Kenny Lee Named City Manager For Lookout Mountain, Ga.; Brad Haven Will Serve As Senior Operations Manager

  • Friday, January 15, 2021
  • Gail Perry

As the town of Lookout Mountain, Georgia grows, it was recognized that the city manager’s role needed to be expanded. At the Lookout Mountain, Ga. council meeting Thursday night, Mayor David Bennett announced the appointment of Kenny Lee as city manager effective Jan. 1. Brad Haven who held the job for 10-15 years will assume the new position of Senior Operations Manager. The mayor said that the town is grateful for Mr. Haven’s work during that time and appreciate his new role going forward.

 

Council members said the Town Center will be built in two phases, the first which is the construction of the municipal buildings consisting of the city hall, fire hall and public spaces. That phase is well underway, said the mayor. A public hearing was held on Dec. 30 in regard to the financing construction loan. Officials are also working with a developer on Phase two for getting the commercial piece of the complex in place.

 

At this time, the number one priority, said Mayor Bennett, is getting COVID-19 vaccines to residents. The Georgia Department of Health is driving everything, he said. Medical personnel, health care workers  and first responders are all getting shots now, but Walker County has had challenges organizing scheduling for others. At this time registration cannot be done online with the health department. Instead, he said calls must be made for an appointment to a 1-800 number and then you may or may not get through. Lookout Mountain, Ga. will be sending emails to residents with a link to Walker County for getting updates on scheduling. All vaccines in Walker County will be given in LaFayette.  

 

The mayor also wants residents to know how grateful the town employees are for their generosity of contributions to the Christmas fund. Thank you, he said, from all the employees.

 

The public works department has seen a lot of activity in the past month. Council liaison with the department, Kevin Leckenby, said that during the leaf season, the department lost three employees, creating a backlog of work. To help fill the gap, three students from Covenant College and one from Gordon College have been hired part time. That is working so well that next year the program may be expanded to include more college  students into a contingency pool for temporary help.

 

Leaf and brush piles must be separated when taken to the curb. The employees will now be using hang tags to notify homeowners of violations. If the debris piles are later separated, the city will come back and pick them up. Now leaves that are collected are taken to Rock Spring to dispose of. Councilman Leckenby said he is looking for a closer place to take them.

 

Signs have now been installed which lowers the speed limit to 20 m.p.h. from 25 along Lula Lake Road from the state line to Wood Nymph Trail. Also, during December five or six street signs were stolen in December that will cost $208 to replace. Video from security cameras in the areas where they were taken will be watched to help identify who did it.  

 

The town of Lookout Mountain, Ga. shares the cost of the recycling operations and the dumpsters that are available one Saturday each month. They are all located at the public works lot in Lookout Mountain, Tn. Mayor Bennett wants to make sure that the Georgia residents take advantage of those services.

 

Community volunteer Jimmy Campbell is heading up the creation of  Our Mountain Garden and he is also planning a network of trails throughout the town. On Thursday night, he updated the council on progress at the garden. He said that now all the trees have been planted, two-thirds of the shrubs are now in the ground, and the perennial flowers have been ordered. Discussions are taking place about seating areas and a pavilion. The good news, he said, is that it looks like there is enough money to complete the whole project and it is all on schedule.

 

The comprehensive plan that will direct the future growth of Lookout Mountain, Ga., was also headed up by Mr. Campbell. It has now been handed off to the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission to review and complete. This is a service provided free of charge by the state of Georgia.

 

Councilman Tony Towns, chairman of the stormwater board, has assembled a group of four highly qualified residents to handle the town’s response to stormwater problems. The group will  formally meet for the first time in January. Council member Towns also reported that the recreation department will be allowed to use the Fairyland School gym for basketball games and practices this year.

 

Students at Fairyland Elementary returned to in person classes after Christmas break. Council member Caroline Williams said that has been made possible because of the hard work of school personnel. She said that many important processes have been put in place to keep the kids safe. “They’ve done a tremendous job,” she said.

 

An update on the Sewer Board was given by chairman Wes Hasden. The first step taken toward building a new sewer pump station was to apply for a grant to help pay for the project.  He told the council that the application has been approved. That will allow the engineers to proceed to the next step. The grant will give the town $600,000 toward the total amount of $950,000. The sewer board will pay the balance and the city will be left with no debt.  

Breaking News
New Hope Fire Department Disputes TWRA Report On Kayaker Rescues
  • 3/28/2024

New Hope Fire Department Corey Comstock disputed a report by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency about the rescue of 33 kayakers from extremely high winds near Nickajack Cave on Monday. ... more

Woman Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
Woman Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
  • 3/28/2024

A woman sustained life-threatening injuries in a house fire on North Moore Road Thursday afternoon and was rescued by Chattanooga firefighters. Hamilton County 911 received a call at 12:18 ... more

Motorcyclist Hit Speeds Of 170 MPH; Posted Video Of Outrunning Police
Motorcyclist Hit Speeds Of 170 MPH; Posted Video Of Outrunning Police
  • 3/28/2024

A motorcyclist fled on Sunday, from a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempting to make a lawful stop on Highway 27. Since that time, the deputy has been working leads to identify the ... more