Join the 1st Spring 2026 Safer Sidewalk Workday

Join us for the 1st Spring NCNA Safer Sidewalk workday

📅 When

• This Saturday, April 4th 9-11 AM

📍 Where

The Barton avenue sidewalk across from the GPS entrance. Uphill from 301 Barton Avenue which is on the corner of Baker Street and Barton Avenue.

What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, small saws or chainsaws, weed eaters, tarps for dragging lightweight debris piles
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

What We’ll Do

Note: extra care will be required on this workday given our close proximity to the fast and busy traffic on Barton Avenue.

The sidewalk along Barton, across from GPS is partially blocked by overgrowth and debris build-up (see photos below). We’ll cut the overgrowth back to clear the sidewalk right of way and also remove the buildup of debris on the sidewalk. If time allows, we will also clean the downhill bike lane, sidewalk and other pedestrian infrastructure near Frazier.

This is a much-used corridor and entrance to our neighborhood. Ensuring that there is room on the sidewalk for safe passage along busy Barton is our goal.

Upcoming NCNA Spring Safer Sidewalks Workdays:

• 4/18/2026, 5/2/2026 and 5/16/2026, 9 to 11 am

  • 700 block of Federal

  • Multi day cleanup and clearing of sidewalks on Federal downhill from the Normal Park Upper School

• 5/30/2026, 9 to 11 am

  • Clearing the sidewalk on Highland Drive near Westwood‍.

Current, before workday Barton Sidewalk Photos:

Barton sidewalk partially blocked by overgrowth and debris, looking downhill towards Frazier and the river.

Barton sidewalk partially blocked by overgrowth and debris, looking uphill.

Get Involved with NCNA this spring!

Our programming is dependent on neighborhood engagement and participation. Let us know what ideas are of interest / exciting to you!

Interested in Learning More about NCNA Initiatives: We have a lot of programs coming up in the next few months. Use this form to get emails with more details about the ones that you are interested in.

Here’s the list:

• Play Streets (a monthly Friday evening gathering when we close down a street for play)

• Emergency Preparedness Group (Establish a support network for neighbors)

• Saturday Sidewalk Workdays (to clear debris and overgrowth, and do some sidewalk repairs)

• Love Local Initiative (support local businesses via interviews and "NCNA Nights Out")

• Dallas Road safety audits and suggestions to the city

• Sylvan Park Bird Sanctuary Work Days to remove invasive plants (quarterly)

• New Neighbor Postcards (quarterly mailings to new neighbors)

• Traffic safety in school zones (especially for students walking to/from local schools)

• Help organize Neighborhood Wide Trash pick up and Potluck on April 25th

• Response to Development and Rezoning (might include attending RPC meetings)

• Wyatt Community Center Support (ex: community garden, arrange snacks for a movie night, etc)

And speaking of Wyatt Community Center…

Starting Friday, Feb 13th — Free Basketball Skill Clinic

Butch Leftwich and Marcel Hawthorne at the Wyatt Community Center on Colville St in North Chattanooga, will be leading a BEGINNER basketball skills development series (SKILLS DRILLS)  for kids aged 7-9 starting on February 13 and running weekly until March 6, 2026.

• Program to run for 4 weeks, on Friday nights from February 13-March 6, from 5:30-7pm. Sign-ups start at 5:15pm each night.

• This is targeted at coed beginners from ages 7-9. Maximum we can handle is 40 kids.

• This will be a drop off program, although we encourage parents to stay and watch the skill drills.

• There will be a sign up sheet for each night with your child's name, age, parent's name, phone number, and any medical information the coaches would need to be aware of.

Pickleball Lessons

The Wyatt Community Center director, Butch Leftwich, is leading Pickleball lessons and skill development drills for beginners M, W, and F each week from 1:30-3. Drop in - no reservation required. Participants to bring a paddle and some balls. Free to all!

Snacks for After School

The community center has become a spot that many kids head to play pick up basketball, soccer and more to as soon as they finish school in the afternoons. If you’re driving, be on the lookout for them as they walk from Normal Park along Forest Avenue on their way to Colville. Also, Butch and Marcel like to be able to provide snacks, so if you can drop gatorades or snacks by, they would be appreciated!

Updates on the Normal Park High School

School Board Representative Ben Connor of District 6 recently sat down with Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Justin Robertson to get some questions answered about the high school expansion.

View their conversation here. 

Ben will write a blog post to respond to any questions about the plans for the high school, so please email him here.

Key takeaways
- It is valuable for the community to talk to county commissioners, school board representatives and the county mayor about the high school expansion. 
- Money from the bond will likely be issued in 2028. Then the school board and county commission will vote on the proposal. 
- Normal Park will likely open ninth grade in August 2028 while the money is secured and the facilities are renovated. 
- Carlines and transportation issues are being looked at but will not be completely solved. The benefits of keeping the school in the neighborhood outweigh the troubles with the carlines, but they are attentive to the impact.
- Normal Park is a great school and will continue to support the vision of having a high school in the community.

