A lot of road work has been underway in the city of East Ridge and, as much of it is being finished, other big road projects are just beginning. City Manager Scott Miller said the road resurfacing scheduled for 2023-2024 is almost completed and the city was able to add a couple extra streets with money that was left over from the budgeted amount. Repaving McBrien Road is finished and the multi-modal project along Ringgold Road is progressing. City Manager Scott said that the two westbound lanes of Ringgold Road from McBrien Road to Belvoir Road should be open to traffic by April 19.
This coming Monday, widening North Mack Smith Road leading into the Red Wolves stadium and development will begin. Adams Contracting will be doing the work and have been given 270 days to complete it. The city council members have approved entering into an agreement with ASA Engineering at the cost of $162,000 to provide Resident Project Representative inspection services to inspect and monitor the work as it is being constructed.
ASA Engineering also conducted all the engineering inspection services for the multi-modal project along Ringgold Road from McBrien Road to Wimberly Lane. The original completion date was May 11, 2023, but there were substantial delays due to stormwater control infrastructure that was needed, which in turn required unexpected sewer and gas main work. The revised completion date is June 28, 2024, and that is an additional 213 days of construction from the original schedule. The council approved the second change order for ASA Engineering for the additional time their services have been needed.
An update of the city’s new animal shelter shows it is well on its way, said the city manager. The walls are up now and the next step will be the roof, which is dependent upon the weather.
In new business, the council approved the lease purchase agreement for 19 Motorola in-car video systems. The contract and price for five years is $207,071. The cost will be divided and paid over the five years with the first year being $43,795, which was included in this year’s budget. The cameras have the ability to function as license plate readers and that feature is included in the first year’s price.
Two members of the East Ridge Board of Zoning Appeals have been reappointed - Mitch Qualls and Jane Sharp. This board provides an appeals process for property owners about decisions made by the city regarding enforcement of the zoning ordinance.
The yearly audit of the city was done by HHM CPAs, and was presented to the council by Garrett Williams. He said that the increase in sales tax revenue in East Ridge shows the growth of the city. Mayor Brian Williams said it is amazing to get a $2.8 million net increase to the General Fund. He thanked the department heads and employees and staff for holding to their budgets. The clean audit opinion and increasing fund balance show that the city is doing well, he said.