At the first council meeting in the new city hall, the Lookout Mountain, Ga. Council discussed and voted for several ordinances and agreements that will be moving the city into the future. The creation of a new zone, Office Residential District, was given final approval following the planning commission’s recommendation. The zone was first requested by Rock City to be able to use a log cabin it owns on the other side of Patten Road from the attraction. The new zone is not tied to that one location and can now be used anywhere in the city.
The planning commission also unanimously recommended to approve a new comprehensive plan for the city that has been in development for the past two years. The vision for the future development of Lookout Mountain, Ga. was approved by the council as well. The next step is that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs must also accept the plan after which it will come back to the council to be adopted.
The Lookout Mountain Conservancy is continuing the process for acquiring the four and half to five acres of the Sims property. The conservancy plans to develop the area as a park. The city has agreed to waive any liens from expenses it incurred by removing asbestos from old structures and cleaning up the site. The sale is expected to happen in the next 30 days, said City Attorney Bill Pickering.
Every five years the towns that are in Walker County: Lookout Mountain, Ga., Chickamauga, Fort Oglethorpe, LaFayette and Rossville have to approve a TSPLOST intergovernmental agreement. The cities have to be in agreement for how the one penny county sales tax will be divided for the next five-year period. This is done based on population and the number of road miles. Lookout Mountain received about $717,000 during the five-year agreement that ends in September 2022. The next five-year agreement that starts in October 2022 will bring the city $1.125 million over the coming five years. The five cities have reached an agreement and the Lookout Mountain Council gave approval to that agreement which is subject to Walker County also agreeing to the plan. This money is dedicated to transportation-related issues such as roads, paths and culverts.
Council Member Caroline Williams, liaison with Fairyland Elementary School, informed the council of the current COVID protocols. She said people are not being quarantined at this time and that cases are being reported to parents through emails. The school has managed to continue in-person classes. The playground at the school will be getting an update thanks to the Walker County Board of Education which is providing every school in the county with $100,000 for playground improvements. The PTO will be working with the school to determine what is needed.
After it was cancelled last year, the Fairyland Community Art Show will again be held. It is planned for March 1. Submissions will be welcomed from students, parents and community members from both mountain towns. With the Georgia and Tennessee towns having a shared relationship, Councilwoman Williams announced that Night Out for Lookout, the biggest fundraiser for LMS on the Tennessee side, will be held Feb. 26 at the Lookout Mountain Clubhouse on Fleetwood. The cocktail party and auction with live entertainment is open to the whole community.
Commissioner of the Fire and Police Department Taylor Watson gave the monthly department report that had been prepared by Chief Todd Gann. In January, police patrolled 3,987 miles, made 22 traffic stops, gave 13 citations and 15 warnings and there were two auto accidents. Four burglar alarms, two suspicious persons and 12 suspicious vehicles were checked. There were no burglaries, thefts or arrests made during the month. Officers assisted five citizens, two motorists and the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Police four times in January. Five fire calls were checked and there were 13 medical calls in January.
Council Member Kevin Leckenby thanked the public works employees and police for keeping the city going while moving offices into the new city hall and fire and police buildings, all the while dealing with quarantine issues. The process of picking up leaves is caught up for now and the crew will be changing to brush removal. Coming up is the rainy season that will contribute to more brush growth and trimming needed. Also cleaning culverts will become the focus. As seasonal equipment is put into storage, repairs are being made so it will be ready for next time it is needed. The next dumpster day will be Saturday, March 5.
City Manager Kenny Lee said that the top section of Ochs Highway that meets Fleetwood will be closed Feb. 17 and 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days, while guardrails are put up. On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 21 and 22, the road will be paved. He said this work has been a coordinated effort by TDOT, GDOT and the Chattanooga Department of Transportation.
The city is creating another master plan, this for a network of trails, sidewalks and paths. They will be designed to connect different areas around the town. Eventually Covenant College, the city’s gardens, the Sims property and city hall/Town Center, will all be joined by this system. A landscape engineer will be hired as a consultant to design the master plan. The work will be done in phases as the money is raised for different segments.
Mayor David Bennett said the opening of city hall on Feb. 4 after 15 years of working on plans, was a fun event with fourth, fifth and sixth grade students from Fairyland participating. He said the council and residents are excited about the great hall space that can be opened up to the front patio. The city wants to encourage residents to schedule its use for different events. He said that moving into the space involved a huge team effort with much help from the public works and the fire and police employees. Everybody chipped in for the move, he said.