Scenic Highway Speed Limit Drops On Lookout Mountain; Residents Must Have Town Stickers To Use Recycle Bins, Dumpster

  • Wednesday, October 14, 2020
  • Gail Perry

Changes were made at the October Lookout Mountain, Tn. commission meeting that will affect most of the residents on the mountain. The speed limit on Scenic Highway from the state line north to The Commons has been reduced to 20 m.p.h. from the current 25 m.p.h. This change on the main road running through the Tennessee town will now match the speed limit that has been set on Lula Lake Road in Georgia from the state line south to Wood Nymph Trail.

 

All residents have not bought current car stickers, said Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley.

He would like to urge everyone who lives in the town to buy the decals which let the police know they are mountain residents. There have been complaints that non-residents have been using the recycle bins and the dumpster when it is available. In order to restrict their use for people who live in Lookout Mountain, Tn. or Georgia, the car stickers will now be required in order to use these facilities. A notification sign will be put at the public works yard and cars will now be monitored.

 

The commissioner said that political signs are being regulated for both placement and size. They must be placed on personal property and, if they are found on a public right-of-way, they will be picked up and taken to the city hall where owners can claim them. These signs must also conform in size to the town’s sign ordinance.

 

Statistics from the fire and police departments in September show that there were 290 calls to the police, 4,331 miles were patrolled, 26 calls to 911 were answered and there were eight false burglar alarms. Officers assisted 12 citizens, made 152 traffic stops, responded to one auto accident without injuries and gave 12 parking citations. Five arrests were made during the month, two for traffic violations, one DUI, one for an outstanding warrant and one for narcotic possession. There were 12 medical calls during the month, six in Tennessee and six in Georgia. There were four fire alarms and one actual fire, a blower on an AC unit.

 

There has been a lot of participation in rec sports this summer despite the Covid pandemic. Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall said that over 300 played soccer, which was 75 percent of the number of children who played in 2019. The season started with Chattanooga Football Club members coaching and maintaining social distancing. After the rec board gave approval, the teams started playing games, and only one family dropped out, he said. Flag football started immediately when soccer ended, and there are eight teams each with 10 players. Eighty participants are an all-time high, he said. The bad news is that basketball competition cannot be guaranteed because it is indoors. If it is played, it will have a late start, in January at the earliest.

 

School is doing well with no big problems, said Commissioner of Schools Brooke Pippenger. She recognized the extra efforts required of the teachers. The school board decided to use some snow days to make fall break an entire week this year, partially to give the teachers relief and a moral boost, she said. The PTA has organized a new fundraiser to benefit LMS since the school will not be participating in the selling of coupon books and the carnival cannot be held. A “virtual run” will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, by students. Community members can also participate and donate miles to, or sponsor a student or classroom. The girl and boy in the school who collect the most mileage will be crowned the King and Queen of the Hill. More information is available at the website www.lookoutmountainpta.com.

 

Commissioner of Public Works Frank Schriner said the department is now transitioning from removing brush to picking up leaves. New road reflectors have also been installed.

 

CPA Paul Johnson with Johnson, Murphey and Wright presented the audited annual report for year end 2020 to the commissioners, which he said was very good, ending with an excess of $32,000 over expenses. He gave the town a very clean letter. There were no instances of non-compliance he said, which is a rare thing. He praised the work of Assistant Treasurer Samantha Van Alstyne.

 

Ms. Van Alstyne said Lookout Mountain, Tn. received $23,600 in ad valorem taxes last month and, with Point Park now open, revenue is being generated from the parking meters again. In September, $4,000 was collected from the meters. The 2020 property tax bills have gone out.

 

Mayor Walker Jones said that participation in Halloween this year will be a personal choice indicated by leaving on the porch lights. The mayor would also like to thank all the volunteers who contribute to the town in various ways. Currently, the garden clubs are in the process of landscaping the terraces above the lower parking lot below the tennis courts and around the fountain. Love Lookout always helps out in many ways, he said, and this past month Will Newberry held a special event giving coffee to the first responders. “All that is done, does not go unnoticed,” he said.

 

The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission will be Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m.

 

 

 

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