Work on a large new road project that has been planned for Soddy Daisy during the last several years will finally get started. The ground breaking ceremony for the road improvements was scheduled for Friday morning. A center turn lane will be added to Dayton Pike from the Church of God to Veterans Park. The work is funded with federal money administered by TDOT. The city will be responsible for $1 million of the total $5 million project. Mayor Rick Nunley emphasized that the area where the work will be done is a construction zone and will be patrolled by the Soddy Daisy Police.
The speed limit of 30 mph will be enforced, he said.
Commissioner Gene Shipley said that growth in Soddy Daisy is evidenced by an increase in building permits. He said, too, that he feels the road improvements will help bring in more people and businesses. He said that there is a new commercial building on the north side of town for the first time in many years. Also, sales tax revenue increased eight percent over last year, up to $133,000, which is the largest amount ever received by the city. It is another indicator that businesses and restaurants in the city are doing well and that people are coming to Soddy Daisy to shop, he said. Growth is a way to keep down taxes and at the same time, makes the city better, he stated.
Other items in City Manager Janice Cagle’s report at the commission meeting Thursday night included getting approval to buy pole lights for two of the city’s fire engines. The cost will be $5,067 and it was a budgeted item.
The commissioners also declared vehicles as surplus, that had been seized by the police department or city-owned cars that were no longer needed. This designation will allow them to be sold on Govdeals.com.
The city’s Fourth of July celebration will actually be held on July 4. The festivities will take place all day long at the Soddy Park. There will be vendors for food and drinks, games and crafts. There will also be a car show with around 300 automobiles. Fireworks will begin at dark.
The city recently completed a new stage at Soddy Park and it has already been vandalized, said Mayor Nunley. The perpetrators have been caught, he said, but he asks for citizens to report any misconduct that they see in the future.
Diane Walker, a resident of Soddy Daisy, spoke to the commissioners asking for the website to be updated. She said that when the city received the improved ISO score of 2 for the volunteer fire department, the website was not changed. She said that her insurer goes no further than a city’s website to find their rating, and when they checked the score for Soddy Daisy, the website incorrectly said the town was rated at 3. City Manager Cagle told her it would be corrected on Friday.
Ms. Walker also asked the town to do something to reduce the cost of water, but was told that the city has no control over it. A suggestion was made for her to attend the next board meeting the water utility will have on July 17. Commissioner Shipley said everybody in town is complaining, especially those with houses hooked up to the sewer. It is becoming outrageous, he said. The utility that used to provide water and sewer services for the town was Soddy Daisy Falling Water Utility District. It merged with Sale Creek Utility and the name was changed to Northwest Utility District, which is the water and sewer provider at this time. Ms. Walker said that recently her water bill has gone up about 50 percent. Ms. Cagle said part of the increase is due to new pipes that are required to replace the old ones that leak.