Carol Mutter Gets New Term As Lookout Mayor: New Company Vies For Cell Tower

  • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
  • Gail Perry

Carol Mutter was unanimously re-elected by her fellow commissioners on Tuesday night to serve as mayor of Lookout Mountain, Tn.

Also sworn in after the recent election were Walker Jones, who will remain in the position of public works commissioner and vice mayor, and Don Stinnett, who will continue serving as commissioner of schools and treasurer.

Joining them are Jim Bentley, the new commissioner of fire and police, and Brooke Pippinger, heading up the parks and playground department.


John Higgason will again serve as judge and Brian Smith, as the city attorney, will continue the job of town clerk.

Randy Bowden was re-elected to fill three positions, chief of fire and police, town marshal and plumbing and building inspector. Pat Fricks is the tax collector and assistant treasurer.

 A new cell tower proposal has been received from Tower Holdings, based in Birmingham. The application is for a 120-foot mono pole tower to accommodate four carriers. This proposition specified the need for clearing an area of 90 by 90 feet at the base to house equipment.

Henry Glascock, representing Wireless Properties, said the level of detail in the proposal from his company should put them ahead. Wireless Properties, that has been working with the town for nearly a year, in their application, provided five variations drafted by a certified engineer. The firm is now prepared to submit a lease. Ultimately, the difference in the two proposals will be the lease terms and how the city will participate in the revenue sharing, said the representative from Tower Holdings.

A motion to keep the public hearing open to seek more information from the new applicant was  approved. A vote to grant or deny was postponed until the next commission meeting.

Two residents with concerns about the security cameras at the entry points to both Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and Georgia, asked for information about the functionality of the cameras at night. Chief Bowden responded that, for the most part, numbers are clear and the tag readers can detect the state and county, but that they are scheduled to be re-focused. Visibility of the tags varies as conditions change, such as in fog, and if a vehicle is pulling a trailer, but the percentage is really good, he said. He estimated that 90 percent of the tags entering the town are clear including the state name.

The overhead cameras will be improved with additional infrared lighting that is expected to be installed next week.

 Mayor Mutter said that since the cameras were installed, they had been successful in the apprehension of suspicious vehicles four times. She said the town is withholding the last one third of the payment until officials are satisfied with the quality of imaging, and told the residents, “They’re working – be patient.” She also assured that the town assumes the liability of the cameras, not the citizens that contributed to buy them.

In departmental reports, Jim Bentley read the monthly statistics from the fire and police departments compiled by Chief Bowden. During August police answered 125 calls, patrolled 5,269 miles, responded to 19 burglar alarms that were all false, and seven assist citizen calls. The 911 center had 10 calls; there were no auto accidents, 22 traffic stops, no arrests and one incident of auto theft that was recovered. Response was made to seven medical calls, nine fire alarms with eight being false, and one resulting in minimal damage.

Chief Bowden and his department were praised for being given the rating of Class Two. Commissioner Bentley said this places Lookout Mountain, Tn., in the top two percent of all fire departments in the state of Tennessee. This can have a positive impact on homeowners' insurance because the town has great coverage, it was stated. Chief Bowden in turn gave credit to the commissioners and thanked them for providing money needed for the replacement of equipment that was expiring. Chief Bowden was also congratulated for being chosen as a member of the board of directors for the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, representing District 4.

School has been in session nearly one month and is “off to a grand start,” said Commissioner of Schools Stinnett. Boosterthon, a fundraiser and character builder, kicked off the year. Principal Ruth White announced that the fall carnival is scheduled for Sept. 23 with a rain date of Sept. 25. She also said that Talus will host a block party serving hamburgers and hot dogs to raise money for both Lookout Mountain and Fairyland Elementary Schools. This event will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 5 to 10 p.m. The Hamilton County school coupon books are now on sale with proceeds dedicated to upgrading technology.

Ms. White expressed gratitude for the daily walk-through of the school by the police, and said that she would be glad to open the school any time for special police training. Hamilton County Commissioner Joe Graham and Chief Bowden worked jointly to create dedicated cross-walks on both the north and south ends of the cowpath that are now in place at the school and on East Brow Road.

With football season in progress, Commissioner Pippinger announced that the registration date for soccer is Nov.3 and basketball on Nov. 15 in the LMS gym. She also thanked Joe Hailey for assuming the role of project manager for the tennis court project that he has overseen from the beginning. In the update on the work he said if the weather poses no problems, completion is expected in around six weeks. A resolution was passed to name the lower court for Marilyn Voges Brown who taught tennis to three generations of Lookout Mountain residents.

The new leaf machine ordered by the town is intended to speed up the removal of leaves. Unfortunately, it will not be ready until December, said Commissioner of Public Works Jones. The town has procured a location for leaf disposal that is closer than the one used last year, so despite having just one machine, the process is expected to be faster than in the past. The town is also in good shape with salt for the upcoming winter.

Complaints about kudzu encroaching on the roads leading up the mountain are being taken care of by the city of Chattanooga which is responsible for maintaining Scenic and Ochs Highways until they reach the top. Residents with concerns about those roads are encouraged to call 311 and to keep the work order number assigned to the complaint. This will be needed for verification if the request is not getting a response.

Dwight Montague, town consultant, said the only thing unusual in August was that there were three pay periods instead of two resulting in a 50 percent increase in the payroll. The town also paid $75,000 towards the tennis court project in August.

Mayor Mutter gave a reminder of the two pieces of art that were donated to the town by the family of Margaret Sexton. She said that a donor is being sought for providing the $2,500 needed for installation of the sculptures in Temple Park and Jane Davenport’s Park. The request will remain open until November.

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