The long-awaited Signal Mountain School Viability study is ready and will be made public on Oct. 18.
Discussion of the school facility acquisition or construction was proposed on Friday by Signal Mountain Councilman Dan Landrum, who contended that it should be a consideration when hearing the final report from the Signal Mountain School Viability Committee. He was in opposition to the rest of the council, which would like to hear the final report before spending time discussing buildings.
Attorney Phil Noblett said that at the informational meeting held at Signal Mountain Middle High School, the Hamilton County School Board attorney’s opinion that the buildings were not for sale was the county’s side of the story, and that could be disputed.
On Oct. 18, the committee will be allowed to present its findings in a “disciplined” meeting, without interruptions or questions. The council will receive a copy of the final report prior to the meeting and after the presentation will be prepared with questions that are based on facts from the report. How to proceed from there will be decided.
Another important meeting will be held on Friday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. when officials from TDOT in Nashville will talk about potential plans for improving or rebuilding US 127 up Signal Mountain. Following that meeting, the council will hold its monthly work session.
Under study are options for improving the highway from Suck Creek Road to Palisades Drive.
TDOT officials said, "There is no project at this time. We're simply looking at potential options for the future."
Changes have been made in state laws about the way that public libraries owned by municipalities are operated. In the past, Signal Mountain’s library board has functioned as an advisory board. The changes now require that the library board has operational control of the facility, including hiring and firing and purchases. The town will have to establish a separate fund for the library with the money coming from the town’s general fund, fines, fees and donations. The library board will be responsible for the creation of a budget which will be sent to the town council for their approval.
Members of the current board have requested that the panel be expanded from seven members to nine and the council agreed to the increase. Annette Allen has volunteered to fill a vacancy that currently exists, leaving two spots empty. The council has decided to appoint Councilman Dan Landrum for one space, which leaves one slot to be filled. Each member can serve two terms of three years. The vote to expand the board and appoint the ninth member will take place at the next regular council meeting.
After working on the agreement for the past three and a half years, a lease document with Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club is close to being completed. The town plans to have a new survey of the property, which is owned by the town. The club has been in operation since 1914 when it was built as part of the resort that is now Alexian. During that time there have been many different agreements, the last one drafted in 1966. The new lease will be for a period of 20 years with the price based on the current county appraisal and the tax rate set by the city. After the reappraisal of property this year, the monthly rate for 2018 will be $4,238. The club has also agreed that going forward it will pay the yearly stormwater fee for the property, which is $4,037 next year. Town Attorney Phil Noblett will finalize the lease and an official vote to approve it will take place at the next town council meeting on Monday, Oct. 9. The new lease will start Jan. 1, 2018.The calendar for the Centennial Committee’s plan for celebrating Founder’s Week from April 4 - 14, 2019, with the theme of “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was presented to the council. A kick-off open house would be held Thursday night at the town hall. A leadership dinner with elected officials speaking, is proposed for Friday night, and a parade and picnic would be held on the following Saturday. Sunday would be “culture day” in conjunction with the arts groups.
The council gave Town Manager Boyd Veal authority to move forward with the purchase of a new fire pumper truck that will be used at the new fire station that Signal Mountain is building. It is a budgeted item.
The practice of using public funds for private projects was debated at the meeting Friday afternoon. After a request for monetary help for an Eagle Scout project, City Manager Veal questioned using government funds for uses beyond government expenditures. He said it would set a precedent and be problematic if it is for a project that the town would not normally undertake. The council agreed and declined to create a procedure for contributing to non-government projects.
A property owner has been asked to given the town use of their land to expand parking for the Cumberland Trail. Mr. Veal said the family has agreed to allow parking in exchange for only trimming trees and not cutting them down. In dealing with the parking issue, it was discovered that the Cumberland Trail does not lie completely within the boundaries of the easement and that will need to be dealt with in the future.