Lookout Mountain, Ga. Mayor David Bennett announced that the city will be getting another new park. Discussion about the Sims property has been going on for years, he said. The 4.5-5 acres once held several houses and a mid-century style motel. A gazebo, an observation tower, shuffleboard courts and fire pit remain. There are also some of the largest oak trees on the mountain, said the mayor, and abandoned flower beds.
About a year and a half ago the city pursued but failed to receive a grant to buy the property from the Sims family and turn it into a park.
Then the council said no to the purchase because there were so many other projects that are in the works. Then about a year ago the land was shown to the Lookout Mountain Conservancy which visualized a park there. The Conservancy is now raising funds and expect to close the sale by January or February 2022.
The city spent $154,000 for asbestos remediation, demolition and for cleaning up the property a couple of years ago. The vote Thursday night was unanimous for the town to contribute the cost of that work and waive the city’s rights as long as there is compliance with the conditions the city specifies. Conditions that were placed on the transaction include that in the interest of both the Conservancy and the city, the land will be required to have a permanent conservation easement. The development process must include input from residents. There will be a trail between the town center and the park and the city will not have any responsibility for on-going maintenance. Mayor Bennett said he is so excited to see this happen and gave thanks to the Conservancy for getting behind the project.
The new municipal buildings at the town center are nearing completion and Vice Mayor Arch Willingham said that the certificate of occupancy is expected on Dec. 3. At the town council meeting, a motion to accept a bid for furniture for the buildings was approved. The area across Lula Lake Road that has been proposed for town center parking will go to the planning commission for rezoning it. It was noted that the nearby residents are in favor.
Landscaping is being designed for the park areas around the intersection of Red Riding Hood and Lula Lake by landscape designer Dennis Bishop with ideas coming from a designated group of residents. The landscaping is intended to let people know that they have arrived in Fairyland. A draft of the plan should be available at the December meeting.
When it was determined that a new sewer pump station was needed in Lookout Mountain, Ga. the price was $900,000. The city received a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help with the original estimate of $900,000. Since then, the costs have continuously increased. By Feb. 1 when the project will be ready for bid, it is expected the price tag will be over $1.5 million.
Community Volunteer Jimmy Campbell, who has been working on behalf of the sewer board, said the town can apply for a five-year loan from the state of Georgia which has a zero or very low interest rate. He said the loan will only be needed for two and a half years for the pump station, so plans are to roll all capital needs into the loan. The city’s CPA, Paul Johnson, recommended that any capital projects should be done now, or to at least buy materials that will be needed, because the costs of both materials and labor are projected to continue rising.
The gas company is continuing to work on gas line replacements and the time for completion is unknown and will depend on if rock is hit when drilling. The footprint of the work will be reduced in November and they will not be working on Wednesday through Friday of Thanksgiving week. When the work resumes, it will be concentrated around Hardy, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Lula Lake and the Fairyland Club will be hooked up to the new main. The public works department has begun painting stop lines at intersections, and replacing missing street signs and repairing stop signs. Leaf pick-up is ramping up, said Councilman Kevin Leckenby, and brush removal is continuing. Councilman Tony Townes cautions residents about placing leaf piles where they can wash into drains and cause stormwater runoff problems.
City Manger Kenny Lee reported that the city is working with the Chattanooga Hamilton Regional Planning Agency to obtain federal funding for paving the city’s streets. GDOT‘s temporary remediation on the landslide at the top of Ochs Extension is working, said the city manager, and what the permanent solution will be or when it will be done is still unknown. Paving and striping Scenic Highway from the state line south past Covenant College has been completed.
Taylor Watson, the council liaison with the fire and police department, gave the statistics from the month of October. Despite COVID protocols, she said police are still stopping speeders, drivers running stop signs and people who are talking on cell phones while driving. During the month, officers patrolled 3,750 miles, made 21 traffic stops, gave 20 citations, 10 warnings and responded to four auto accidents. There were 12 burglar alarms in October, and 11 suspicious persons and five suspicious vehicles were checked. There were no arrests, burglaries or thefts. The police assisted seven citizens during the month, four motorists and the Lookout Mountain, Tn. police department four times. The fire department had four calls during October and there were six medical calls.
There will be a Christmas parade this year - the date will be decided and publicized soon. Mayor Bennett said the city will also send a letter to residents next week to raise money for the employees Christmas fund. He said that he hopes all residents will participate as a way to thank those who work for the city for a job well done.
Mr. Johnson with the accounting firm Johnson, Murphey and Wright gave the annual financial report for the year ending June 30, 2021. He said it is a clean audit opinion. No problems were found with the audit.