Livestream Of Kids Sports Is Hit At Lookout Mountain, Tn.; Town May Get $70,000 From Governor's Grants

Organized sports and recreation activities on Lookout Mountain have continued to thrive this year despite all the challenges and restrictions needed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioner of Parks and Recreation David Paschall praised Scott Shell and Brandon Adams for making it all work.

Basketball is now underway with all games being played at the Fairyland School gym. A capacity of 55 people in the gym at any one time has been established and that includes two teams, coaches and referees. A good job is being done to manage that number, said the commissioner.

The limited number of people has prevented spectators from being able to watch the games in person. It has been arranged for the Lookout Mountain league games to be available to watch on Facebook at the soccer and recreation site. That has proven to be a remarkable success, said Commissioner Paschall. It is such a good idea that Mayor Walker Jones suggested also streaming baseball games. Baseball sign-ups started on Feb. 1. At this time, the five-to-six-year-olds and the seven- to eight-year-old groups are off to a good start. Registration for nine- to 10-year-old groups are about average, reported the commissioner, and 11-12 is low, which is typical.

Bids will be going out for removing the cross ties by the picnic area at Johnson Field and replacing them with landscaping stone. And bids will also be sent out for replacing the handrails leading up to Dockery Field.

Brooke Pippenger, commissioner of schools, said in-person classes resumed after Christmas at Lookout Mountain School, which has been welcomed by everyone at the school. She thanked the community on behalf of PTA President Lucia Hopper for their support of the annual fund for the school, and asked for continued backing. The money from the fund goes directly to the school. The commissioner thanked Principal Ruth White for the way she dealt with the COVID Issue. Principal White told the commissioners that plans have been made for continuing annual activities at the school. Parent Conferences will be held via Zoom on Feb. 11 and Valentine parties will be on Feb. 12. This year the annual book fair will be held online from Feb. 22 until March 5.

The financial report for January was presented by Assistant Treasurer Samantha Van Alstyne. She
reported that revenues collected during the month include $329,000 in property taxes and $9,800 from the parking meters around Point Park. A $500 donation from JoAnn Yates was made for the police and fire departments, and the children of Emma Casey and B. Allen Casey, Jr. donated $2,500 to each the police department and the town’s medical staff in memory of their parents. Expenses for the month included a capital outlay of $1,480 for fire helmets.

Mayor Jones gave the report for the public works department in the absence of Commissioner Frank Schriner. He thanked the employees for coming in to work on a snowy Sunday morning. He said they had the roads cleared by 8-9 a.m. No salt was needed so the town still has a large supply in storage.

A reminder was given that contractors who cut large amounts of brush are responsible for removing it. If it is left on the streets and the town has to pick it up, the homeowner will be charged, said the mayor.

In his report, Mayor Jones had both good and bad news. He said that Ms. VanAlstyne, who has worked for the town for the past 12 years, is leaving to pursue other opportunities and her last day will be Feb. 12. She started her career with Lookout Mountain as a dispatcher and worked her way up to doing just about everything administratively, he said. “We are going to miss her and we wish her the best.”

The good news is that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has announced that the state will be distributing $200 million to municipalities in the form of grants. The town of Lookout Mountain, Tn. will be getting a grant of around $70,000. It is unknown at this time if spending will be restricted, but if it is eligible, there are multiple needs that it could be used for, including paving and to help replace an aging fire pumper truck.

The truck being used now is 25 years old and looks fine on the outside because it has been so well maintained, Captain Danny Wright told the commissioners. However over time, equipment just wears out.

The fire department is anticipating having to spend around $100,000 on it next year, which would include replacing the pump.

Jim Bentley, commissioner of fire and police, praised the police department for the good work they did during the month. On the night of Saturday, Jan. 30, police apprehended two Florida men immediately after a home had been burglarized. Everything that had been stolen was recovered. In January, there were also several instances where guns were found on people who should not have had them, he said. “They did a heck of a job this month,” the chief said.

Promotions have been made in the town’s police and fire department and were formalized at the February commission meeting. Deputy Chief Dale Taylor said that since Chief Chuck Wells joined the Lookout Mountain, Tn. department in 2014 after retiring from 25 years with the Chattanooga Police Department, his job transitioned to chief in 2018 after Chief Randy Bowden retired. Since then, he has made additional training for many skills and certifications available to the officers who already had had significant experience in law enforcement when they started with the department.

Members of the department all serve in the capacity of both police officers and firefighters and some also serve as paramedics. The new promotions that were announced at the meeting are:
- Captain Duane Schermerhorn promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief
- Lieutenant Cary Taylor promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief
- Lieutenant Danny Wright promoted to the rank of Captain
- Sergeant / Engineer Davy Nicholson promoted to the rank of Captain
- Sergeant / Engineer Wes Chambers promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
- Patrol Officer, Fire Fighter, Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor and Patrol Rifle Instructor
Gary Garrison promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
- Police Officer, Fire Fighter, EMT and Engineer Mike Blevins promoted to the rank of Sergeant
- Police Officer, Fire Fighter, paramedic, Engineer and SWAT Operator Travis Hullender
promoted to the rank of Sergeant

The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn., Commission will be Tuesday, March 9, at 5:30 p.m.