David Paschall
photo by Gail Perry
Changes have taken place on the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission since Commissioner Don Stinnett moved out of town. At the April meeting David Paschall was appointed and sworn in to fill the vacancy. He will become the commissioner in charge of parks and playgrounds, while Brooke Pippenger will move into the position formerly held by Commissioner Stinnett, as liaison with Lookout Mountain School.
Mr.
Paschall steps into his role at a time when all the recreational facilities in the town have been closed and all sports events have been or are likely to be cancelled due to the threat from the coronavirus. “Speaking as a dad, it’s a disappointing time on the recreational front,” said Commissioner Paschall. Before the baseball season was cancelled there was excitement because Lookout Mountain had joined a new league with more teams to compete against than in the past. Scott Shell is now in the process of refunding fees to those who registered. It will be done through bluesombrero.com. The uniforms that had been ordered will be stored until next year. Commons Camp is also up in the air, and if the virus lingers through May, he said, it will be hard to justify. The big window for soccer registration opens May1 until Aug. 1, although the season is not scheduled to begin until the fall. Those who wait later to register will have a better idea if the season will actually be able to take place.
Commissioner of Schools Pippenger asked Ruth White, principal of Lookout Mountain School, for an update on the school’s status. The school will have open enrollment to fill 22 available seats next year, she said. Anybody who would like to attend the school that does not live in Lookout Mountain, Tn., can apply for one of the seats, but there will be no transportation provided to those students. The selection will be by lottery and controlled by the Hamilton County Department of Education. There are six slots available in kindergarten, and four each in the first, second, third and fourth grades. Enrollment is open now. More information can be found at www.HDDE.org.
Since the school was closed in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the teachers and parents have been homeschooling using the Zoom platform. Ms. White told the commissioners that it is unknown when the school will reopen or when graduation will take place this year.
Chief Chuck Wells told the commissioners that the cameras at all entrances into both Lookout Mountain, Tn., and Lookout Mountain, Ga., are being revamped. Cameras have repeatedly been lost due to power surges, so with advice from EPB, measures have been taken to protect the new, upgraded cameras. They will all be properly grounded, and conduit is being moved off of telephone poles. The new cameras are “absolutely outstanding,” said the chief, with both excellent visual and audio capabilities. They have 360-degree viewing and the ability to focus downward to see people walking under them. They can also zoom in and identify drivers. The computer system that runs the cameras is also being replaced with new technology. Additionally, tag readers are at each camera location. This has been a big expense and is being split with Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Car decals are now on sale, but must be ordered using forms that have been mailed to residents. The forms will also be made available at the town’s website, www.lookoutmtn.us, the post office and local stores that remain open. The cost is $10 until May 31 when it will increase to $15. Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley said the car decals are a valuable tool for the police department and, if a car is stopped after June 1, without a sticker, the driver will be cited. When filling out the application, residents are asked to fill in the space designated for an email address. The town would like to compile a list that can be used for important announcements.
Commissioner Bentley would also like residents to know that signs mean what they say. When public access is closed at town-owned property, it means that location is closed to everybody. This includes signs and barricades on roads which ban pedestrians and bikers as well as cars. At this time, the track at The Commons is the only public recreational facility that remains open and a sign posted there does not necessarily ban others, but it says use is for those who cannot walk other places. It has been left open for people who need a flat surface for walking.
Statistics from the Fire and Police Department for the month of March show that police had 244 calls, patrolled 5,456 miles, responded to seven burglar alarms (all false), six assist citizen calls and 26 calls to 911. There were 92 traffic stops made in March; the low number was attributed to the shelter at home order. There was one auto accident without injuries and 17 parking citations were issued. There were seven arrests during the month - two for narcotic possession, three for outstanding warrants, one for a traffic offense and one suspect was arrested for a burglary in progress. Suspicious persons/vehicles or activities were investigated on 22 occasions. In March, there were 12 medical calls - eight in Tennessee and four in Georgia, and four false fire alarms.
With so many people staying at home to control the spread of COVID-19, they are working in their yards and doing spring cleaning, said Commissioner of Public Works Frank Schriner, and that is keeping the public works department busy. The primary focus of the department now is removing brush. He said it is important for the size of brush piles not to exceed 4x4x8 feet to facilitate their removal.
The dumpster usually available one day a month for residents of both towns has been overflowing as people have time to do spring cleaning. The regularly scheduled dumpster on the first Saturday of the month filled up in the first hour, after which the gates were locked. Because of the demand, another dumpster was made available the following weekend, which also was filled to capacity. An extra dumpster that had been specifically scheduled for spring cleaning will be available at the public works facility Saturday (April 18). Two dates are planned next month - May 1 and May 16. It was noted that town employees will not be allowed to help unload at the dumpster because of social distancing.
Assistant Treasurer Samantha Van Alstyne reported that in March, $129,000 was received in property taxes, $5,000 in back taxes and penalties and $7,600 in building permits. She said that she is expecting a reduction in revenue collected for the coming year. There will be less sales tax, less parking revenue since the Incline and Point Park have been closed, and the bank rates have dropped. The town expects to receive $100,000 from the Hall tax this year, which is the last year for this tax on investments which has been phased out. Lookout Mountain, Tn., will receive $71,000 in a state grant based on per capita to help with lost revenue sustained from COVID-19. Due to economic uncertainties, MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Services), which provides assistance to towns in Tennessee, is advising a conservative budget without planning for large capital improvements, said Ms. Van Alstyne.
Despite so many changes, the town is running pretty smoothly, said Mayor Walker Jones in his monthly report. Everyone is doing a good job including employees and residents who have been following the directives for staying safe, he said.
Work on the mountain is continuing from EPB which is still marking and cutting trees and limbs in their easements. The WWTA is wrapping up the bulk of its work to improve the sewer system. What remains to be done will not be as invasive as it has been, said the mayor, who is also the town’s representative to the WWTA board.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission will be Tuesday, May 12, at 5:30 p.m.