Page 7 - July-Aug 2019 Vol37 No2

Fencing and water barricades were
installed for safety and crowd control,
and programmed message boards were
placed throughout the site’s footprint to
communicate information to attendees.
Safety—always a paramount concern at
large events—was a priority, and a twelve-
foot safety line was maintained in the
crowd to allow first responders access in
the event of an emergency.
Three Days of Waste Collection Work
Throughout the days and nights of
April 25- 27, Metro Public Works swept
the streets, had two strike teams working
around the clock on-call, and had solid
waste crews using six-wheelers to pick up
trash and recycling during the duration
of the event. By the conclusion of the
three days, crews collected more than
19.56 tons of recycling, and 353.58 tons
of waste.
The work was executed efficiently and
in close coordination with the event’s
organizers. Many of the event’s attendees, Corporation, and the City of Nashville
including the Mayor of Nashville, were
pleased with the work of the department.
“I’m always impressed by our city
during these big special events, and
the NFL Draft was no exception.
Coordination during this kind of multi-
day, large-scale event takes hard work
and professionalism across many Metro
departments. The staff at Public Works
deserves a lot of the credit for such a
successful Draft,” says Nashville Mayor
David Briley.
Partnerships Ensured Coordination
The partnership between the NFL,
the Nashville Convention and Visitors
allowed for more than 600,000 people
to enjoy the 2019 NFL Draft over the
course of three days. That number,
while astounding, is probably going to
become a new normal for some Nashville
events, with tourism sky rocketing, a
robust music industry, and successful
professional sports franchises bringing
large-scale events to Music City.
Butch Spyridon, President & CEO of the
Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp,
sees the Metro Public Works Department
as an important partner in special events.
“A huge part of Nashville’s success as a
major destination is due to an intentional
event strategy. Without question, as our
events have grown, so has our relationship
with Metro Public Works and the critical
role it plays,” he said.
“They are now as important a part
of any event we put on as the artists we
book to perform,” says Spyridon. “Major
events, such as July 4, New Year’s Eve,
the Predators Playoff Watch Parties, the
NHL All-Star Game and most recently
the record-setting NFL Draft, would not
be the success they were without this
partnership. As a matter of fact, I’m not
sure we would be able to secure these
events in the first place without our
partnership with Metro Public Works!”
Sigh of Relief; Now Plans Begin for Next
Big Event
When Public Works staff takes a look
back at the weekend, many feel a sense
of pride in the work they accomplished.
“Working these events makes me proud
to live in Nashville. To see people come
here and enjoy my city brings me a lot of
joy,” says Kevin Morgan, who works as an
event supervisor.
For now, employees are enjoying
catching their breath after a marathon
sprint in late-April. But, not for very long.
There’s always a big event on the horizon.
“There’s no such thing as a quiet
weekend in Nashville anymore. Don’t
they call New York ‘the City that Never
Sleeps’? I think that might be us now,”
says Metro Public Works Director Mark
Sturtevant.
View online at tnpublicworks.com 7