Climbing Kilimanjaro

Patel’s journey to Kilimanjaro began more than a year ago when Karawadra, a native of Tanzania (where Kilimanjaro is located), returned from his first trip up the mountain.

“So many people expressed interest in going that we decided to make another trip,” Karawadra said. “We started with 16 people, but by the time we left, there were only four of us, including Dharmesh and Purvisha.”

Excited about a new challenge, Patel began a training regimen to ready himself for the journey that included attending fitness boot camps and running in the St. Jude Marathon. However, no amount of training could prepare him for the

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Belz Investco wants to erect a gate across a Midtown residential street to block vehicles from driving through.

The proposal would place a gate across Idlewild at a point 78 yards south of Union.

Shaded houses line the street south of the proposed gate. A Kroger parking lot and medical clinic buildings sit on the north side.

“The purpose of the gate is to prevent cut-through traffic on this residential portion of a minor street,” the letter of intent states.

Belz Investco, a real estate development and property management company, owns property on both sides of the gate it proposes. The company owns the commercial building housing Methodist Diagnostic Center and other clinics, and a house on Idlewild directly behind the medical building, documents in the filing show.

The request for the street closure is to be heard by the Land Use Control Board on Oct. 8.

Efforts to contact applicant Ron Belz and representatives of Kroger were unsuccessful Friday. But the proposal may pit the interests of the Idlewild residents who want a calm street against those of motorists who want to keep their route options open, or who want to enter or leave the Kroger parking lot without having to use busy Union Avenue.

Belz Investco also states it would dedicate a small area on its property near the gate to allow cars to turn around.