by Jim Ashley
posted May 15, 2008
) Photo by Jim Ashley Blake Wilkey, a student at Soddy-Daisy High School who was recently awarded a scholarship to Harvard University, is introduced to the Soddy-Daisy Board of Commissioners by Principal John Maynard. |
City Manager Janice Cagle told the commission that the price of fireworks had gone up 12 percent over last year’s cost of $5,000 and noted that the cost of fireworks last year had increased over the previous year but that the commission did not approve spending more money.
Mayor Bob Privett said that money for the fireworks “is well spent.”
Commissioner Jim Adams pointed out that the fireworks show only lasts “about 12 minutes” but that at least 10,000 people attend the event every year. And that is good for the community, he added.
The commission then voted unanimously to approve purchasing the fireworks.
Next, Ms. Cagle told the commission that she had gotten “specs” for new laptops for Soddy-Daisy Police Department patrol vehicles.
During the commission’s last meeting on May 2, Police Chief William Loftis reported that laptops in 19 police cars were eight years old and that many of them are having hard drive failures.
He noted that the estimated replacement costs for hard drives for those old units would be almost $800 each.
After discussing the issue for several minutes, Mayor Privett told Ms. Cagle to seek bids for new laptops and brackets for mounting them.
During Thursday night’s meeting, she reported that she would try to get bids for a replacement laptop for the commission to consider at its next meeting, June 5, at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
Ms. Cagle afterward noted that she had received bids for a server for the city’s website (http://soddydaisy.org/) and that the low bid was $13,645, but that it was from a company in California that she knew nothing about.
She then requested that the commission approve the second lowest bid of $15,299 by Mokata, a local company that has been hosting the city’s website for the past two years.
Mokata’s bid was unanimously approved.
Also during the meeting, Mayor Privett noted that a vehicle hydroplaning problem that existed at Gann Road and Daisy Dallas Road during wet weather had been solved since the commission’s last meeting.
During that meeting, Commissioner Geno Shipley mentioned the problem, and Mayor Privett said he was aware of it, that it was serious and needed to be fixed.
The work has been done since the last meeting, and the fix is “doing its job,” Mayor Privett said, adding that another hydroplaning problem he recently became aware of is on Hyatt Road behind Soddy-Daisy High School.
Correcting these problems is “worth the money,” even if it prevents only one accident, he said.
At the beginning of the commission meeting, John Maynard, Soddy-Daisy High School’s principal, introduced Blake Wilkey, a senior, who has been awarded a full scholarship to Harvard University. He will major in philosophy and theoretical physics.
Mr. Maynard, who has been principal at the school for one year, noted that 352 seniors will graduate this Saturday and that scholarships awarded to about 200 of them total more than $6 million.
Jim Ashley may be contacted at jashley41@comcast.net.
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