Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and his team filed an ordinance last week with Metro Council which would allow them to recommend the transportation improvement program’s inclusion on the Nov. 5 ballot.

If Metro Council approves the program, the Davidson County Election Commission would then vote on whether to call the countywide referendum election.

“Choose How You Move, An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service and Safety” would offer dedicated funding for Nashville’s transportation system through a half cent sales tax surcharge. Data from a recent Vanderbilt poll confirmed that 84% of Nashvillians support putting a transit referendum on the ballot.

“Nashvillians told us in the Imagine Nashville survey that their top vision was for a more connected city, and today we take another step toward that goal,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell says. “I appreciate the council’s consideration of this program and look forward to voters choosing the transportation future they’d like to see.”

The ordinance filed with Metro Council includes proposed language for the November ballot that explains the program. Metro Council’s charge is to approve the program and surcharge, thus requesting that the Davidson County Election Commission put the referendum on the ballot. The first reading of the ordinance will occur at the Metro Council meeting June 18.

July 4 WeGo train, bus service announced

WeGo Public Transit can help families celebrate the Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4 celebration with safety and ease. There will be special WeGo Star train service to and from downtown, and bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule with final departures at 11:15 p.m.

Bus riders are encouraged to use the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central, located downtown, for the bus ride home. Road closures and congestion may require unexpected detours of stops downtown.

July 4 WeGo Star train tickets are available for purchase now on TicketsNashville.com. Round-trip tickets cost $15 with a $2 processing fee and cannot be purchased at local train stations TVM’s. The tickets will remain on sale until 24 hours before the event, or until the train is sold out. An allotment of 650 tickets is available.

Riders will receive one ticket for the round trip and must present it to receive a colored wristband for the return trip. Children ages four and younger will not need a ticket to board but are required to sit in a parent or guardian’s lap. Weekday WeGo Star tickets and monthly passes will not be accepted for the July 4 train.

The return train will leave Riverfront Station one hour after the conclusion of the fireworks show. Riders will need to show their wristband to reboard the train.

Customers requiring special accommodations to board should call 615-862-5950 before their trip and provide their boarding location and number of passengers.

The WeGo Star will depart to Nashville at the following times:

• Lebanon: 4:30 p.m.

• Hamilton Springs: 4:38 p.m.

• Martha: 4:45 p.m.

• Mt. Juliet: 4:55 p.m.

• Hermitage: 5:05 p.m.

• Donelson: 5:15 p.m.

• Riverfront: 5:30 p.m.

All WeGo Bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule. The fireworks are expected to end at approximately 10 p.m., and most frequent and local routes will be operating until 11:15 p.m. Because congestion may require unexpected detours downtown, customers are encouraged to consider boarding at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central (4th & Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard).

Free Park & Ride lots for the holiday service are at the following locations:

• Dollar General at Hickory Plaza

• Donelson Station

• Hermitage Station

• Public Libraries (Edgehill, Hadley Park, Inglewood, Madison, Richland Park and Thompson Lane branches)

• Vanderbilt lots on Natchez Trace

Information: www.WeGoTransit.com

Miles Auto Spa acquired by RipTide Car Wash

Franklin-based Miles Auto Spa has been acquired by RipTide Var Wash, an expanding chain with locations in Virginia and North Carolina.

Miles Auto Spa has been a fixture in the Nashville area for 17 years with five locations in Franklin, Hillwood and Old Hickory.

RipTide will rebrand the Miles locations in phases, beginning with technology upgrade installations and new signs coming later this summer.

All existing gift cards, loyalty programs and promotions will be honored.

Register of Deeds opens new office June 24

The office of the Nashville Davidson County Register of Deeds will begin operations June 24 in its new location at 300 Deaderick Street. The last day in the current location inside Bridgestone Arena will be June 21.

During the transition between offices, services will remain available and uninterrupted.

This includes filing and recording of all property documents, liens and releases; e-recording and remote filing; information services (in person, by phone and via email); provision of document and plat copies and voter registration. Online access to records will be unaffected.

The Register of Deeds move had been scheduled for June 3, but several key elements of the new location will not be finished by that date.

The new Register of Deeds location is across the street from the Historic Metro Courthouse, where the Register’s Office was previously located. The new location is convenient for attorneys as well as anyone in need of the office’s various services.

Study: Price-per-square foot up 52.7% since 2019

It’s a seller-friendly market, with median list prices increasing 37.5% since May 2019 and inventory down 34.2% compared with typical 2017-19 levels, Realtor.com May housing data reveals.

When looking at pre-pandemic levels, across the country the median price-per-square foot experienced staggering increases. Nearly half the 50 metros included in the report saw an increase in median price-per-square foot of at least 50% since 2019, with the metros seeing massive changes including New York (84.7%), Boston (72.9%) and Nashville (68.6%).

The median price of homes for sale this May remained relatively stable growing from $441,000 last year to $442,500 this year, a slight increase of 0.3%.

SBA working capital deadline approaching

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations that July 1 is the filing deadline for federal working capital loans for losses due to drought that began Oct. 24, 2023.

The declaration includes the primary counties Bledsoe, Bradley, Chester, Decatur, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Henderson, Lawrence, Marion, McMinn, McNairy, Meigs, Perry, Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren and Wayne; and the contiguous counties Benton, Cannon, Carroll, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Giles, Hardeman, Hickman, Humphreys, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Madison, Maury, Monroe, Moore, Polk, Roane and White in Tennessee.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster.

Apart from aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers and ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4% for small businesses and 2.375% for private nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, account payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.

Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

Asurion: Summer heat speeds phone issues

More phones are lost, stolen and damaged during the summer months than any other time of year, the tech-care company Asurion reports.

Asurion looked at repair data from its network of nearly 700 uBreakiFix by Asurion stores, as well as claims data from its protection plans and saw a nearly 50% increase in water-related phone issues last summer compared to the rest of the year, plus a nearly 15% surge in both cracked screens and battery issues.

According to Asurion’s experts, the issues are often related. Cracked screens and back glass make phones more vulnerable to water damage, while extreme temperatures makes glass more susceptible to breakage and can permanently shorten battery life.

Beyond damage, Asurion sees a nearly 50% rise in unrecoverable phones – those dropped in the ocean, off a cliff or anywhere else they can’t be retrieved.