Residents, several who are new to the Soddy Daisy area, are doing their part to help keep the city clean and beautiful. In early spring, a group of volunteers joined to pick up litter which had accumulated along the roads. They concentrate on a different part of town each time they get together to work. Nate Sanden is the organizer for this group that has become a non-profit organization known as Keep Soddy Beautiful, and is now receiving recognition and some help from the city.
Jimmy Stewart, who has lived in the area for just two years, is joining the effort of beautifying the city.
He has proposed establishing a Soddy Daisy tree board and received permission from the Soddy Daisy Commissioners to explore its creation. His plan is for the tree board to be affiliated with the city government and to partner with the non-profit organization Keep Soddy Beautiful, which is allowed to raise money. A tree board would benefit Soddy Daisy’s future growth, he said.
On Thursday night, he updated the commissioners on his research concerning the proposed board. In the past two weeks, he has been in contact with representatives from tree boards in eight nearby municipalities to learn their objectives and how they operate. He found that their common goals focus on three things. Educating the community in ways such as having an arborist at events to advise property owners about trees. Another goal is to increase the planting of trees in the city which can be done by giving away seedlings and celebrating Arbor Day. The third objective is to protect existing trees by creating a tree ordinance and working with developers. He told the commission that the Tennessee Department of Forestry is available to help provide advice.
Director of the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy Tim Laramore came to the commission meeting to remind the commissioners of an agreement for closing operations at a rock harvesting site in Soddy Daisy. Two permits, one with Tennessee Department of the Environment and Conservation and the second with the city of Soddy Daisy, will allow the quarry to operate until December 2022. After that, six months will be allowed for remediation to turn the area into a green space for public use.
Mr. Laramore said he is anticipating the work will not be finished by the deadline and urged the city to not extend the time. City Attorney Sam Elliott said if an extension is requested it would go back to the Soddy Daisy Board of Zoning Appeals which issued the city permit, not to the city commission.
Another citizen, Nancy Jo Ogozalek, told the commissioners of her concern about a TDOT construction site on Highway 27. She warned that a lot of fluids are being stored there without any containment underneath. Mayor Rick Nunley asked Public Works Director Steve Grant to look into the matter.
The commissioners passed five ordinances on the second and final reading on Thursday night without additional discussion. The tax rate of $1.1159 was established for the fiscal year 2021-2022. An ordinance to regulate the age of mobile homes brought into a trailer park to be used for rentals establishes the age that they must be replaced and when and what inspections are required. The ordinance for advertising signs was amended so that signs cannot be regulated based on what they say. The regulation of size and location is permissible. Property at 10127 Card Road was rezoned to C-2 Local Business District and a tract of land at 238 Goose Creek Circle was rezoned to R-1 Single Family Residential.