photo by Gail Perry
Lookout Mountain, Georgia’s mayor, David Bennett, told the council members that it is exciting to see all the activity that is happening at the new city hall building. He said more events are being held there than were expected. The city is happy that it is being used the way it was intended. City Manager Kenny Lee commented about recent activities on the mountain including those held at city hall.
The Hive Hustle organized by Kate Fuller and with the assistance of sponsors raised $12,000 from the 5K race and Fun Run on Oct. 22. The proceeds were split between Fairyland Elementary, Lookout Mountain School, Mother’s Day Out and Good Shepherd School. Halloween on Hardy, organized by Meg Sanford and Amber Bentley, raised $2,400 that will benefit the Lookout Mountain, Ga. police and fire departments.
A fall market will be held this coming weekend at city hall, where there will be over 30 vendors. The Love Lookout Mountain Opry featuring Jay Brooks is scheduled for Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. at city hall and on Dec. 2, the Lookout Mountain Christmas celebration with entertainment by Jay Brooks will be there. The building is also scheduled for a former board member event of the Lookout Mountain Conservancy.
Mr. Lee also said antique posters and maps of Lookout Mountain are being digitized and before Christmas will be offered for sale to residents. The town is in the process of implementing the new code enforcement software system that will be used for permitting processes.
Creation of more gardens in the town continues under the direction of volunteer Jimmy Campbell. He told the council that the budget for Joe Wheeler Park at the top of Red Riding Hood Trail is now in order with money left over. The budget for building and maintaining the city’s parks is $100,000. Mr. Campbell is planning to hold a fundraising event next year for the parks and gardens and there is the possibility of receiving a couple of large memorial gifts, he said. The large stones that will make up the “fairy rings” at the entrance to the city will be delivered Nov. 17. A letter will be sent to residents to explain the meaning of the fairy rings. The Garden Club of Lookout Mountain is donating 4,000 jonquil bulbs that will be planted at Joe Wilson Park and crews from Rock City Gardens have volunteered to plant them. There are also plans to rebuild the gazebo and use it as a focal point.
Councilman Kevin Leckenby said that mainly due to staffing issues, the public works department is focusing on day-to-day needs and equipment maintenance, not on the wish-list. The city has two leaf machines that are working for now, but which require a lot of repairs to keep them in operation. He said purchasing a new one is on the horizon. One of the machines can be operated by a single person and two people are needed for the second. The employees with both machines worked overtime to try and beat the rain from Hurricane Nicole.
Complaints have been heard about people who are blowing leaves onto the streets. "We don’t want them on the roads," said the councilman, "because they cause the pavement to be slick." He reminds people that leaves and brush should not be mixed and brush should be cut into four-foot lengths. If the yard debris does not meet the city’s requirements, the piles will be skipped and returned to only as time allows. Also, road salt has been ordered in preparation for winter.
Mayor Bennett said that the city has received a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation that will provide funds to repave Lula Lake Road. It will be resurfaced from McCallie Lane to the southern border of the city. Striping will also be done on Lula Lake Road from the southern edge of town to the border with Tennessee.
Wes Hasden, sewer board head, said a problem has surfaced with residents who do not know that the green “turtles” which are a component of the city’s sewer system belong to the city, which maintains them. On occasion private plumbers have tried to do work on some and that has caused more problems than it has helped. He asks residents to leave it to the city to perform preventative maintenance. When work is done, a tag will be left to tell the owners. Cindy Whitaker’s term on the sewer board recently expired. She asked to return to serve another term and the council members gave approval.
Sewer Operations Manager Brad Haven reported that he is closely monitoring a state requirement relating to “state water.” He said that a 25-foot buffer with the goal of keeping the waterways clean is required around any stream that is recognized as “state water.” There is a 50-foot buffer in areas at the south end of the city. Mr. Haven said that any ground disturbing activities are investigated and penalties are severe if there is a violation.
Council liaison with the fire and police department Taylor Watson gave the statistics from the month of October. Police patrolled 2,905 miles, made 20 stops, gave 11 citations and 12 warnings to motorists. The officers responded to nine home alarms, 10 medical calls, four fire calls and five animal complaints. There were no burglaries, thefts or arrests during the month. Assistance was given to citizens six times, to motorists five times and to the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Police six times. Six suspicious persons and four suspicious vehicles were investigated.