New fire truck
photo by Gail Perry
The city of Lookout Mountain, Georgia was aiming for a “WOW factor” as people enter the city coming up Red Riding Hood Trail. With the redesign of Joe Wilson Park on the corner of Lula Lake, and even more gardens from that corner to the new parking lot, the goal should be accomplished.
At the October council meeting, Community Volunteer Jimmy Campbell, who has led the creation of all the city’s new green spaces, presented the final design of the gardens that will surround the new city hall building.
There will be rings of boulders to represent “Fairy Rings,” with plantings of flowering trees and shrubs and beds of perennial flowers and bulbs that have been designed to attract pollinators. There have been 3,600 jonquil bulbs ordered from Gibbs Gardens, that will be mixed shades of yellow to provide continuous bloom over an extended time. Those will be divided into three beds that will be overseeded with cosmos and zinnias which will re-seed themselves. About 100 shrubs and trees will be planted by the beginning of December and perennial flowers will be planted next spring.
Of the $61,000 that was designated for this project, about $40,000 has been committed so far, Mr.Campbell said. When all the new gardens have been completed, he said the annual maintenance budget for them will be $25,000. There are plans to hold fundraisers and ask for donations to maintain the gardens so tax money won’t be needed.
There was nothing out of the ordinary in September in the way of fire and police activity. However, the fire department did receive its new pumper truck. “It’s beautiful and it does everything,” said Commissioner of Fire and Police Taylor Watson. Kevin Leckenby, the council liaison with the department, said it is the kind of truck that little boys dream about. They both said a lot of thought had gone into the way it was designed and that it is extremely functional
Police activity for September includes 2,987 miles patrolled with 29 traffic stops resulting in 11 citations and 22 warnings. There were seven automobile accidents during the month. Officers checked 14 burglar alarms, four fire alarms, and made eight medical calls. Five suspicious persons and three suspicious vehicles were checked during the month but there were no burglaries, thefts or arrests. The Lookout Mountain, Ga. department assisted citizens four times, the Tennessee PD nine times and motorists three times during September.
Council representative for Fairyland Elementary Caroline Williams said the Pumpkin Chase fundraiser for the school will be held on Friday, Oct. 28. The annual greenery sale by the Garden Club of Lookout Mountain is another fundraiser taking place this month for both FES and LMS. Orders can be placed online at www.gclm.com for a variety of wreaths, garland, amaryllis and bows. Oct. 28 is the deadline for ordering and pickup will be on Nov. 29. The Hive Hustle on Oct. 22 is a 5K race and fun run that will benefit all the schools on the mountain. Fairyland School is in need of substitute teachers and anyone interested can get on a list to substitute at only FES or at schools throughout the county, said Council Person Williams.
The public works department is also looking for employees. At this time three people are handling all the work and the city is doing all it can to help them. Councilman Leckenby said all they do may not be visible and he urges residents to thank them. Because of the shortage, there is a focus on the day-to-day activities and fleet management rather than the wish list, said Councilman Kevin Leckenby. The city is in the process of conducting a comparative survey with a similarly sized city and initial findings show that city has three times the number of public works personnel with a starting pay 20 percent higher.
Any leaf or brush piles that do not meet the requirements that have been set will have to be skipped and returned to, only when staffing allows. Piles must be no larger than four feet wide, four feet long and four feet tall in order to fit into the equipment that picks up brush. Branches must not be interlocked and must be separated from leaves. The yard debris taken to the street must not block drainage ditches. The next dumpster day will be Nov. 5.
The sewer board is facing an increase in the cost of chemicals that are used to control odor, said Wes Hasden. The board received a notice that there is an eight percent increase which means $300 a month more for the rest of this year. And, he said he expects there will be a similar increase next year. Meanwhile, he said design of the pump station continues.
The first wave of letters to residents about their responsibility to maintain their property up to city codes has been sent, and soon an email will be sent about regulation regarding the placement of debris for efficient pick-up. Mr. Lee also gave a reminder of the “Halloween on Hardy Chili Cookoff” benefitting the Fire Department on Oct. 29. On Nov. 5 there will be a fall market at the city hall from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. with 30 vendors. And on Nov. 12, Love Lookout will be sponsoring the Mountain Opry Concert on the Lawn in front of city hall. It will feature Louie Wamp’s band Bluetastic Fangrass along with the Jay Brooks Band.
A pre-application for a trails master plan has advanced to the final application stage. If received, this grant would cover half the cost of the plan that will define the interconnection of existing trails, fields, schools, interior parks and the Fairyland city hall, said the city manager.
A final pubic hearing and vote on the city’s property tax rate was held at the meeting with no resident present to comment. For 2023 the millage rate has been set at 8 mills. This is a decrease from 9 mills in 2022. The decrease was made to offset higher property assessments this year.