The boat dock at Holly Circle Park in Soddy Daisy was demolished by rising water after heavy rain several years ago. Since then the city and businesses that rely on Chickamauga Lake have been asking what can be done to rebuild the dock and boost fishing tourism in the city.
State Rep. Patsy Hazlewood for District 27, which includes Soddy Daisy, announced at the commission meeting that along with colleagues and with Tony Sanders, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commissioner for the area, funding has been secured to repair and expand what was left of the damaged dock.
She told the commissioners that hopefully it will increase tourism in the way of fishing tournaments.
City Manager Janice Cagle said the city had requested bids for the construction and had received only one proposal for the amount of $86,000. It came from a company that TWRA does work with, she said. Ms. Hazlewood was thanked by each of the commissioners for her efforts that made the grant possible.
Another gift to the city will be coming from the Kelcurt Foundation, announced by co-founder, Curtis Cecil. The foundation has the opportunity to distribute 50 trees, free of charge, and offered them first to the city. City Manager Cagle said Soddy Daisy would gladly accept all of the trees it can get. All varieties that are available are native species and the city will be able to specify which species of trees that are wanted.
Acting on a request from Vice Mayor Robert Cothran, City Attorney Sam Elliott drafted a resolution declaring the city a “Second Amendment Sanctuary Municipality.” It passed on a unanimous vote. The resolution states that the citizens and commissioners of Soddy Daisy accept the right to keep and bear arms as stated in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the U.S. and in the Tennessee state Constitution. The resolution says that “The term ‘Sanctuary City,’ does not imply that Soddy Daisy is a safe haven for criminals, but rather a safe haven to protect good law-abiding citizens of over-reaching governments and unconstitutional laws.” This resolution "just lets the world know where you stand on the law of rights to keep and bear arms," said the attorney.
A second resolution passed which adopted the classification and pay plan for city employees for fiscal year 2019-2020. City Manager Cagle said this resolution equalizes pay for the department heads. The director of public works, the fire chief and police chief will all earn the same amount.
Commissioner Jim Adams was absent from the meeting, said Vice Mayor Cothran, because he was being inducted into the Soddy Daisy Hall of Fame at the same time as the Thursday night meeting.