Cars traveling to and from Lookout Mountain this summer will be slowed by roadwork at the base of the mountain on both Broad Street and Cummings Highway. Dennis Malone, assistant city engineer with the Chattanooga public works department, gave an explanation of the work that will be taking place at the intersection of Broad Street and St. Elmo Avenue, which will close down Broad to through traffic.
A large, deteriorating metal pipe will be replaced with a box culvert to prevent the road from collapsing.
Drainage structures will be installed and the surface will be brought back up to grade. At the same time, a crossing of the Riverwalk will be constructed at that location. The project is expected to take 90 days to complete beginning June 5 through Sept. 1. Traffic heading toward Chattanooga will be diverted to Tennessee Avenue and the detour heading toward the mountain will take 35
th street, in front of Calvary Chapel, to St. Elmo Avenue to get around the construction site.
Work will also be done to repair the stone wall along Cummings Highway as it passes around the base of Lookout Mountain. Hamilton County Commissioner Joe Graham told the commissioners that during that work the four-lane road will be reduced to two. The dates of construction and of lane closures will soon be announced.
Commissioner Jim Bentley presented the monthly statistics from April for the fire and police departments. The police had 117 calls, patrolled 4,675 miles, responded to 15 burglar alarms, all false, and assisted 13 citizens. Three disorders were handled by the police, 21 calls to 911, and four medical calls. There were five minor auto accidents during the month and officers made 17 traffic stops. No thefts occurred in April, but Talus Restaurant was vandalized when a window was broken. The fire department participated in one search and rescue operation at Point Park, helped TDOT with a diesel spill on Scenic Highway and answered three fire alarms that were all false.
The Lookout Mountain, Tn. police are trying to slow cars down by using radar and giving warning tickets. With school being out for the summer, this is considered a priority. Mayor Carol Mutter said that some of the offenders have been visitors. With 18 miles of roadway to cover, two officers patrol 120 miles each day, the police are unable to see and stop all the speeders, said Chief Randy Bowden. The mayor encourages residents to call the police if they see a car traveling too fast.
Another issue the police are dealing with is the use of unauthorized vehicles on the streets. Golf carts are not allowed on the town’s streets, but Low Speed Vehicles (LSV) are. The police will be checking to make sure that all guidelines for these vehicles are followed.
Bids on the new parking kiosks that will replace old meters around Point Park are due this week and the kiosks should be in place by mid-June, said Commissioner Bentley.
Brooke Pippenger, commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds, announced that Rick Dockery will be retiring as the Lookout Mountain recreation director at the end of this summer but will continue his role as PE teacher at LMS. Scott Shell will become the new recreation director. Anyone interested in filling his previous job as assistant recreation director, should send a cover letter and resume to Commissioner Pippenger at PO Box 111, Lookout Mountain, Tn. 37350.
Ms. Pippenger also gave a reminder that the organization Love Lookout will hold a Movie Night this coming Friday night. Food trucks will be available. The rain date is the following Friday night, May 19. Commons Camp will be held from June 5 through July 21. The program for 6-12-year-olds will take place every day from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. The program for four-and-five-year-olds will be on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. until noon.
Don Stinnett, commissioner of schools, announced that third, fourth and fifth graders from the school participated in the Science and Math Olympiad at Chattanooga State, and won a total of 14 placement medals.
The commissioner gave the important dates for the last weeks of the school year, which include May 16 for school-wide pictures and a community walk from the school to Point Park on May 17. Field Day is May 22 and Awards Day May 23. Fifth grade graduation will take place on Wednesday, May 24, at 9 a.m. The last day of school is May 25.
Town Consultant Dwight Montague said that the second PTA contribution has been received for the Education Program. The commissioners approved a budget amendment to pay for unexpected expenses that took place during the year including repairs to the garbage truck, repairs to town hall building and plumbing work at the commons, among other things.
Public Works Commissioner Walker Jones said there are currently crews working on brush removal and cleaning drains. The recent heavy rains have caused problems with water. He asks for residents to be aware of where they place brush piles along the streets so they do not cause water flow into the drains to be diverted or blocked. A dumpster will be available on the first weekend each month at the public works department.
Variances were granted to Mike Taylor to build a garage at his house on North Hermitage Avenue. The addition will be eight feet from the neighbor’s property line, but that neighbor has given a letter of approval. The second variance was given to Argil and Robin Wheelock, who also have the approval of their neighbors, to build a garage on an existing parking pad at their house on West Brow Road.
Mayor Mutter said that new car stickers are due. The cost is $5 until the end of May. On June first the price will increase to $10. The mayor said that stickers are important because they make it easier for police to identify residents.