Federal Emergency Management Agency representative Daryl Walker addressed the Lookout Mountain, Ga. city council on Thursday asking the city to consider adopting a floodplain management ordinance so residents can purchase flood insurance.

Mr. Walker acknowledged that one does not normally consider property on Lookout Mountain at risk of flooding. However, he said, there is one identified floodplain within the city limits near the golf course. The land is currently undeveloped, he said.

A flood as defined by FEMA is the inundation by rising waters of two or more properties or two or more acres. Flood waters can come from mountain runoff, he said.

If the city does not adopt a floodplain management ordinance, residents will not be able to purchase flood insurance even if they desire to, he said. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, based on an agreement between the Federal government and participating communities, makes flood insurance available to residents of participating communities provided that the community adopts and enforces adequate floodplain management regulations.

The regulations include minimum building design and construction standards for buildings located in identified floodplains.

The program is voluntary, Mr. Walker said, but a benefit to participation is that many types of economic assistance grants are only available for governments and residents participating in the program.

There is no charge to a community for participation in the program, Mr. Walker said. To participate, the city must make a one-page application; pass a resolution of intent indicating a desire to participate and a commitment to recognize flood hazards and carry out the objectives of the program; and adopt and submit floodplain management regulations.

Once the city is approved as a participant in the program, business owners, home owners, and renters will be able to purchase flood insurance, Mr. Walker said.

Mayor Tom Gifford said the council will consider applying for the program and adopting the required ordinance at the December meeting.

Mayor Gifford said another $50,000 grant has been received for the Flintstone sewer project. The total now committed and received is $450,000 of the $533,000 needed. The council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Gifford and Dana Driver to serve as agents of the city in applying for grants for the remaining funds.

The Flintstone sewer system will be rebuilt with the grant money and then be turned over to the City of Lookout Mountain to control and maintain. Lookout Mountain will not have to spend any of its own money for the Flintstone sewers. Flintstone residents will pay to Lookout Mountain, fees equal to what Lookout Mountain residents currently pay.

The council will have a called meeting in early December to review the documents of the rebuilding of the Flintstone system and the subsequent takeover by Lookout Mountain.

On a related note, Mayor Gifford acknowledged the new odor-control system for the sewers is not meeting expectations and the old system has been pressed back into service. New work at the plant is underway to contain odors there as well. “We will not stop until we get it right,” he said.

The council reappointed Beth Soloff to the Municipal Planning Commission.

Mayor Gifford welcomed Mayor-elect Bill Glascock and incoming councilman Blair Ramey to the meeting and congratulated them on their victories. He said Mr. Glascock and he are already working together to make the transition go smoothly for the city. The effective date of the new administration is Jan. 1, 2010.

Gail Bryan, spokesperson for Lookout For Smart Growth thanked the city council for not voting or taking any action on a Planned Unit Development ordinance before the Comprehensive Plan is complete. The draft Comprehensive Plan is expected from the Walker Collaborative in December.

In the Mayor’s Report, Mayor Gifford said the company the council chose last year to provide workman’s compensation has gone bankrupt. He proposed the city go back to GMA, the company previously used. He presented a quote from GMA for $30,000. The quote, he said, is $10,000 less than GMA’s quote last year that caused the city to seek another quote from another company.

The council approved the necessary resolutions for the mayor to sign an agreement with GMA for workman’s compensation.

Mayor Gifford said the recent heavy rains led FEMA to declare Walker County a disaster area and qualified communities for relief funds for any losses they incurred. The city, he said, did have one of the sewer pumps to fail because of the large volume of stormwater and also had a culvert blowout.

Mayor Gifford said he has already applied for FEMA relief funds in the amounts of $24,403 for the sewer department and $6,865 for public works. The outlook of being approved for the funds is very favorable, he said.

The Stockings Full of Love Santa Train was a success in its first year, Mayor Gifford reported. $2,425 cash was collected and an enormous amount of non-perishable foods was donated. Over 1,500 Walker County families will receive assistance from the program and the city resident’s are to be commended for their generosity, he said.

Councilman David Bennett reported the old playground at Fairyland School will be demolished on Dec. 14 and the new playground installed on Dec. 21. The PTA is ecstatic that the city provided the needed funds, he said.

Dana Wilbourn
dbwilbourn@yahoo.com