East Ridge is suddenly thriving with new developments all along the freeway, but it has many empty storefronts along Ringgold Road, officials said at the City Council meeting Thursday night.
“It’s an exciting time to be in East Ridge,” said Mayor Brent Lambert, listing the recent activity around Exit 1 on I-75. Currently work is proceeding on the site anchored by Bass Pro Shop which will be surrounded by other retailers.
A re-developed Life Care Center has also been announced that will replace one building with three new ones. Two hotels at the intersection are also undergoing renovations, and a new grocery store is being built on Monroe Street at the site of the old East Ridge pool.
Yet, along the roughly eight-mile stretch of Ringgold Road, there remain many vacant spots. City Manager Andrew Hyatt and City Treasurer Thad Jablonski have been meeting with prospective companies in an attempt to locate them in East Ridge. Mr. Hyatt told the council that, although he has had exposure, he has had no training in economic development. His recommendation was to hire the consulting firm Retail Strategies, based in Birmingham, to secure more business for the city. Mr. Jablonski said it would provide “a strategic approach with control instead of a dog chasing a car on a tip.”
The council voted three to two in favor of contracting with the consultants for three years with an opt out clause after the first and second year. The cost will be a flat rate of $100,000 if services are used the whole three years with the first being $48,000. Mr. Jablonski said there is no guarantee it would be accepted, but that he would submit the cost to the state of Tennessee for reimbursement as an eligible cost for doing business in a border region. Retail Strategies brings experience, expertise, data and a team to put strategies together, said Mr. Jablonski. The team of 28 people now does the same for 104 other municipalities in 18 states.
To make the city more attractive, the council voted to implement a façade improvement grant program. East Ridge will provide a 50-50 matching grant up to $10,000. It will be available to the owner of a property making improvements to the exterior of their building. A tenant will need to work through the owner to receive grant money. The city manager said, because the sign ordinance has recently been changed, that businesses could use these grants to get their signs up to code. If the business qualifies for the full $10,000, a final approval must be given by the commissioners.
Pay day lenders have recently been moving into East Ridge, presently estimated to be around 30. Those already established will be grandfathered in, but new regulations were passed Thursday night to prevent clusters of these businesses in the future. The new requirements are that this type of business can be no closer than 1,320 feet apart. A permit application will require the company to prepare a site plan that includes everything surrounding the location within a 1,500-foot radius and that it must be at least 500 feet from the property line to an adjacent residence.
Progress on the Pro Bass Store site is meeting the time goals that were set, said John Healey, representing Exit 1, LLC. The earliest date that Pro Bass will take possession of the pad and 12-acre site is April 1, and it is ready to hand off today. Work will continue on the remainder of the 30 acres throughout the summer, he said. Once it is in the hands of Pro Bass, it will be in charge of the construction. That phase typically takes about 11 months, said Mr. Healey. He anticipates building will start in mid-summer.
Mr. Jablonski clarified the $4 million given by the city for incentive payments, which helped attract Bass Pro to the location in East Ridge. The first payment of $200,000 was made Aug. 26, 2014 when the city received a letter of intent. The second payment of $800,000 was made Oct. 14, 2014 after all licenses and permits were obtained. The second million was paid on Nov. 25 after a certificate was provided to both the city and the Industrial Development Board to show the developer is not in default of any financing relating to Pass Pro Store. The next $1 million was Jan. 20, when site improvements met certain benchmarks. The final payment of another million will be paid when Bass Pro accepts the pad from the developer.
Thursday night, bids were accepted for equipment intended for the city services and the police departments. Approval was given for the purchase of a mini-excavator to be used by public works, for the cost of $58,000. A thermal imaging camera for the fire department was approved for the low bid of $9,885. It will be paid from the bond anticipation note account.
The city manager was given authorization to accept the Hamilton County 2014 Homeland Security grant. Approval was also given authorizing the city to apply for and accept the 2016 Governor’s Highway Safety Office high visibility enforcement grant and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office grant in an amount not to exceed $15,000. This will be used by the patrol division of the police department to buy additional radar equipment. Increased patrols are planned, and this grant will also help cover overtime for the stepped up surveillance and for providing safety literature to underage drives.
Police Chief J.W. Reed announced that his department has secured a drug take back box. It will be located in the lobby of the police department for the disposal of old prescription drugs. He said the second annual event to take unwanted drugs will be held at Walgreens on April 25 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Last year during this same event, 140 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs were collected.