Author: Alaina Getzenberg

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Preparations Underway for Olympic Boxing Trials

The road to Rio is going straight through Memphis.

In March, news broke that Memphis will play host to the 2016 U.S. Olympic women’s boxing trials and the men’s Olympic boxing trials qualifier. And last week, Congressman Steve Cohen was named as the honorary captain of the event.

The trials, which will be open to the public, will be held from October 25th through the 31st at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, with the final event held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts on Halloween night.

The women’s boxing trials will be the final step on the road to the Olympics. Female fighters who win the event in Memphis will go on to compete in Rio de Janeiro. The men’s event is a qualifying tournament, and those who win in Memphis will make the cut for the men’s Olympic trials, which will be held elsewhere. In other words, Memphis is the final step for women before the Olympics and the second-to-last step for men.

Next year’s Olympics ceremony in Rio will mark only the second time women’s boxing has been included as a sport, following its first appearance in London in 2012. It will also be the first time in United States boxing history that a returning women’s Olympic boxing medalist, Claressa Shields, will compete in the Olympic trials.

Last week’s press conference introduced new sponsors for the event, and it was announced that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will receive some of the proceeds from ticket sales for the events. After being named honorary captain, Cohen expressed enthusiasm for the boxing trials.

“This will be special because the [amateur boxers] are fighting to represent our nation and to bring back gold. I hope they do, and I’ll be there with them,” Cohen said. “It’s going to be a great event for Memphis. I hope everyone will participate and cheer these young women on.”

One of the new sponsors is City Gear, an athletic outfitter based in Memphis, which has agreed to be the title sponsor of the event. City Gear has 124 stores in 15 states, more than 10 of which are in the Memphis area. City Gear President and CEO Mike Longo stressed the national importance of Memphis hosting this event.

“Memphis has a deep and rich tradition and history of supporting amateur sports. We stand with the amateur athletes. We support them. They do a great job, and we are excited to be part of that yet again,” Longo said.

One of the boxers who will be competing at the trials, Ginny Fuchs, shared her excitement for the weeks ahead.

“In my head, I’m just thinking I can’t wait to get to Rio and stand on the top of the podium and get that gold medal. That’s what I’ve been focused on doing,” Fuchs said. “I put all my dedication and soul into this. So when y’all see me, I will put on a great show.”

Tickets for the trials, including the final at the Cannon Center, can be purchased on TicketMaster. Tickets start at $15.

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B.B. King Blvd. Name Change Approved

Alaina Getzenberg

A part of B.B. King will live on in Memphis. At the monthly Land Use Control Board meeting on Thursday morning, the board voted to approve the application to rename a section of Third Street — stretching from Crump to Jackson — to B.B. King Boulevard.

The idea of dedicating a street to King, who passed away on May 14th at the age of 90, came from Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones Jr. Jones wrote a Facebook post on May 18th suggesting that a street renaming occur on Third all the way to the Mississippi state line.

The post gained traction and attention from Mayor A C Wharton’s office and Congressman Steve Cohen.

In the application considered on Thursday, Third Street from E.H. Crump on the south to Chelsea on the North would have been renamed for King. This shortened length came after accommodating those concerned that the name change would have an impact on the existing designation of James L. Netters Parkway on Third Street from Crump to the Mississippi state line.

But the Land Use Control Board restricted the name change even more. Due to financial concerns brought up by the owner of the Downtown Animal Hospital, the designation will now only go south to Jackson Avenue. The change was made to limit the effects private businesses may see from the change in name.

Now that the change in name has been approved, the official process of changing street signs from Crump to Jackson can go forward.

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Third Street May Become B.B. King Blvd.

CREDIT: Alaina Getzenberg

Most would agree that, without B.B. King, Beale Street could not have achieved its glory. And likewise, King had Beale to thank for much of his success.

Now the two might literally intersect if a proposal is approved to change the name on part of Third Street to B.B. King Boulevard.

A proposal to change Third, from E.H. Crump on the south to Chelsea on the north, to B.B. King Boulevard has been sent to the Land Use Control Board for approval. The application will be voted on by the board on Thursday, August 13th.

The idea of dedicating a street to King, who passed away on May 14th at the age of 90, came from Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones Jr. Jones wrote a Facebook post on May 18th suggesting that a street renaming occur on Third all the way to the Mississippi state line. The post gained traction and attention from Mayor A C Wharton’s office and Congressman Steve Cohen.

