“This summer has been incredible,” Curtis Cecil, the founder of the Kelcurt Foundation and Soddy Daisy Community Library told the city commissioners Thursday night. The library has been partnering with the YMCA to provide free lunches for children from noon until two on Monday through Friday. There have been movies on Mondays and story time on Wednesdays and free books have been given away on Fridays throughout the summer, he said.
On Sept.
18 the library will hold “Epic Sumer of Literacy Night,” for the community to celebrate the non-profit organizations that service Soddy Daisy. That night the movie in the park will be the Goonies. The commission gave Mr. Cecil permission to use Veterans Park on Oct. 30 for another community event, “Trunk or Treat”, followed by the movie in the park showing Hocus Pocus. This Halloween event is geared to celebrate the city and its people in a safe and fun way.
The Independence Day celebration sponsored by the city this year was held on July 3 and was the best that Soddy Daisy has ever had, said Vice Mayor Robert Cothran. He said that people stayed longer than they have done in the past because they were not having cook-outs at home. He said the vendors were happy and there were more cars in the car show than ever, plus the weather was perfect. The success of the event led the commissioners to approve scheduling all future Fourth of July celebrations for the first Saturday in July instead of being held on the actual day of the Fourth.
City Manager Burt Johnson updated the commissioners on work that took place in the city during the last month. The parking lot at Fire Station #1 had to be replaced after work under the asphalt was needed. The cost of repaving the lot was around $43,000. Two short streets were also paved, Cox Lane and Walden Street. Those roads that together are less than a mile cost $25,000 to resurface.
Soddy Daisy has joined the Hamilton County Emergency Communications District, which will take over the job of recording all police radio traffic. This move will save the city $18,000, said Mr. Johnson because the city’s system needed to be upgraded. Three police cars have been bought, which were budgeted for. Approval was given to order three additional Dodge Durango SUVs for the police department, at $31,382 each, that will be delivered in August or September. A damaged rescue boat that has a slow leak will be declared surplus along with a golf cart the city owns. The money received from the sale of these vehicles will help buy a new boat.
Commissioner Jim Coleman told the commissioners that one of the city’s fire trucks is being repaired and another, a ladder truck, is out of service. The cost to fix that truck has been estimated at $10,000-$20,000. It is not worth spending that amount on it, he said, and the city has two other ladder trucks to use for back-ups.
Dayton Pike, in the middle of town has been torn up and the reason, citizens in the audience were told, is that a new 12-inch water main is being installed. That line will run all the way to the water company and will have to be tied into each street it passes. There is no end date known for the roadwork, said the city manager. But once it has been finished and the system has been tested, the roads will be repaved with new asphalt. Steve Grant, public works director, will be in charge of making sure that the repairs meet the city’s specifications.
Vice Mayor Cothran reported that during June, Soddy Daisy issued $1.7 million in building permits.
On the second and final reading, an ordinance was amended that will allow an individual to have a camper trailer on their lot while building a home until it is finished. Once the building is complete, the camper must be removed.