At the East Ridge City Council meeting Thursday night, resident Tim Whitt asked for the city to provide more recreational opportunities for children in the central part of the city versus everything being put in at Camp Jordan. The city of East Ridge is getting ready to do a recreational comprehensive plan, said City Manager Scott Miller in response to the request. The study is planned to begin in November and, once it is done, the city can move forward with new plans.
The Pioneer Park located next door to city hall is restricted to children 12 or younger. A park had been planned nearby, but the land ended up being sold where Walmart was built.
Mr. Miller said that tennis and basketball courts have been discussed, and Stump Martin, head of Parks and Recreation, said a skate park has also been considered. There are no new recreational projects planned in the new 2016-2017 budget, said the city manager, so anything new will have to be done next year. Mr. Martin added that activities at the community center are available now for kids 13 and older. For $20 a resident can join and use the gym for an entire year.
A new request has been made by The Adventure Guild to put an additional feature at Camp Jordan. Their proposal would build a zip line, a climbing wall and a ropes course in a corner of the park that has not been planned for anything else. This “challenge course” would be an attempt to get business that otherwise goes to the Ruby Falls’ ropes course, it was stated. It would also be promoted as team building for employees or companies. A contract will be reviewed by City Attorney Hal North before the matter is brought back to the council for a vote.
The council heard the recommendations made by the city manager and Building Inspector Kenny Custer for specifying hours that outdoor construction would be allowed in East Ridge. The proposed hours would be from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and Saturday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays. There is a list of holidays that no construction would be allowed, and the building inspector would be able to give permission for special work exceptions. A first reading for this new ordinance will take place at the next council meeting on Sept. 8.
Larry Clark with the Tennessee River Rescue requested help from the city with cleaning up the creeks in East Ridge. The council voted to provide safety officers and collection/hauling equipment for the Annual Tennessee River Rescue on Oct. 1. Mr. Clark said that during the event in 2015, there were 60 volunteers who removed 70 tires and 2,060 pounds of trash out of Spring Creek.
The rules concerning political signs were another topic for discussion at the council meeting. Candidates in East Ridge put up tents outside city hall the day of elections, and they have become more and more competitive, setting up earlier and earlier each year to get the best spot. The council passed an amendment to the ordinance on first reading that specifies tent site selections will be decided by lottery from now on. Specifics about items such as the time that candidates will be allowed to set up and the size of the tent space will be determined before the second reading and vote on the ordinance at the next meeting.
Changes to the city’s wrecker ordinance are being made, and Attorney North advised that the state of Tennessee’s towing regulations should be matched. Any regulations have to be made out of safety concerns, he said. Currently the city has three companies on its rotation list that are called by police in the event of a traffic incident. Councilmen Denny Manning and Larry Sewell would like to keep only those three preferred companies. Mayor Lambert said that the city could create a permitting certification in order to assure the companies on the list are reputable, but whichever company meets the requirements should be allowed to participate. A first reading and first vote on the amended ordinance will take place Sept. 8.
The East Ridge Police Department will be getting some new equipment. The council voted approval to purchase five new Dodge police vehicles for a total cost of $151,804. They will be equipped with video systems, which were also approved for purchase Thursday night. The department was also given approval to purchase 16 new Tasers.
A resolution of the city council awarded the annual bids for materials for the street department for the year 2016-2017, including asphalt, top soil, crushed stone and piping.
Dick Cook with the East Ridge News Online will hold an East Ridge candidates forum for the election. Permission was given to hold the debate in the city council chambers. It will be held sometime before Oct. 19 when early voting starts.