Historical presentation
photo by Gail Perry
Soddy Daisy is beginning work on a long-awaited new fire station. At the commission meeting Thursday night, City Manager Janice Cagle was authorized to pay architect Louis Wamp $30,000 to reconfigure and design additions to an existing building. The interior of the old, smaller fire station will be gutted and it will be re-built. The existing bays will remain and new ones will be added. Extensive cosmetic work will be done on the exterior which will be made to resemble the city’s fire station number 2.
After planning is complete the project will be bid out before construction can start.
About 10-15 families came together at the public hearing and commission meeting to voice their opposition to a rezoning of property at 1230 Thrasher Pike. The proposal to change zoning from R-2A Rural Residential to A-1 Agricultural drew the large crowd which fears a decline in their property values and increasing mis-use of the property. The Hamilton County Planning Commission recommended not going forward with the project. The Soddy Daisy commissioners followed and also denied the zoning change.
A representative from Greer Management previewed a housing project the company is proposing in Soddy Daisy. It would have 60-80 units at the end of Dayton Pike at the entrance to Highway 27. The 24-acre site would hold the one- and two-story buildings, ranging from two- to four-bedroom homes with a clubhouse, common laundry, exercise areas and a playground among other amenities. If rezoning is approved for the property, Greer Management will apply for tax credits that are intended to encourage affordable housing. Rents would be limited to 60 percent of the area’s median income. The company would retain ownership and management of the units after they are built. This would be a $13 million-$15 million development contributing to the city’s property taxes.
Linda Hixon came to the commission meeting to ask for support for the new Great Eastern Trail Association. This is the newest long-distance trail in the country and it is being made up using existing regional trails. A group has evaluated all options for connecting the Cumberland Trail through Hamilton County to the Georgia Pinhoti Trail. The city of Soddy Daisy will send a letter to encourage Hamilton County to include it in the new comprehensive parks master plan.
Steve Smith from the Soddy Daisy and Montlake Historical Association presented the city with a framed presentation board to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Hamilton County. It features a photo of Poe’s Tavern, the first courthouse in the county in 1819, a coin from that year and a written history.
Mikayla Creasman, a student at Soddy Daisy High School, recently won the Miss Tennessee Teen contest and will now compete for the USA National Miss Teen competition.
The Soddy Daisy Christmas Parade will be held on the first Sunday in December which is Dec. 1 this year. And Christmas in the Park will be on Dec. 7 from 3-6 p.m.