Since 2014 the city of East Ridge has been working toward creating safe paths for pedestrians, bicycles and other non-motorized travelers in East Ridge. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 the city applied for and received three Multimodal Access Grants through the Tennessee Department of Transportation to help build the multi-purpose sidewalks along both sides of Ringgold Road. The three grants will each apply to one phase of the design and construction of the project that will run from McBrien Road to Kingwood Drive when completed. The city is planning to extend the sidewalks from Kingwood to South Seminole Drive, “Phase 4,” without using grant money, but will be reimbursed from the Border Region Development District sales tax dollars, for the work.
ASA Engineering is designing the sidewalks and performing the survey and plans for drainage issues for the first three phases. At the Thursday night East Ridge City Council meeting, ASA was approved to provide the same services related to “Phase 4” to assure consistency. There will be a single contract with ASA for their services. However, the entire project will be constructed in four phases. The engineering costs for Phase 4 will be $55,060 for the land survey and stormwater modeling and $330,000 for the design.
After discussion about who is liable for omissions in the original scope of work associated with the design and construction of the city’s new fire station, the council voted to approve a change order that was inadvertently left out of the original bid. This latest change for three LED light fixtures at the front entry of the building is for an additional $2,481. The lighting is required to meet codes. The $1,497,000 fire station that is nearing completion has run up $23,653 in change orders to date.
All of the municipalities in Hamilton County are facing new air quality standards. The council acknowledged that the effect this will have on East Ridge is a revision of permit fees that will increase from $5 to $10.
Rezoning property located at 4209 Ringgold Road from R-1 Residential C-2 General Commercial was approved unanimously. Codes Enforcement Officer Kenny Custer said that past rezoning in the area did not follow property lines and in some places one property was divided into different zones. This causes problems for lenders, he said. The change that was approved Thursday night on first reading will bring this parcel into conformity and help clean up the zoning map, he said.
In 2015 East Ridge created an ordinance to restrict the proliferation of alternative financial services establishments within the city with distance requirements between stores. A request has been made from U.S. Money Shops, operating as a pawn shop, to open a store at 5309 Ringgold Road. The business would replace another similar business that offers a different method of loaning money. The original store has been at that location since 2013. Despite the names and procedures for making the loans, both stores fall under the same category as a check cashing business, said City Manager Scott Miller. The old store would lose its status and would not be allowed because of the distance requirements. Discussion took place about the new request and will be continued at the next council meeting.
The council voted to apply for four grants. The 2018 Recycle Rebate matching grant from the State of Tennessee is offered to encourage recycling in order to reduce the amount of waste in landfills.
The United States Tennis Association Assistance Grant, if received, would assist in covering expenses for improvements to tennis courts at the Pioneers Park at East Ridge High School. It is a 50/50 matching grant for up to $20,000.
The Tennessee American Water firefighting support grant, if awarded, would provide $500 to purchase equipment for the firefighters.
A 2018 Courtroom Security Grant from the state of Tennessee, if received, would be used for a silent panic alarm for the courtroom at East Ridge City Hall. The state would pay 90 percent with the city responsible for 10 percent.
The council voted to give $500 from the 2018 budget to East Ridge High School to be used for the Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony that will take place at the next football game, for 10 athletes from the city.
Because the next council meeting that was scheduled to take place on Oct. 12 is during fall break at the schools, three council members will be absent. A vote was taken that approved the cancellation of that meeting. The next meeting of the East Ridge City Council will take place on Oct. 26.