East Ridge Approves Beer At Camp Jordan Special Events; Campground To Be Closed

  • Friday, December 15, 2017
  • Gail Perry
Reserve Officer Jim Cordell & Assistant Police Chief Stan Allen
Reserve Officer Jim Cordell & Assistant Police Chief Stan Allen

A final vote approved temporary special event beer permits for city-owned properties in East Ridge. Pastors from two city churches spoke against the proposal and one spoke in favor through a letter that was read into the record. City Manager Scott Miller suggested adding five conditions to the ordinance that had passed on first reading, at the last council meeting. The conditions were incorporated into the ordinance that passed Thursday night.  

 

The request for beer license applications will be accepted only after sports tournaments have been booked so they will have first preference to use the facilities.

The city manager and staff will review all applications and determine which city services would be needed before the application is sent to the council to approve or not. The applicant will be responsible for paying for any services or personnel used. The sale of beer at an event can take place at the community center building, pavilion, amphitheater or other areas at Camp Jordan as long as a metal fence encloses the space in order to prevent beer from being taken out or brought in. The applicant will also be required to provide the minimum of $2 million in liability coverage for the event.

 

The process to receive a special events beer permit will be for the city manager to make a recommendation but the council will make the final decision whether to approve it.

 

The ordinance passed on a vote of 3-2 with Mayor Brent Lambert and Councilman Jacky Cagle voting against. In favor were Larry Sewell, Esther Helton and Brian Williams.

 

A decision was also made to close the RV Park/campground that is in Camp Jordan. During construction of the Bass Pro development, water lines servicing the campground were broken and now water leaks have resulted in bills consisting of tens of thousands of dollars, said Parks and Recreation Director Stump Martin. The front area will be closed and used for additional parking. A cost will be determined for making repairs to the remaining campground area. Campers will still be allowed and a key provided to the restrooms and showers, but no utilities will be available.

 

A five-year recreation facilities plan was also adopted. Mr. Miller told the council that a plan would be necessary to secure grant money that can be used to improve the parks. The projects included in the plan were identified in two community input meetings and include improvements to the playground at Pioneer Frontier Park and the addition of a splash pad. Building a dog park is also in the plan. The town manager is looking for an area that is large enough to build a dog park and to relocate the animal control building. An open air, multi-use pavilion with restrooms, is also wanted by the citizens.

 

Over several years, the city has received TDOT grants to make three segments along Ringgold Road multi-modal accessible. This year, East Ridge added another section that will be paid for by the city. The project will stretch about two miles, from the Bachman Tunnel to Marlboro Avenue. With the addition of the fourth phase to the three grant projects, efficiencies can be created by treating all four segments as one job. The engineering firm, ASA, made a presentation to the council of design recommendations for the project.

 

Along this length of roadway, the elevation drops 180 feet and ends behind Jones Methodist Church, which experiences flooding from rainwater runoff. The new design will create a detention system that picks up water before it reaches that low point, by creating small stormwater parks along the way. Small areas of land will be acquired to build the little grassy areas where shallow ponds will be built that are lined with coarse materials above drainage pipes, all covered with grass. Water that collects in the basins will drain slowly into the pipes being cleansed as it moves through the layers. The water will be cleaner when it gets to Spring Creek and erosion will be reduced. This method of dealing with drainage will allow for the use of much smaller concrete pipes at a great cost savings. The engineers expect that this will control flooding for 90 percent of rain events. Construction should begin in September 2018.

 

East Ridge has been providing fire and police services for the small town of Ridgeside since 2009 when the original contract was drawn up and a price established for the service. The price has not been increased since that time. The city manager determined that since 2009 there has been a 27 percent increase in cost for the citizens of East Ridge. He passed on the new price proposal to Ridgeside, he said, and “they got sticker shock.” Ridgeside has not yet come back to East Ridge with a counter proposal but has asked for an extension of their contract until Jan. 31, 2018, which was agreed to by the council.

 

Approval was also given to enter into an interlocal agreement with Collegedale to provide certain police services upon request, if personnel are available.

 

The council approved spending around $35,000 for electronic citation equipment. The system can be used by law enforcement for citations, warrants and summonses. Five units will be bought at a cost of $35,000 including software and hardware that is needed. There will also be an annual maintenance fee of $2,900.

 

The city will issue interest bearing capital outlay notes in an amount not to exceed $221,973 for the purchase of a new street sweeper. Authorization was also given to apply for the Joseph Manicai scholarship grant for animal services, which will provide $600 to help pay for a training program for a department employee.

 

The mayor will enter into an agreement with Chambliss, Bahner and Stophel, which will act as government affairs counsel to the city regarding matters before the Tennessee General Assembly.

 

Police Chief J.R. Reed honored Jim Cordell for 25 years of service to East Ridge in the capacity of a reserve officer. Officer William Johnson was also honored for saving the life of an East Ridge resident in February, 2016. He performed CPR until EMS arrived and took the patient to the hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

Officer William Johnson & Police Chief J.R. Reed
Officer William Johnson & Police Chief J.R. Reed
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