Basketball season on Lookout Mountain is heading toward tournaments for the various age groups at the end of February. One night of games was missed due to weather, but the good news is that there have been no COVID-related postponements, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall. Registration for baseball opened in mid-January and will remain open for several more days. By this time next month the teams will be determined and games should begin in late March or early April.
New stairs and railings were built last year from the lower parking lot at the Commons up to Dockery Field. At the bottom, those steps end on a bank that is beside the first tennis court. The space between where they stop and the lot is difficult to maneuver after rain, so the town is installing cross ties there to serve as steps to connect to the lot.
New at Lookout Mountain Elementary School this year is an after-school tutoring program. The ESSER fund is providing the money for two teachers to tutor kids for two days each week, and the available spots are full, said Commissioner of Schools Brooke Pippenger. Mary Duncan is heading the program.
Two activities at the school will be held at the end of this month, Grandparents Day on Friday, Feb. 25, and Night Out for Lookout, the big fundraiser for the school, will follow on Saturday night, Feb. 26, at the Lookout Mountain Golf Club.
Delivery of he new firetruck has been delayed for six months due to shortages, said Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley. The old ladder truck has just been repainted to match the new engine when it arrives. It has been brought up to code, and looks like new, he said.
Ochs Highway is scheduled to be closed on Feb. 17 and 18 for guardrail repairs. There is a lot of construction in the town and many electric and water utility trucks on the roads are causing some traffic issues while they perform general maintenance, said Chief Chuck Wells. He asked that drivers be careful and patient.
Brush and branches that grow into the roadways are also causing problems. Residents are responsible for clearing the vegetation that originates in their yards and extends into the streets said Commissioner of the Public Works Department Frank Schriner. With the cold weather, it is the slow season for picking up brush and leaves, but that will not be for long he said. In the meantime, the public works employees are helping the parks department by building the new steps at the Commons. The problem with vegetation encroaching onto roads is also happening on Scenic and Ochs Highways which is the responsibility of Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga. During January there were several days with snow and ice on the roads and the public works department did an admirable job keeping residents safe, said Commissioner Schriner. Enough salt was put down that more needed to be ordered for the remainder of the winter.
Lee Franks, on behalf of the residents who play pickleball on the mountain, questioned the commissioners about being able to use the skating rink at LMS during the cold weather. Hamilton County has restricted use of the gym for the last couple of years despite the town having built it and given it to the school system, with the rights to use it for a community center. Town Attorney Brian Smith has written a letter to Dr. Justin Robertson, the new superintendent of Hamilton County Schools about allowing the town to use it as it did in the past. Lookout Mountain, Tn. is offering to provide liability insurance to cover injury or accidents while it is being used by residents. Mayor Walker Jones said that he is confident that will happen. He suggested for Mr. Franks to join the Rec board that is made up of volunteers, to have a say so in decisions that could affect pickleball.
Parker Mixon, an eighth grader, was there to see government in action. He is working on a Boy Scout citizenship badge and the meeting allowed him to see how conflicts are discussed.
Jennifer Waycaster, the town’s certified municipal officer, reported that in January $977,000 in property taxes were collected and by the second week of February, 85 percent of the taxes for 2021 had been paid. Sales taxes are looking good too, she said, with 100 percent of the budgeted amount for the year, having been received by the end of January. Revenue from parking was down for the month. At the end of January, 83 percent of the total budgeted amount of revenue was received and 47 percent of expenditures for the year were paid.
Mayor Jones said the process of creating a budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 is just starting and the first meeting with department heads will take place soon. The mayor also congratulated the city of Lookout Mountain, Ga. on the opening of the town’s new city hall and fire station.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. commission will be Tuesday, March 8 at 5:30 p.m.