Lookout Mountain, Ga., Police Chief Todd Gann, at the town council meeting, outlined the town’s protocol for handling the threat from the coronavirus. First, he said if a person does not feel well, to call before going to an emergency room so hospitals will not be overwhelmed. He said plans are being made to do drive-through tests for the virus and that procedures have been created to protect the first responders. If a caller just feels bad without flu-like symptoms, the response will be the same as usual.
With flu-like symptoms, the 911 calls will be forwarded to the Chattanooga 911 center and response will be made, depending on the answers to questions that they will ask. If an ambulance is sent, the first responders will stay outside and, if a caller is critical, only a single responder will enter wearing protective gear.
The town will put a message of preparedness on its website, with information from the CDC and to let the community know that the police are involved.
The February activity report from the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Police Department shows that 4,790 miles were patrolled during the month. Other law enforcement agencies provided additional patrols through the town in response to car break-ins that have occurred during the past couple of months. Police must have a probable cause to make a traffic stop, said Chief Todd Gann, but officers have also been making a lot of stops on minor violations in order to identify people driving around on the mountain. There were 39 traffic stops during the month.
The extra vigilance appears to be helping since the number of thefts from cars was down to three in February, from 11 the month before. Council members were given a demonstration of a mobile tag reader which runs every tag and gets information on the car as it passes by. The chief said he believes it would be a valuable tool. The council approved purchasing the scanners which are expected to cost around $14,000 plus a monthly fee. The town will advertise for bids and the cost will be taken out of SPLOST funds.
Other statistics from the Fire and Police departments show that 10 citations were written and warnings were given to 28 drivers. There were three auto accidents. There were seven ordinance violations and assistance was given to 13 citizens, five motorists and to the Lookout Mountain, Tn., Police three times in February. Response was made to nine alarms, 10 fire calls and 13 medical calls. Four suspicious persons and eight suspicious vehicles were checked in February.
Fairyland School remains open at this time and the play, Sleeping Beauty, planned for Friday night at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, will still be performed. A lot at the school schedule is still to be determined, said council member Caroline Williams.
Baseball has been planned to begin earlier this year, said council member Tony Towns, but the timing will be reassessed at the end of March depending on what is happening with the coronavirus. The number of participants in baseball is up this year and the teams from Lookout Mountain will be moving to the Dizzy Dean league from Dixie Youth because there are more teams participating in Dizzy Dean in the Chattanooga area. The rec board has purchased a top dresser that will be used on the fields this spring. Carter Field will also be getting lights.
Community volunteer Kenny Lee, who has been working along with Jimmy Campbell on the town’s new system of trails and parks, reported that all the buildings are gone from the Sims property and debris is being removed. The city condemned the site and has done the demolition, which cost $150,000. A lien was put on it for that amount. The Sims family has offered to sell the property to the town for $250,000. With Lookout Mountain, Ga. already having spent $150,000, it would still have to pay an additional $100,000 to acquire the land. Mr. Campbell has been working to find grants that would pay for it and for developing it into a park or green space.
After much discussion, the council decided that more information such as a new survey, a new appraisal and community feed-back are needed before any decision can be made about taxpayers buying the site and maintaining it.
Upon request from The Lookout Mountain Club, Town Attorney Bill Pickering was given the council’s approval to prepare an amendment to the ordinance pertaining to alcohol sales. The club has requested to sell specialty wines and beers for consumption off the premises that are not readily available elsewhere on the mountain. The ordinance currently allows only the sale of liquor by the drink in this zone. While it is being amended, Attorney Pickering suggested making other changes that may be needed to the existing ordinance. One example is the distance from where alcohol is sold to a church or school. This distance requirement could have an effect on the businesses that will be coming to the retail spaces at the new Town Center, it was noted.
The Planning Commission has recommended amending the town’s subdivision ordinance. A new definition has been made in which there is a distinction between major and minor subdivisions. A minor subdivision is a smaller piece of land that can be divided in two which should not be a subdivision, said Attorney Pickering. The new ordinance should be ready for a vote at the council meeting in April.
Wes Hasden, volunteer who heads the sewer board, asked for funding to replace an old fiberglass storage tank that is causing problems on Krupski Loop. The council approved spending up to $15,000 for engineering services and replacing the tank.
Mayor David Bennett would like to remind residents that early voting for the presidential preference primary is from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
The loan application for the Town Center is well underway, said the Mayor, and he expects a site visit will be made soon.
The pre-bid meeting with developers interested in creating the retail space at the Town Center has taken place with three contenders attending.
Car stickers are now on sale at town hall for $5.
The Weed Wrangle will be held this coming Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Sims property. Citizens are invited to participate. Starbucks coffee and snacks will be available.
The town’s website will be redesigned. The council approved spending $4,000 for the project that was recommended by Covenant College students that have been consulting with the town. Kenny Lee said going to the site should give a pleasurable experience and it should be easy to navigate. The new site will also add functionality, such as allowing forms to be filled out online.