NCNA Road Safety publicity and recognition

Our members' road safety efforts have been getting some well-deserved attention lately!

Chattanooga's own Jon Jon Wesolowski, “The Happy Urbanist” recently featured our Safe Sidewalk Saturday workdays in a video story. He highlights how these volunteer efforts tackle "medium-sized" problems—issues too small for the city to prioritize but often too big for one person to handle alone. The video is less than 3 minutes and does a great job explaining what we're doing. You can watch it here.

The city's Neighborhood Services also recognized the Hixson Pike Safety Committee at the late 2025 Neighborhood Association Roundtable. This committee brings together members from Baker Hilltop, Dallas Heights, Fairhills, North Chattanooga, and Riverview neighborhood associations, along with some Riverview Village business owners. Many folks have contributed community input on the upcoming Hixson Pike road updates, and a dedicated core group has stayed involved throughout the entire process. Councilwoman Hill nominated us for this honor.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone that has contributed to these efforts over the last year!

Join the 2nd Fall 2025 Safe Sidewalk Workday

Join us for the 2nd Fall NCNA Safe Sidewalk workday

📅 When

• This Saturday, November 22nd 9-11 AM

📍 Where

We will start near 1211 Westwood and will clean or clear spots along the West / NorthWest side of Hixson Pike from Westwood through to Barton Avenue and Russell. The crew will likely divide and conquer, driving between spots on this route until all is cleaned up so if you arrive late just drive the route and you should quickly find us.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, small saws, weed eaters
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

From Westwood to Russell on Hixson Pike / Barton the sidewalk is partially blocked or covered by debris in multiple locations. Most of the trouble-spots will be pretty easy to clean so we’ll be moving from spot to spot pretty quickly throughout the workday. You can see recent photos of sidewalk obstructions along this route here.

Code Enforcement Inspections Note: if we are aware of any neighbors that need help with code violations we will try to spend time helping with those also. You can read more about the code enforcement inspections that should be happening across district 2 today and tomorrow (11.17 and 11.18) here. Please keep an eye and ear out for neighbors that receive violations and that need help that we may be able to offer.

Sidewalk along Hixson Pike

Sidewalk on Hixson Pike near Barton Avenue

Join the Fall 2025 Safe Sidewalk Workdays

Join us for the Fall NCNA Safe Sidewalk workdays

📅 When

• This Saturday, October 25th 9-11 AM

  • and Saturday, November 11th 9-11 AM

📍 Where

Look for the crew across the street from 1007 Mount Vernon Avenue. The sidewalk on the Southwest side of Mount Vernon Ave. from Albany St. downhill is blocked by overgrowth.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, small saws, weed eaters
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

There is overgrowth blocking the sidewalk from Albany St. downhill on the Southwest side of Mount Vernon Ave. that will require trimming and clearing. We’ll cut the overgrowth and pile it in the roadway for city pickup. We may spend both Fall workdays at this location but will update this blog if the 2nd workday will be relocated.

Photo of the overgrown sidewalk taken from the Mount Vernon and Albany St. intersection. The overgrowth continues a little past the bend.

Mount Vernon sidewalk overgrowth looking uphill towards Albany Street.

Join the 4th and Final Summer 2025 Safe Sidewalk Workday

Join us for the 4th and final NCNA Safe Sidewalk Summer workday

📅 When

• This Saturday, July 19th 8-10 AM

  • workdays will resume after the Summer heat subsides

📍 Where

Look for the crew near 1213 Worthington Street. Most of the clearing work is needed on Worthington Street near Garnett, at the top of the hill, but there are spots near Hixson Pike that need pruning as well.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, wheel barrows, weed eaters
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

There is overgrowth blocking the sidewalk in a few sections on Worthington that will require trimming and clearing. If work on Worthington finishes early there are additional cleanup opportunities nearby.

Photos and highlights from our last work event on Lytle

We had a productive group on hand for our July 5th workday on Lytle and were able to clear 400 feet of sidewalk, with varied levels of overgrowth, from Tremont to 515 Lytle.

Join the 3rd Safe Sidewalk Workday this Saturday, July 5th

Join us for the 3rd NCNA Safe Sidewalk Summer Crew workday

📅 When

• This Saturday, July 5th 8-10 AM

  • a future workday is scheduled for July 19th

📍 Where

515 Lytle Street, about mid-way between Colville and Tremont.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, wheel barrows, weed eaters
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

For the upcoming holiday weekend we’ll be keeping the work ‘light on Lytle’ :) There are a few lost sections of sidewalk and some pruning that is needed but the work should go quickly. If we finish early some of us may do additional pruning to clear a spots on streets nearby or may return to remove more dirt from the Boylston sidewalk that we cleared two weeks ago.

