The Signal Mountain Town Council had a very important meeting last night concerning the rezoning of lot sizes on Signal Mountain. They were poised to vote for a re-zoning of lot sizes on Signal Mountain of many lots, and this decision will impact the density of Signal Mountain to an enormous extent.
Due to questions that seemed obvious, by the residents of Signal Mountain, concerning this re-zoning effort, that the Town Council could not answer and the resistance to a law which they could not justify, the Signal Mountain Town Council stepped back from their decision and decided to do some badly-needed research so that hopefully they can answer these questions; who will benefit from such a change, how many lots will be effected, how will the schools be impacted, how will the roads be impacted, and how will our barely adequate sewer system be impacted?
It was disappointing to see that more parents of school-age children were not more curious to find out about this rezoning of our lot size from 1/2 of an acre to 1/4th of an acre, when such a change in density will definitely have an effect on the schools on Signal Mountain, which are already at capacity.
Many parents who had their children in trailers at Signal Mountain Elementary could testify to the fact that it is by no means an optimum academic condition for their children. Neither is over-crowding in the classroom. I would think that so many of the parents who moved up on Signal Mountain for the schools and especially the high school might be concerned about what would happen with great density and if the high school became inadequate for the Signal Mountain population.
I don't think it is realistic for these parents to think that another high school is in the cards to address the over-population of this school because of higher density. At the very meeting where this law causing greater density on Signal Mountain was being discussed, the Town Council members decided to table talk of paying for an SRO at the high school. If the budget of Signal Mountain is going to be stretched so much just to pay for a SRO for its high school how is the town going to address the need for another grammar school and another high school on this mountain?
Besides the vulnerable infrastructure that will be even more taxed by higher density and the problems with waste treatment already existing. I would think that the parents of school-age children on Signal Mountain would have some questions to pose to our Town Council members about how they are planning to address the academic challenges posed by higher density when our schools already at capacity are no longer sufficient.
We do not yet know when the next meeting concerning this issue will be held, but I urge Signal Mountain parents to find out and to come and voice their concerns.
Rachel Miller