Alaina Getzenberg

Beale and Third

At the end of May, around the time of a celebration that occurred in King’s honor in Memphis, City Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Maura Sullivan submitted the official application on behalf of the mayor’s office.

“We had a lot of support for the name change as soon as it was announced,” Sullivan said. “We even heard from as far away as London. People were excited to see Memphis reaching up and stepping out to honor B.B. King, someone who meant so much to the city of Memphis.”

Not everyone immediately jumped on board, however.

Third Street was given a memorial designation as James L. Netters Parkway in 1991 in honor of civil rights advocate Reverend James L. Netters. Upon the announcement of intentions to name the street B.B. King Boulevard, Reverend Netters, Shelby County Commissioner Eddie Jones, and some citizens of Memphis expressed concerns that the designation already given to the street would be taken away.

So a compromise was reached. Netters Parkway is designated from Crump to the Mississippi state line, and B.B. King Boulevard, if approved, will run from Crump north to Chelsea.

Some have suggested that a different street be renamed, but Jones says the symbolism that Third provides cannot be ignored.

“Third Street is a part of Beale and Highway 61 — the Blues Highway,” Fred Jones said. “It is the route that not only B.B. King came out of the Delta on, but other blues musicians did as well. Third is through the middle of town and takes you right past Beale Street.”

Renaming Third Street will require the replacement of 35 metro street name signs and 35 post-mounted street name signs, a change that will cost $24,500. In addition, the name change will require businesses along the route to make a change in address. However, the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development received no objections from the 92 notices that were mailed out to property owners.

While changing the name of a street for only three miles may not have a massive physical impact, the hope is that what it symbolizes does make a difference.

“I hope that B.B. would be very honored and pleased,” Sullivan said. “Just being able to pay honor to a man whose music and story was so important to the City of Memphis is such an amazing thing.”

Jones thinks King would be pleased.

“I’ve known B.B. King since the ’70s,” Fred Jones said. “He was very appreciative of everything, and he would be thrilled to have his name at an intersection of Beale.”

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City Agencies Help Memphians Cool Off

CREDIT: Jimdelillo | Dreamstime.com

“It’s not the heat. It’s the humidity.” There’s a phrase Memphians have heard a million times. But here lately, it seems the heat and the humidity have teamed up for an especially brutal summer.

Temperatures in July were scorching but averaged only slightly above the average high for the month of 92 degrees. With temperatures peaking at 99 degrees, as seen on July 29th, the humidity and temperature have been combining for heat indexes (what it actually feels like outside) as high as 108 degrees. And temperatures are forecast to remain in the 90s for the foreseeable future.

Jimdelillo | Dreamstime.com

“We do have an increase in heat-related emergencies in the summer, specifically June and July,” said Lieutenant Wayne Cook of the Memphis Fire Department. “These calls come in for a number of causes, such as overheating when exercising or working on jobs or simply from people outside doing lawn care.”

The fire department received about 60 heat-related emergency calls in June, but in July that number more than doubled to around 130, according to Cook.

Shelby County reported four “probable” heat-related deaths as of July 30th. This number is up from last year’s fatality total of two. None were reported in 2013. The heat also killed a dog last week, after it was left in its owner’s car at Wolfchase Galleria for hours. The car’s windows were cracked, but that didn’t help on a day when the heat index reached 112.

“Make sure to stay cool and hydrated, especially during the middle of the day when it is the hottest,” said Elizabeth Hart, public health information officer for Shelby County. “And don’t ever leave pets and kids inside the car for any length of time.”

On July 13th, Memphis Light, Gas, & Water (MLGW) implemented the Special Reconnect Program in which customers who are without one or more utility services can pay $250 plus a reconnect fee to reestablish service. As of August 3rd, 444 customers have taken advantage of this program.

MLGW doesn’t disconnect service for certain groups of people, such as the elderly and those with physical disabilities, on days when the heat index reaches 95 degrees.

A C Wharton’s office has opened cooling centers across the city when the heat index has reached 105 degrees or if there is a great need. These centers, such as the Orange Mound Community Center, typically remain open until 8 p.m., when any high temperatures will have passed. This summer, the Memphis Area Transit Authority has provided transportation to the cooling centers for those who needed it.

