ORDINANCE NO. BL2016-101

An ordinance providing the honorary designation of “The Francis S. Guess connector” to a portion of 28th Avenue North.

WHEREAS, Francis Scott Guess was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in the former Preston Taylor Home public housing project and went on to serve with honor in the Military Intelligence division of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Guess eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tennessee State University, a master’s of business administration from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, and completed the senior Executives in State & Local government program at Harvard University; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Guess was an influential leader who devoted his distinguished 45-year career to public service, civic causes and business enterprises at the local, state and national levels -- including service on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission following appointment by President Ronal Reagan, the Tennessee Commission on Human Rights, and as the Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and General Services under then Governor Lamar Alexander; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Guess provided volunteer support to more than 100 organizations in his lifetime, serving as an ardent and effective proponent of equal opportunity in public and private sectors; and

HEREAS, among the boards and commissions he served upon were the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, the Nashville Minority Business Development Fund, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Officers and Directors, the Metro Convention Center Authority, the National Coalition of Human Rights, the American Institute for Managing Diversity, the Nashville Committee on Foreign Relations, Tennessee Minority Purchasing Council, Tennessee Advisory Committee of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the Governor’s Monitoring Committee. Additionally, he was the founder and past president of the Buffalo PAC and was the first African-American to become president of the Rotary Club of Nashville, a role he served in 1992 and 1993. He was also a member of the Nashville City Club and the American Legion Post 82. He was a lifetime member of the NAACP; and

WHEREAS, in the private sector, Mr. Guess served as executive vice president of The Danner Company and executive director of The Danner Foundation, and he owned and operated Helicopter Corporation of America (HELICORP); and

WHEREAS, Mr. Guess was the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his public service, including the prestigious Tree of Life Award from the National Jewish Fund, and the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 13.08 of the Metropolitan Code allows the Metro Council to bestow honorary street names and signs beneath the official street name sign or on a separate post in memory of deceased persons by ordinance; and

WHEREAS, in honor of Mr. Guess’s death in 2015, and the impact he made on the lives of countless Nashvillians and others, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council provide the honorary name of “The Francis S. Guess connector” for a portion of 28th Avenue North heretofore known as the 28th/31st Avenue connector bridge.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That the 28th/31st Avenue connector bridge, which is more particularly described by lines, words and figures on the sketch attached hereto as Exhibit A and made a part of this Ordinance as though copied herein, is hereby given the honorary name “The Francis S. Guess connector”.

Section 2. This honorary street designation shall not result in a change of street address for any residents or businesses on 28th Avenue North or 31st Avenue North.

Section 3. The Department of Public Works is hereby authorized and directed to install the appropriate signage designating this section of roadway as “The Francis S. Guess connector” in accordance with § 13.08.025 of the Metropolitan Code.

Section 4. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately after its passage, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Sharon Hurt, Edward Kindall, Loniel Greene, Brenda Haywood

View Exhibit

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Introduced:	January 5, 2016
Passed First Reading:	January 5, 2016
Referred to:	Public Works Committee
Passed Second Reading:	January 19, 2016
Passed Third Reading:	February 2, 2016
Approved:	February 5, 2016
By: