The Signal Mountain Town Council has decided to hold off on taking down a statue of founder C.E. James and renaming James Park.
The recommendation made by Town Manager Boyd Veal at the July 27 Signal Mountain Council meeting, to remove the James monument and rename the park, drew strong reactions from citizens of the town. Mr. Veal took the opportunity to explain his comments on Monday afternoon.
He said some time ago while researching restrictions on town properties, which is frequently done to see how property can be used, he came across restrictive race-based covenants in the deeds of some property transactions from founder of the town of Signal Mountain James, his family and his company, the Mountain Land Company, dating to before and after 1919.
When he read it, he said his first thought was "to hope no one else ever sees this. We already have a reputation of having a lack of diversity, and it came from that beginning." He said that he personally has strong feelings about this issue, but what drives his job is what is best for the town. His thoughts now are if there will ever be a time when it is not the case and Signal Mountain gets past this reputation, and if the town will ever do something about it. He said it is not just about how the town was started and its first 50 years but what has been done to change that reputation or even acknowledge it in the second 50 years. He said that his motivation for making that proposal, was really to acknowledge that history, not erase it, and how it impacts the town today for making a positive change. His recommendations were intended to start a discussion, said Mr. Veal.
Mayor Dan Landrum and the council have waited since the last meeting to hear what residents had to say. All council members have received many emails, said the mayor, and he has had discussions with Stuart James, the great-grandson of C.E. James, who has proposed ideas.
After researching contributions that C.E. James made to Signal Mountain and Chattanooga, Council member Susannah Murdock said that racially restrictive covenants in deeds were prevalent all over the country at the time and that removing a structure does not change the past. She said in conclusion that she is opposed to removing the monument and renaming parks. She said the council should take actions to remedy a bad policy, but now is not the time because of the fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Council member Cheryl Graham said any action the council takes cannot undo the damage that has been done, but changes can be made going forward. When the discussions do resume, the mayor will bring suggestions from the James family. Discussion about renaming parks in the town were also tabled.
Coach David Wagner put together safety measures that he said will allow Signal Mountain Youth Flag Football to take place this year. New rules include limited numbers of people on the fields, including fans and coaches, to keep the crowds below 50. Lines on the fields will be changed and the way players line up, as well as the number of plays in a game. Also, a lot of Lysol spray is in the plan, he told the council. If there is an outbreak of the virus, he said, a plan to deal with it would be similar to the way it was handled during baseball this summer. Town Attorney Harry Cash recommended allowing the games only after signing waivers. The council unanimously passed a motion to allow the town’s fields to be used for flag football under the restrictions presented by youth flag football, including signing a waiver by a parent or guardian.
Before the town decided to retain ownership of its water company, a study was done relating to the sources of water available to Signal Mountain from Tennessee American Water and Walden Ridge Utility District. A benefit from buying water from WRUD was that the towns of Signal Mountain and Walden could provide water, if needed, to each other in an emergency. An interconnect system would be needed to do this, including laying a 12-inch line up Miles Road from Taft Highway. Because it is at a higher elevation, a pump would be needed to direct the flow of water into Walden at the interconnect. While looking at the costs to do this, the rock depth would need to be determined and that would require the expenses of tearing up the road or tearing up people’s yards, so pricing the work was postponed.
Another option has emerged that could effect this project. If a new grocery store development is approved for Timesville Road, those developers will lay a 12-inch water line and the town could extend it from where it ends, for the same investment, said Signal Mountain Water Company Director Adam Chrnologar. He said this interconnect could financially help Walden more than the town of Signal Mountain. And, Mr. Chronologar said it could be a risk to reverse flow in the old cast iron pipes.
The new water meters have been received and plans are to begin installation Aug. 18. Residents will be notified with a social media blast and it will be posted on the town’s website. The employees will wear identifying clothing. Door hangers will be left after the work is done.
In regular business, the council approved the purchase of 12 mobile digital radios for police vehicles. The cost not to exceed $23,250 will be paid with a grant from the state of Tennessee.
Only one bid was received for paving this year, and it was higher than expected, said City Manager Veal. Public Works Director Loretta Hopper recommended awarding the bid to Wright Brothers for an amount of $500,000 that will be broken into two segments - one for late summer and one for next spring. The bid is a unit price for materials and the work will be monitored so it does not exceed the approved amount. Carolina Avenue will be one of the first to be worked on and the town’s public works department will prepare the road bed before being paved and make improvements to drainage that is now washing out driveways.
Three positions will be open on the Signal Mountain council this year. August 20 is the deadline for anyone interested, to sign up at the election commission. There is a requirement that each candidate gets 25 valid signatures in order to qualify to run.