In addition to all of these efforts, the fire department has also been going door-to-door when there is extreme heat to check on those in need. However, Cook says the responsibility to keep everyone safe falls on all Memphians.

“Conditions can change from one minute to the next. It is important to check on those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly and children,” said Lt. Cook. “Staying indoors in an air-conditioned space for only two hours a day can make a difference.”

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U of M Scientists Study Hypothetical Earthquakes

If the ground starts shaking, Memphians better be prepared to duck and cover.

A new study by scientists from the University of Memphis and other universities and agencies looked at 20 hypothetical, yet plausible, earthquake simulations. The simulations showed potential for a lot of damage.

The other entities involved in the study were Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the U.S. Geological Survey, San Diego State University, and AECOM.

The scientists replicated the New Madrid seismic zone earthquakes that happened between 1811 and 1812 in Tennessee, Arkansas, and a few other states. The hypothetical quakes ranged in magnitude from 7.0 to 7.7 on the Richter scale and consider various possible epicenters.

If such an earthquake occurred again, it would affect more than 8 million people, according to the study. And Memphis is one of many cities that would feel the quake.

“Strong ground shaking in the greater Memphis metropolitan area could last from 30 seconds to more than 60 seconds, depending on the magnitude and epicenter of a potential seismic event,” said Ramirez-Guzman, a professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and former USGS contract scientist.

The study was first published in a paper that appears in the July 30th edition of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Having more information about the damages a potential earthquake could cause will go a long way in improving earthquake monitoring.

For more information and to better understand the project, view the simulation of a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone.

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MATA Studies New Transit Options for Midtown

From the growing absence of the downtown and Midtown trolleys to the seemingly ever-present complaints about city bus services, getting around in Memphis without a car continues to be a struggle for many.

But the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) hired a consulting firm last year in an effort to improve service, at least for Midtown bus riders. The Midtown Area Connector (MAC) study, which is still underway, is a long-range study to help MATA discover better ways to connect Midtown with other areas of Memphis, either through a new transit service or by expanding on existing ones.

New transit services being considered are “bus rapid transit” or even rail service, which would be designed to reduce travel time, provide real-time travel information, or include dedicated bus lanes on city streets.

Earlier this month, MATA held a meeting with Livable Memphis to update bus riders on the study’s progress. The consultants have identified seven routes, which they narrowed down from 26 routes, that are the most highly trafficked and in need of the most improvement.

In addition to allowing MATA to provide an update on the study, the meeting also gave bus riders an opportunity to comment on the current operations of MATA. Many riders brought up the fact that the routes chosen for the study neglected to reach low-income areas of Memphis. MATA’s use of its funding was also brought into question, in addition to questions about why some bus lines or services had been limited in recent months.

Concerns about whether it was possible to bring new trolley lines into the picture while the old lines are still not operating were also aired. MATA did recently announce that trolley-like buses would begin running downtown in August, but there’s no word on when those will come to Midtown or when the real trolleys will be back. However, MATA officials reassured those attending the meeting that they do plan to get the trolleys going eventually.

“We fully intend to have the trolleys back on Madison at some point. We can’t commit to a time at this moment,” said Tom Fox, deputy general manager of MATA.

Some at the meeting expressed concern about the lack of ability to check on the time of bus arrivals. The MAC study is looking at providing new bus shelters that include a system for real-time bus arrival estimates. But for now, MATA officials are encouraging riders to use TransLoc Rider, their new bus times app for smartphones.

Alison Burton, MATA’s director of marketing and customer relations, said the input from the meeting was important for their MAC study.

“This has been the best [meeting], because the group was so diverse and they had such excellent questions. We [had] note takers, and we’ll take all the information that we received and look at that,” Burton said. “Anything that comes up that we hear repeatedly, the team is going to take that back and include that in their next report.”

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Update on Beale Street Board

CREDIT: Bianca Phillips

Beale Street has seen its own share of the blues over the years, thanks to a long-standing feud between the street’s former manager, Performa, and its lease-holder, the Beale Street Development Corporation (BSDC).

But it looks like management of the entertainment district might be entering a period of stability. The Beale Street Tourism Development Authority (BSTDA) is serving as the street’s new manager, and the board is currently working on prioritizing the street’s needs.

The board was created by Mayor A C Wharton’s office and approved by the Memphis City Council in April. Made up of 13 Beale Street stakeholders, the new group has a lot of work ahead.

