The town of Signal Mountain is using American Rescue Plan funds to buy equipment and implement some projects that have been discussed for several years. The Public Works Department will be getting a street sweeper that originally was going to be bought with stormwater fees paid by the residents.
Public Works Director Loretta Hopper at the council meeting Monday night said that the equipment it is a qualified purchase from ARP funds and requested to pay for it with money received from the government to help municipalities recover from the effects of COVID.
This will free up the tax money for other uses. The council approved spending $277,325 for the street sweeper. Ms. Hopper said new stormwater requirements can be addressed more easily now because the sweeper will be used to clean debris from the streets and curbs to prevent it from washing into the stormwater culverts and drains. It can also be used to reach into and clean out catch basins when debris does wash in and collect.
Water Utility Director Matt Justice said that a long-planned water interconnect agreement with Walden is official. A resolution passed and officials in Signal Mountain and Walden have now signed the agreement that will ensure a water source for both towns in case of an emergency. This project also qualifies for ARP money that will be used to pay 70 percent of the total cost of $250,000.
The council approved applying for a grant from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO). If received, Police Chief Mike Williams was authorized to accept the $25,000 that would pay for equipment used in traffic enforcement to promote safety.
A new position in the police department will be for a temporary full-time officer. This person will help fill the vacancies left by several employees who have retired or left. The 2022 budget was created for a fully staffed department and the money is still available, so it is there for this new position. The job will only be good until the end of this budget year.
Signal Mountain will also participate in a consultative service agreement with Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration. TOSHA provides free assistance to municipalities for identifying dangers that cannot be seen such as mold and air quality in town owned facilities. This service will help Town Manager Elaine Brunelle to plan for the interior and exterior maintenance of the town’s properties. No gross violation is expected to be found, but if it is, there will be an opportunity to have it fixed before being penalized.
The public works department has inspected the town and identified trees that are dead or need to be removed. On Monday, the council approved a bid from Big Woody’s Tree Service to cut down the dangerous trees. The contract price is not to exceed $15,000.
Fire Chief Eric Mitchell told the commissioners that the department is proactive about preventing problems by conducting various training classes each month for town employees and for the public. There was an open house at the fire station on Saturday to provide education about fire safety. And there are CPR classes and instructions for fire extinguisher use. The department also conducts life safety inspections for town residents.
The police department is also training to be prepared in the event of emergencies. Crisis training is held at each of the schools in Signal Mountain every quarter, said Police Chief Mike Williams. And at this time the department is in the process of transferring all data which may contain confidential information to a secure site that will be accessible only to the police department.
The council wants to make all meetings available to the residents by video. The system that is chosen will be used for all town and board meetings as well as the council. Presentations have been made from three companies that specialize in this service. A consensus of the council on Monday, was to use Champ Video to provide the video and streaming service. More information about which options are needed and the exact costs of each will be identified before a final decision can be made.
Dick Graham, Signal Mountain Elementary Preservation Fund board member, told the council that the MACC art gallery has been dedicated to Karen Shropshire who was the first director of the MACC. He said that she had a vision and made it happen, and now the board is building on what she did.