NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — New temporary fencing has been put up on Gay Street, along the steep bank that overlooks the Cumberland River. The Metro Council member behind the move, says it's in memory of Missouri college student Riley Strain.
Strain was in Nashville on Spring Break, back in March, when he went missing for several days. His cell phone was last detected along Gay Street. Investigators later discovered his body in the Cumberland River.
"They may not know what this area is like, and so making sure, as they walk, especially in the dark, that they’re safely along the trail," said Jacob Kupin, who represents District 19 on Metro Council.
Strain hasn't been the only one to wind up in the river. So Kupin passed a resolution to put up the temporary fences. In the long run, he hopes to have something more permanent to keep people safe.
"We’re looking at what kind of decorative fencing do we put up? What kind of brush cutback do we do? Do we include river access? Things like that," said Kupin.
If the city decided to move forward on brush cutback, they would have to get approval from the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, who manages erosion control along the Cumberland's riverbanks.
To that end, Kupin has been taking his time with this project, because he wants to strike that right balance.
"Some folks, when I was running my resolution about this and advocating for it, expressed concern that I was fencing off the riverfront, and I have shared it’s quite the opposite. I love the water, I want us to be a river city," he said.
To buy him that time, these temporary fences have gone up.
"I’m glad there’s a temporary solution, so in the near term, it’s safe as well," said Kupin.
Kupin says the move has been well received, especially by those who dearly loved Riley Strain.
"They’re really excited to see that hey, these efforts are being done, and that’s my goal. My goal is to let people know, this death wasn’t in vain and that we do respond, we do take steps if we see something we can do better, we’re going to do it," said Kupin.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