The control of Beale Street currently resides with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). The DMC has been serving as the interim managers of the street since January 1st, 2014, when they took over for the entertainment district’s long-standing manager Performa Entertainment.

Bianca Phillips

In 2012, the BSDC sued Performa, which had a lease/management deal with the city for more than 30 years, claiming the management company had violated the terms of its sublease. A judge ruled that Performa wasn’t in default. But the following January, Performa filed for reorganization in bankruptcy court and agreed to assign its sublease back to the city.

The BSTDA cannot take over for the DMC until they have a lease, which must be approved by the city council. At the BSTDA meeting last week, the board voted to create a lease proposal to send to the city council. This will take some time to get approved, leaving Beale in a limbo period well into the fall.

However, the flux in management seems to be having little negative effect on the street itself.

“Our revenue is higher than our budget. Our expenses are lower than our budget. We are pulling in cash for the city for the first time ever on Beale Street, and we are fully leased up for the first time in decades,” said Paul Morris, president of the DMC. “So, Beale Street is doing really well, which is an exciting moment to talk about the future.”

The BSTDA’s first goal is to find a new private management company for the street. The board is also looking at the possible expansion of the entertainment district’s boundaries. Wharton has made it clear that he would like to see the attractions on Beale extend all the way to the river.

“We’ve got this great riverfront. We’ve got activities on the river, and then we have this void of land between the river and [the entertainment on the] street,” said BSTDA Chairman Archie Willis III. “And then if you think about it, why not go to the next block? I think it could be a much larger entertainment district.”

Morris, who has led the interim effort to manage the street for more than a year, said he’s excited to see what having a new permanent board can do to improve the entertainment district.

“[I am] eager to see who might step up and how we might do this, [how we might] really bring Beale Street to the next level. Beale Street is such a powerful brand [known] around the world, and it’s such a great reality, but it could be so much more,” Morris said. “I think it’s time to move to the next level, and interim management is not in the best interest of the street. We need to move forward with the long-term perspective to make Beale Street even greater than it already is.”

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Murals Planned for South Main Underpasses

CREDIT: DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS COMMISSION

Most Memphians likely drive under downtown’s old railroad underpasses without giving the structures a second thought.

But the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) has been giving those century-old underpasses a lot of thought lately. The DMC and the Henry Turley Company are working together to revitalize the dark and dreary spaces under a couple of old bridges in the South Main Arts District.

Art for the project was discussed and approved at a meeting of the DMC’s Design Review Board last week. The project is being funded by the DMC’s Center City Development Corporation.

The goal is to introduce art under the bridges to promote pedestrian traffic and add vibrancy to the South Main area. While there are a number of underpasses in and around the South Main area, two were identified as being in need of the most work. Those underpasses are along Florida Street and South Main Street, both near Carolina Avenue. In the report for the project, they are described as “dark, dirty, unpleasant, and [they] discourage walking and biking in the area.”

The project began in April with a clean-up of the area around the bridges. The city chipped in and helped to clean the dirt and remove debris in the walkways. Another part of the process involved removing a section of unused road bed.

The DMC installed lights under the bridges so they would seem less threatening to pedestrians and bikers. The decision was made to use standard lights that were not flashy or colorful. Currently, the lights are installed, but they haven’t been turned on yet. For the Florida Street underpass, a section of steel on the top was removed, allowing more natural light and air to come in.

The DMC is now ready for the more aesthetic phase of the project. Artist Anthony Lee has designed two mural mock-ups for the underpasses per the DMC’s specifications. The Florida Street underpass will have vignettes, 12 feet by 12 feet, of South Main people and Memphis places, such as Piggly Wiggly and the Orpheum.

The South Main Street underpass will have a more abstract vibe. Using the square recesses in the concrete as the “canvas,” artists will paint each side of the tunnel differently to create a parallax effect as you go through it. It will look different depending on which side of the tunnel you are going though, and bright colors and shapes will add some pop.

Lee has agreed to use only up to six colors per underpass, so upkeep will be less complicated. Special paint will be used that’s supposed to stand up to direct sunlight for 20 years. Measures will also be taken to protect the works from graffiti and other damages, such as moisture.

With new apartment and condo complexes going in around South Main and increased foot traffic due to the ever-growing number of attractions and restaurants in the area, the DMC expects the project to make an impact.

