This year has set a record for the number of kids signed up for all the different rec league sports on Lookout Mountain, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall. At the last commission meeting of the year, he told the board that there have been an extremely high number of participants in baseball, soccer, flag football and basketball. There were 400 kids playing soccer this year and, now that registration has ended for basketball, there will be 225 kids participating.
The basketball teams are being formed now, and practices and games will start in January.
Last year, because of COVID, only the gym at Fairyland Elementary could be used. The good news, said the commissioner, is that Hamilton County has granted use of the Lookout Mountain School gym for rec league practice and games.
The bad news, he said, is that at this time, Hamilton County Department of Education is not allowing the community to use the gym, as it has been able to in the past. The commissioners decided to investigate the possibility of entering into an agreement with the county which would allow the town to get a quote for insurance coverage for use of the facility.
Commissioner Paschall recognized Scott Shell for his 25 years of service to the parks and playgrounds department of Lookout Mountain. He began as assistant to Rick Dockery who was director of the department. After Mr. Dockery’s retirement, Mr. Shell moved into the director’s role where he has been for the past several years.
School is out for the Christmas break with class parties and early dismissal on Friday, Dec. 17. Students return to school on Wednesday, Jan. 5. This Thursday, a special guest, motivational speaker and author Dion Leonard, will speak at the school. He is the author of Finding Gobi, a book many of the students have read. This year, Grandparents Day is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 25, and the fundraiser Night Out for Lookout will be the following night. "This has been a great semester for the school," said Commissioner Brooke Pippenger.
November was the first in several months that there was not a car theft from the mountain. There were also no thefts or burglaries. Fire and Police Chief Chuck Wells told the commissioners that he gives credit to the town residents who have been calling and asking the police department to check out suspicious activity or suspicious vehicles. There were many calls received during the month asking the police to look into a situation. He said that people are learning to call the police who can investigate a possible problem and solve the issue before a criminal act occurs. This allows law enforcement to be proactive, he said.
In conducting these checks, sometimes past illegal activity is discovered. As an example, said Commissioner of the Fire and Police Department Jim Bentley, in December an officer stopped a pickup truck due to a registration violation. The driver lied about his name and license information. The real information showed that he was wanted in two states on various felony charges and was listed as an escapee from Alabama. The driver stated his hopes were to have a shootout with officers because he did not want to go back to prison. A stolen shotgun and narcotics along with stolen property were found inside the vehicle. Both the driver and passenger were arrested.
This incident demonstrates why multiple cars often respond to an incident, said Commissioner Bentley. Police are trained to respond with two cars for the safety of officers and to serve as back-up, said Chief Wells. The police are finding bad people, said the commissioner. He said, “My hat's off to them.”
Captain Danny Wright with the fire and police department gave an update on the new fire engine that has been ordered to replace the current one that is 25 years old. The new $700,000 fire truck will be tailored to the terrain on Lookout Mountain and will have ladders and hoses that are mechanically lowered, as well as tool trays that roll out - all ergonomically designed to keep the firefighters safe. There will be many areas and stripes of reflective materials on the new truck that will make it highly visible in fog. The current ladder truck will be painted with the same design, markings and insignia. The new truck that was ordered in the spring had a lead time of one year but the delivery may be delayed due to the unavailability of some components. Once it has been received, it will be a huge asset to the mountain, said Captain Wright.
Proper maintenance that is needed to maintain both trucks and keep them in top shape is expensive. Inspections and maintenance on just the ladder truck will be $5,100 this year, said Commissioner Bentley. The budget will be amended at the end of the year for the amount needed to paint and maintain it.
Commissioner of Public Works Frank Schriner said that department is keeping up with leaves, but is not ahead of the large quantity that is being taken to the street.
The town’s certified municipal officer, Jennifer Waycaster, said that in November, $360,000 in property taxes was received and $55,000 in state and local taxes. And $280,000, the first of two payments from the federal government for the American Rescue Plan, has also been received. Income from the parking meters around Point Park was $75,000 in 2021. In comparison, during 2020 when the park and the Incline were closed due to COVID, the meters generated $43,000. Although there was an increase this year, the number of visitors is still not up to pre-COVID levels, said Ms. Waycaster. In 2019 the town made $119,000 from the meters. Expenditures are where they should be at under 50 percent of the budgeted amount, during the fifth month of the year, she said.
CPA Paul Johnson with the accounting firm Johnson, Murphey and Wright did a presentation of the town’s annual audit. He said that an unmodified opinion was given. It was a clean audit and the balance sheet was strong. "This was a great report and it all looks really good," he told the commissioners.
Joe Graham, who represented District 6 on the Hamilton County Commission in the past, came to the meeting with a map showing the changes with the addition of two more districts in in the county. Lookout Mountain will now be included in the new District 11 which currently has no representation and no incumbent commissioner or school board member. He announced that he will be running for commissioner in the district this coming year.
In his report, Mayor Walker Jones thanked Chris and Susan Crimmins for providing the town with the addition of new Christmas trees this year that have been put in the fountain on Scenic Highway. He also thanked the community for generously contributing to the Lookout Mountain Christmas fund which was used to show appreciation to all the employees of Lookout Mountain, Tn. for their dedication during a tough year.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, TN. Commission will be Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m.