Photos of sidewalk sections that we’ll clear this weekend on Lytle

Photos and highlights from our last work event on Boylston

Our last work day cleared more than 25 years of dirt, growth and debris from sidewalk along multiple lots near 811 Boylston. This project was hard work but rewarding and the newly cleared sidewalk looks great. Big thanks to all that showed up two weeks ago and for doing multiple workdays worth of work in a single event!

Be sure to walk Boylston sometime to see the difference this reclaimed sidewalk makes to the area. You can also see the transition in the photos below.

A timelapse and photos from our 1st workday which cleared sidewalk on Dugdale can be found here.

Community Voices Shape Vision for a Safer, More Walkable Hixson Pike and Riverview Village

In response to longstanding safety concerns and two separate car accidents in late 2024, five neighborhood associations—Baker Hilltop, Dallas Heights, Fairhills, North Chattanooga, and Riverview—collaborated to gather community input on improving Hixson Pike between Fernway and Barton, and in the Riverview Village area. This effort was initiated by invitation of Councilwoman Jenny Hill who we thank for inviting our input on this important shared space.

Over three months, the group conducted a survey that garnered over 350 responses and hosted a community meeting attended by more than 60 residents. The feedback coalesced around two primary goals:

1. Slowing traffic speeds to enhance safety for all road users.

2. Developing continuous pedestrian pathways to improve walkability through the Riverview Village area.

Key recommendations towards those goals include relocating the southbound lane merge on Hixson Pike to a safer location north of its current spot, adding crosswalks, and constructing sidewalks where they are currently absent.

For a comprehensive overview of the community's priorities and suggestions, please refer to the following documents:

• Survey Response Report: Hixson Pike Survey Responses

• Community Priorities Statement: Hixson Pike - Riverview Village - Community Priorities Statement

• Presentation: Hixson Pike Community Survey D2 Presentation

This community-driven effort exemplifies how local collaboration can lead to actionable plans for safer, more accessible neighborhoods and we hope it encourages continued collaboration and engagement in our community.

Play Streets Are Coming!

Many adults can remember a time when children spent more time outdoors, and neighborhood streets were filled with the sounds of kids playing. While we still see many children in our neighborhood today, kids are more likely to play in their own homes, yards, or on screens.

In order to encourage more outdoor play and community connection, the North Chattanooga Neighborhood Association (NCNA) is excited to announce our Play Streets initiative. Play Streets are scheduled times when selected streets are closed to through traffic, creating safe spaces for children to play and neighbors to connect. This concept, already successful in other cities, represents a return to a time when streets weren’t just for cars – they were extensions of our front yards and gathering places for our communities.

The first NCNA Play Streets event will take place on Boylston Street, on Friday, April 11th from 5:00 PM–6:30PM. Please note, Boylston Street from Tremont to Beck will be closed to cars from 4:30 PM until 7:00PM the day of the event.

Play Streets will take place in the streets and in public spaces like sidewalks and greenways. Attendees should not be in a private yard unless invited.

RSVP Here

- The event is intentionally "low-program" and meant for parents to "life guard" rather than to be overly involved in the playing.
- We will provide bubbles and chalk, and we ask you to bring Amazon boxes for fort building and other creative play!
- We will also have an section for young children to play together with a bit of protection from older kids.
- All attendees should clean up after themselves as they leave.
- A parent or caregiver is required to be in attendance. Please bring a camp chair and enjoy the fun!
- Pets are not allowed at Play Streets.

We would love to see you at the event, and all are welcome even if you aren't a part of NCNA! Remember, Play Streets aren’t just about creating spaces for play – they’re about strengthening our community bonds, improving all of our well-being, and making North Chattanooga an even better place to live.

The future Play Streets are already planned. Hope you can join us!

May 9th on Hanover Street

June 13th on Colville Street

July 11th on Endicott Street

August 8th on Normal Avenue

September 12th on Dartmouth Street

October 10th on Boylston Street (again!)

If you would be interested in helping us with some of these future events, fill out this form!

Neighborhood Wide Walk Audit this Saturday Feb 22nd

Join us for the NCNA All Streets Walk Audit

This Saturday, Feb 22nd 9:00 AM

Wyatt Recreation Center

406 Colville St Chattanooga,TN

This will be an effort to review all pedestrian infrastructure within the NCNA boundaries.  We'll discuss the walk audit process over coffee and donuts then spit up to walk and review our neighborhood streets.

If you want to get a head start the walk audit you can do that using the following form:

https://forms.gle/bzaFxLnULnVx8YPX8

Thanks and see you Saturday!