“[Memphis] is where I’m from,” Lee said. “This isn’t my first time doing stuff downtown and with the Turley company. I’m just eager to get to work.”

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Study Analyzes Love/Hate For Memphis

The honeymoon phase is over, and it’s time for Memphians to consider their long-term relationships with the Bluff City.

That was the basis for “Let’s Stay Together, Memphis: Relationship Therapy for the City and its Citizens,” a recently released study by the University of Memphis Design Collaborative (UMDC) that asked Memphians to consider ways to improve their long-term relationship with the city.

The UMDC hosted an event in March, where the group’s members asked Memphians to write a “tough love letter” to the city. There were 140 people at the event, and an additional 52 people filled out letters online.

The UMDC then compiled and analyzed the responses, which they divided into three categories: things people love about Memphis, things that need to change in Memphis, and where Memphians see their relationship with the city going.

On the top of the love list was the city’s authenticity and character. Several respondents described this as the city’s “grit and grind,” the phrase coined about the Memphis Grizzlies.

Study respondents expressed the most frustration over civic governance. Some said the city’s bureaucracy limits the amount of influence the average person has.

Memphians seem to have a love-hate relationship with the local transportation system. Transportation was number three on the list of most frustrating things, due to the lack of investment in public transportation and the quality of sidewalks. However, people still found things they liked about the transit system, such as its influence on lowering automobile congestion and recent bicycle transit improvements.

The study was the first project for the recently launched UMDC, a collaboration between the University of Memphis Division of City and Regional Planning and the Department of Architecture.

“[The UMDC] is going to focus on community challenges and urban design and community development,” said Charlie Santo, associate professor of the Department of City and Regional Planning. “We really want to bring the idea of comprehensive planning back to Memphis. As a city we tend to take on projects one at a time in this piecemeal fashion, so we want to promote a comprehensive planning approach. But we know that’s not a language that people necessarily relate to. The idea of relationship therapy was a way for us to make it more accessible to a wider audience.”

While the turnout to the March event provided the UMDC with a lot of information, they were disappointed in the lack of neighborhood diversity represented since most respondents lived in Midtown or downtown. To get a wider range of input from people across all neighborhoods, the UMDC will be bringing the project to the streets — literally. In the coming months, UMDC members will be on-site at events in areas not yet represented in their study.

The UMDC will use all of its combined research for this project to set the agenda for graduate city planning courses in the fall.

“I think we probably will start by trying to tackle this transportation issue, having a conversation about that,” Santo said. “[The commission] is going to evolve and unfold over time, but I’m glad that we have the opportunity to tackle this, to set this.”

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Wharton Wants Forrest Statue Removed From Park

Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Health Sciences Park

In one of the many reactions to the murders in the Charleston, South Carolina church shooting last week, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton announced Thursday that he wants the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest removed from Health Sciences Park.

The recent attention that has been given to the dismissal of the Confederate flag from state capitals since the shooting has put more pressure on Southern political leaders to make a statement on any remnants of Confederate history.

“We are simply saying that there might be a more appropriate place,” said Wharton. “In the case of the flag, put it in a museum. Don’t put it out in common places. You see, we all have t

o drive down Union Avenue. It’s a common, unavoidable place. If someone wishes to see that, then go over to the cemetery in the peace of solitude, tranquility, and reverence and do it there. What Americans would say, I’d like to have a picnic in the shadow Bedford Forrest?”

Forrest fought in the Confederate army and is declared by many as one of the original leaders of the Klu Klux Klan, although any public involvement with the group is harder to pin down. Both his and his wife’s bodies are buried near the statue in Health Sciences Park. Their remains were originally buried at Elmwood Cemetery, but they were moved to the park in 1904.

The call for the statue’s removal comes only two years after the name of the park itself was changed. In February 2013, the park was renamed from Forrest Park to its current name in a vote by the Memphis City Council.

The final decision on moving the statue and the bodies would have to be made by the Memphis City Council, making the Mayor’s declaration just a declaration. Any decision would have to come from the council and will likely receive much opposition from groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Wharton made it clear that removal of other Confederate symbols, specifically the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, around the city was a discussion for another day. His thoughts on the Forrest statue, however, according to the Mayor, are simple.

“We have an opportunity to just go ahead and remove this monument to a horrible time of the history of our state and nation,” Wharton said. “Let’s just do it.”