Recreation facilities in the town of Signal Mountain are being opened up. With advice from Dr. Paul Hendricks, health officer of the Hamilton County Health Department and former town mayor, the playground will begin to open. City Manager Boyd Veal said that the town will sanitize as much as possible, but it is recommended that parents bring hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to wipe down the equipment before and after it is used.
Baseball and softball have wrapped up for the summer but the older teams will have a fall season.
Flag football has started. There are 150 children on 21 different teams and three or four on a waiting list. This is the most teams that have ever played, David Wagner told the council Monday night. The council approved his request to add another player to each of the older teams. This will increase the number on a team to six players and will add two on the field.
The MACC has had a limited opening. Some classes have started to be held and several musical organizations have used it for recording. It was announced that the MACC is now the new official home of the Mountain Opry.
At the Monday afternoon council meeting discussion took place about water billing procedures. City Manager Boyd Veal said that when the pandemic started, the town-owned water company suspended late fees and cut offs in order to help people. Now he is requesting to return to the standard billing process that includes the penalties. On the suggestion of Council member Susannah Murdock, it was decided to wait until September before returning to the normal billing practices, when an extra $300 will be added to unemployment benefits.
Money will also be available to the town of Signal Mountain from the Tennessee Cares Act to reimburse COVID-related expenses up to $128,000. All paper work has been completed to apply for the money, said Mr. Veal, and he will verify what expenses are eligible for its use.
The town’s codes and fees have been amended after going over them each line by line during the last year. The fee schedule for all building and construction codes has been simplified and fees have been put into a single ordinance to make them easy to find. Each permit will have a base fee as well as tap fee, which is an administrative charge. Updates were made to the fire, building, plumbing, mechanical, gas, energy conservation, electrical swimming pool, unsafe building, site preparation, electricity and gas and property maintenance codes. Updates were also made on the construction board of adjustments and appeals and the office of Administrative Hearing Officer.
The wild land urban fire code is included in the fire code. Council member Bill Lusk questioned the proposed change to the wild land urban fire section, saying that the amendment would cause a homeowner to lose about 38 percent of their tree buffer. Although officials said it would require cutting brush and not trees, the councilman requested to have the Signal Mountain Tree Board to participate before approving the amendment.
Amending the property maintenance codes generated more discussion because it was recognized that the town does not currently have the ability to enforce violations of the general condition of property such as siding, rotting wood and the need for maintenance and repair. Mr. Veal said that the town would try to work with people to resolve issues versus enforcing them. It was noted that some problems occur where property is being rented. These amended codes will give the town the ability to address those problems and assist the homeowner.
The town manager was authorized to apply for the Public Entity Drivers Safety Matching Grant program, which the town applies for and receives each year. It is used to reimburse the town for things that relate to safe driving conditions and practices and promoting driver safety.
Also authorized was spending $19,676 for digital radios to be used by the fire department. The purchase of these radios was a budgeted expense.
A proposal to improve ADA access and erosion control at the Signal Mountain Playhouse was discussed. The town has been asked to share in the cost to pave the space between the stage and seating and marking it for ADA seating. The quote for the work is $8,000 and the request is for the Playhouse and the town to share the expense, each paying $4,000. Before agreeing to participate, the council decided to get a stormwater specialist to review the plan to make sure that the work would improve the stormwater runoff problem in the area, on a downhill slope.
Changes may be coming to the transfer station. Mr. Veal and Public Works Director Loretta Hopper have been developing a long term plan for the facility that has been operating the same way for decades, said the town manager. It worked when the town was small, but it has grown, and dealing with the increased amount of debris brought to the transfer station has become a challenge, he said. The new plan is expected to develop a new fee structure and new general operating procedures.
Mr. Veal said that the police department has reviewed procedures and determined the police force is in compliance with guidelines from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, dealing with use of force.
The next meeting of the Signal Mountain Council will be Sept. 14. It will be held as a hybrid meeting at the stage of the MACC which seats 200 so there can be social distancing. It will also be available on ZOOM and anyone can participate remotely as well as in person.