New East Ridge Officers Presented At Council Meeting

Acting East Ridge Police Chief Stan Allen presented new police officers at the City Council meeting Thursday.  They were sworn in by Mayor Brian Williams. The five new members of the department are Teddy Dyer, Stacy Lively, Arthur Richardson, Clayton Smith and Samuel Roistacher. 

Chief Allen also announced that Officer David Boyd was awarded the police department’s Life Saving Award for actions taken on Sept. 18. He responded to a CPR in progress and took over until the EMTs arrived, which saved the life of the individual. 

Beginning in November officers will be given the opportunity to grow a full beard, said Chief Allen, in return for a minimum donation of $25 to the Needy Child Fund.  He presented the fund with $725 from the officers who are participating.

The police department is the recipient of a $2,500 Homeland Security Grant from Hamilton County that will be used to purchase safety equipment. The East Ridge Fire Department was awarded $15,000 from the grant that will be used to buy radio equipment.

In his report to the council, Mayor Williams said his monthly “meet the mayor” in October met at the library. He said many things are going on there in addition to books. The library is holding movie nights, story times and activities such as pumpkin decorating contests. He encourages residents to take advantage of all that is offered. The next movie night will be Friday at 6:30 p.m. Because a large crowd is expected for the Stephen King movie, it will be held in the City Council chambers at city hall. 

Mayor Williams gave a reminder that a barrel will be available in city hall until the end of the year for donations of non-perishable food that will help stock the Red Bank food pantry. He said it currently feeds 300 families which includes 500 children. He announced that the Halloween event that the city had hoped to have at Camp Jordan will not take place this year.

The “meet the mayor” in November will be a council strategic panning session where the city’s mission and vision will be discussed. The meeting will be open to the public but they can have no input. Once the vision is established, goals can be set to meet the vision, he said, and then there will be a meeting where the public can comment. 

The Remote Area Medical clinic will take place at Camp Jordan Arena on Nov. 16-17. This is a free clinic and open to the public for dental, vision and medical care. Doors open at 6 a.m. and it is first come first serve, said the mayor. Lines start very early or the night before. More information can be seen at www.ramusa.org. 

The Christmas Parade will be held Nov. 23 starting at 6:30 p.m. 

The Walgreens by McBrien Road will have a drug take-back day Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

Residents have been asking why there is a 10 percent increase in sewer charges, said Councilman Jacky Cagle. Assistant City Manager Kenny Custer, who is the city’s representative to the WWTA, said that infrastructure upgrades are needed at the Moccasin Bend treatment facility that is run by the city of Chattanooga which is where wastewater from East Ridge is processed. Improvements must be made to conform to the mandated program, he said, and costs are being passed to the users. He said sewer charges are more than water because the cost to treat water coming out of the river is less than treating sewage before it goes back into it. 

All cities must formally adopt the American With Disabilities Act if the municipality want to participate in state grants. At the meeting Thursday, the council members voted to adopt the plan. Financial Director Diane Qualls and Community Involvement Coordinator Amanda Bowers have established a timeline for the various improvements that are needed to sidewalks and buildings and cost estimates for each and prioritized the work to be done. 

The bid for 1,500 soccer uniforms was awarded to Crown USA.  The T-shirts will cost the city $4 each.

An agreement has been made with Seth Champion for putting a restaurant in East Ridge. It will be located in the border region retail development district and will provide reimbursement for most of his development costs based on incentive and performance. The concept for this restaurant, the ninth that Mr. Champion has opened, is a combination of fast food and a sit-down restaurant. There will be a drive through for take-out orders with a wait time expected to be eight to 12 minutes for a full meal. Breakfast will also be served at this location. The building will have a patio that can be enclosed during cold weather to expand capacity.

A resident of Belvoir Hills Circle, Dana Howe, came to the Council meeting to thank the board for what they have done for East Ridge. She said she has seen positive change in the past six months, citing new businesses, upgrades at Camp Jordan, the Red Wolves development, revisions to the beer and liquor ordinances and walk-ability. She asked the Council to continue building on what they have done by increasing plans for outdoor spaces that contribute to quality of life, with projects such as a dog park, and holding farmers markets and outdoor music festivals and races. She asked for more local businesses and programs to help small businesses to thrive. The Council is very committed to the city, said Mayor Williams and we appreciate your comments.