Our Mountain Garden in Lookout Mountain, Ga. just off of Witt Road is right on schedule and nearing completion, said Jimmy Campbell at the February town council meeting He is the community volunteer who has headed up the project since its inception. Most of the plantings are in and have benefited from the rainy winter. Next week, a meeting has been planned with others who have been involved in the garden’s creation to finalize plans for a stone patio. Mr. Campbell wants to make sure it is designed to accommodate groups of students to use as a classroom or for community activities such as a small live band.
He said that it may be finished in time to hold the May council meeting there.
When that park is completed Mayor David Bennett said, the landscape professionals who worked on it will be asked to complete the park at the intersection of Lula Lake Road and Red Riding Hood Trail. First, there are several unhealthy trees that will have to be taken down. Then the town will have to decide how it wants to use the park before design work starts, said Town Manager Kenny Lee. Council member Caroline Williams sad that a safe crossing of Lula Lake to access the park is needed. Mr. Lee is working on ideas for creating a safe approach. There will eventually be a sign there to mark the entrance into the town.
Mr. Lee reported on the “kick-off meeting” with the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission and the town’s planning commission that took place Feb. 10. The state agency will fine tune the initial work that Mr. Campbell organized for the comprehensive plan, and will guide the town through finalizing it.
This planning commission, functioning as a steering committee, will use the monthly commission meetings to evaluate the zoning guidelines from the plan and to get input from the residents. The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will provide this service at no cost to the town. It will be important to have a finalized plan in place by February, 2022, said Mr. Lee, to qualify for grant money.
A group of very qualified volunteers have been assembled to form the town’s stormwater board. It is made up of Jeremy McDowell, Everett Pierce, Frank Youmans and council member Tony Towns, who is chairperson. The town has guidelines as to how stormwater is handled and reports that must be submitted each year. The goal of the board is to eliminate problems caused by stormwater runoff. GIS maps will be a starting point from which a flow map can be created. Councilman Towns said it is encouraging that this group of knowledgeable citizens believe there are inexpensive ways of controlling the runoff in some areas that are experiencing problems. He said that as funds become available different projects can be addressed. When all the needed information is collected, Councilman Towns said he will look for grants to help with the expense of controlling the stormwater.
The Lookout Mountain, Ga. sewer board has discovered that the original agreement that the town had with the Krupski neighborhood was made before there was a sewer board. Adjustments will now be needed to make the arrangement equitable. That neighborhood pays a flat rate per house, for sewer service, while homeowners in the city limits pay by the gallon.
One of the projects that the public works department is ready to begin is stopping erosion and repairing damage stormwater has caused on Hardy Road. The city will put in a curb and gutter at the problem area near the bottom of the street. Other roadwork that is planned is paving Bagby Lane. The replacement of gas lines along Lula Lake Road now has a completion date in March, said Council member Kevin Leckenby, the town’s liaison with public works. He also told the council that he is still in the process of looking for a location closer than Rock Spring to take fall leaves. The dumpster that is shared by Lookout Mountain. Tn. and Ga. on the first Saturday of each month is being used so much that it was filled by about 10 a.m. last Saturday. Discussion took place about the possibility of having two dumpsters available, or one dumpster twice a month. Mayor Bennett will talk with officials in Tennessee to decide the best solution. Approval was given to acquire a fully equipped new garbage truck for the low bid of $153,500, with a lease / purchase arrangement.
Taylor Watson, council liaison with the police and fire department, presented statistics compiled by Chief Todd Gann for the month of January. Police patrolled 3,995 miles, made 29 traffic stops, wrote 11 citations and gave 29 warnings. Response was made to six auto accidents and 11 burglar alarms. Officers assisted 11 citizens during the month, three motorists and the Lookout Mountain. Tn. police on five occasions. There were no burglaries or thefts and one arrest was made. Three suspicious persons and five suspicious vehicles were investigated. There were six fire calls and 15 medical calls.
Council member Williams said students at Fairyland Elementary are now on winter break. She said, “Hats off to the administration and teachers for keeping the school open during this challenging year.”