it feels like the exceptions granted are where we get killed.

Normally-judicial is judicial, and goes to court. The Landmarks ordinance is written that way but City Council has given themselves the judicial role. Until that is challenged in court, City Council has placed itself in that judicial review role, which is why they spend 75% of their time on land use issues.

Greenway 2074!

Budget item from Tuesday's City Council session:

$400,000, reduced from proposed $1 million, to start work on Wolf River Greenway.

Believe it or don't, but I wasn't going to say anything much more about Beale Street Landing until I read that.

We're going to spend $19 million of Memphis' money and $10 million of federal and state money, for a project whose popular support rivals the new stadium. Meanwhile a very popular project, a project that spans the length of the entire city, that will promote our health, recreation, environment and almost certainly our economy, is reduced to 4% of the funding of BSL. Since the project will cost around $27 million in 2007 dollars, we only have to wait 67 years in 2007 appropriations to walk the Greenway.

Beware the new stadium! They'll lead with hype and hope we follow with apathy. And they won't take 67 years to build it.

Where the Greenline Crosses the Wolf

Last week I took a lunchtime hike with Justin to the future Greenline.

The northwestern corner of Shelby Farms.

Justin crosses the Wolf.

The Wolf River from the bridge, looking south toward Walnut Grove.

The eastern end of the bridge elevated over a Shelby Farms path.

I've lived or worked around the corner from this place for much of my life and never knew how beautiful it is.

Does anyone know the status of the Greenline?

Earth Day Thought: the Green Mesh

More than new parks, we need green connections between the parks we already have. We need to be able to walk/bike/jog/etc. between the parks we already have, without having to route through Dyersburg and putting life and limb at unreasonable risk. That's sort of like adding more parks, of course, but the growth of a green mesh is the important thing, not the addition of discrete green pockets that require internal combustion for access.

The photo on the right is another by Justin. He's been doing a lot of exploring of the trails around Shelby Farms and the Wolf River and has taken a lot of very cool pictures. Click on the picture to take a look.

Greenways and Trails Survey

The State of Tennessee Recreation Educational Services Division is asking those interested in promoting and creating greenways in Tennessee to fill out a survey. The survey will "assess the needs of trail users for both non-motorized and motorized trails throughout the State of Tennessee. Please print it out, fill it out and mail or fax to the RES office here in Nashville. Deadline to receive Survey comments is June 15, 2007."

Sent in by reader (with RSS, no less!) Gregg.

By the way, this beautiful photo is the Wolf River from the railroad bed that marks the soon-to-be Memphis Greenline. Justin took it during one of his many geocaching expeditions. The cache he found was attached to the bottom of the former railroad bridge that crosses the river.

Greening Greater Memphis Follow-up

Judging by the throng of people who packed the Botanic Gardens for the birth of this movement, I would say it is a very healthy baby.

Anyway, Gary Bridgman left a comment earlier with a link to pictures of the event. You'll get a good idea of the support this movement is getting when you look at the crowd. As an added bonus, in the flickr set, Gary has some really beautiful pictures of the Wolf River that'll make you curse clear-cutters and other despoilers of this gorgeous place.

If you didn't make it, you can see the movement's manifesto here.

Forever Live Green Greater Memphis!