Lookout Mountain, Ga., Mayor David Bennett said Thursday that the town has made some major achievements during the year of the pandemic. He said that he is grateful to the town council, the employees, the planning commission, and support from residents which were all given credit for work that was done to move the city forward despite COVID-19. Accomplishments this year include two large projects - groundbreaking for the new city hall and fire station and the creation of Our Mountain Garden, all done during a pandemic.
By next August, council meetings should be taking place in the new building. “This city is going in the right direction,” said the mayor.
The next step in building the municipal buildings will be a special council meeting to approve documents for the construction financing with Truist Bank. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 8 a.m. at the Lookout Mountain Methodist Church, for the public to weigh in on approval of the interim financing. Permanent financing will be through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Community volunteer Jimmy Campbell said that Our Mountain Garden is right on schedule. There have already been 25 trees and 100 shrubs planted. Flowers will go in this coming spring. Plans are to have a covered pavilion, but more money will need to be raised before it can be started, said Mr. Campbell. He said that he is looking for ideas for how to do that. The pavilion will have many community uses including weddings.
The comprehensive plan that Mr. Campbell has also been in charge of creating is now at the stage that it will be turned over to officials with the state of Georgia to complete. That work will be done with no charge to the town. When it comes back, the comprehensive plan will first go to the planning commission and it will be vetted at public meetings to make sure it is what the residents want. The next step will be to send it to the town council.
Caroline Williams, council liaison with Fairyland School, said that until the end of this year, the school will be on a hybrid schedule. She said that hopes are that Walker County will segregate the elementary schools to allow five-day, in-person teaching after Christmas, because elementary students have a lower virus transmission rate than upper-level students. She said that the administration and teachers have gone over and above for the children. Because it has not been possible to hold the traditional large fundraising events for the school this year, she said that the PTA is coming up with mini-fundraisers instead, such as a successful Christmas tree sale that sold out.
The public works department has had interruptions during this leaf season, said Councilman Kevin Leckenby. Now help is coming from the sewer department employees and from temporary workers hired for picking up leaves. One of the delays has been caused from the state law which requires leaves to be disposed of legally. That means they have to be taken to a facility that composts them, and proof is required, said City Manager Brad Haven. The closest composting facility is in Rock Spring, Ga., so each truck load must be taken there. Considering the time for round trips, and fuel costs, the town is spending a great deal to dispose of the fall leaves. Mayor Bennett asked Mr. Haven to look into the town creating its own leaf composting facility. Mr. Leckenby made the suggestion to encourage residents to mulch their leaves by mowing them to keep them out of the system, rather than blowing them to the curb for pick-up. Brush is not as much of a problem because it can be taken to the Walker County Transfer Station.
The town would like to buy a new garbage truck that better suits its needs, said the city manager. City Attorney Bill Pickering said the good news is that the city of Chickamauga is interested in the truck, and to get it will pay off the lease. Before a new one is bought, old garbage trucks the city owns will be used.
In the absence of Chief Todd Gann, Council member Taylor Watson reported that the fire and police departments are working on next year’s budget. Everything in the department has been running smoothly, she said. One new police officer joined the department in November.
Preliminary engineering has been done for a new sewer pumping station. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lookout Mountain, Ga. is eligible to receive 70 percent of the cost for the project from a grant.
Council member Tony Towns is in the process of forming a stormwater committee and has almost completed assembling the group of volunteers and a budget is being created. The mayor said that a stormwater presentation will be done at one of the public hearings the city will hold.
Kenny Lee told the council that the planning commission is reviewing every relevant form and document that is available relating to planning. This will be an attempt to make the interaction with the planning process more intuitive and easier to use. He said that the town has a lot of commissions and boards and after the first of the year, they hope to meet together as one group, to visualize what the future looks like. Larry Reed has been appointed to the position of zoning and building official, a position he held in the past.
CPA Paul Johnson with Johnson, Murphey and Wright, gave the yearly audit. The town received a clean audit opinion, which he said is the best that it could be given. “The town is really in good financial condition now,” he said, “It’s a great report.”