Lookout Mountain, Tn. Mayor Walker Jones on Tuesday thanked the city of Chattanooga and Mayor Tim Kelly for repaving Ochs Highway. It has been needed for years, he said, and now that it is in such good condition, the town plans do its best to help take care of it, he said.
The Ochs Extension leading to Rock City will be closed once GDOT determines how to permanently repair the section that washed out last year.
And at the bottom of Scenic Highway, the state is considering putting rock barricades to contain rock that falls off the steep cuts. With those roads being the only two ways up the mountain, traffic will have to be diverted onto the newly paved Ochs Highway when Ochs Extension or Scenic is closed. Traffic laws will be stringently enforced, said Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley. No trucks or vehicles towing trailers are allowed on Ochs leading to Fleetwood Drive. Signs and flags will be put at the bottom and top to alert truck drivers they are prohibited
With the increased traffic that will be coming through the roads on the Tennessee side of the mountain when Ochs Extension is closed, Commissioner Bentley said that all residents on the mountain should be forewarned that the traffic laws will be enforced including the 25 m.p.h. speed limits, and all traffic signs.
Another ordinance that will be enforced is that residents are responsible for ensuring their property is cleaned up from construction trash. The rules are included when a building permit is issued. The requirement that property be cleaned up will be included in the building inspector’s final inspection and before a certificate of occupancy is given.
Property owners are responsible for keeping shrubbery and vegetation from growing into the town’s roads. They are also responsible for taking care of dangerous trees and limbs in their yards that are in the town’s rights-of-ways.
Police Chief Chuck Wells asks that the street numbers for all houses be clearly visible on mailboxes. He said it is important for the fire and police to be able to quickly find the correct address. If not clearly marked, it is difficult to find addresses especially in the rain and fog.
New tag readers have been ordered for the security cameras at the entrances to Lookout Mountain. They will be connected to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computers which will automatically alert the police departments if a tag is tied to any illegal activity.
Baseball season is coming up and there is a rising number of kids participating, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall. This season 225 have signed up, or close to 250 if a clinic for four-year-olds is included. There are 71 registered five-to-six-year-olds, enough to form seven teams. In the seven-to-eight-year-old group 54 kids will make up five teams. There will also be 50 kids divided into five teams in the nine to 10 age group and 25 participants divided into two teams in the 11-12- year-old category. The commissioner said that the rec board has decided that a baseball parade in some form will be held this year, but will be different from the traditional opening day parade. This year it might be held to wrap up the season instead of starting it.
Improvements have been made to The Commons just in time for baseball season. Stairs from the lower parking lot that join to stairs built last year leading to Dockery Field, have been completed. A fence at the pavilion has also been installed and bushes planted that will be an attractive buffer from the tennis courts. LED lights are scheduled to be installed this week in the parking lot above Senter Field. Mayor Jones and Public Works Director Corey Evans worked together to find a time that the public works employees could do the labor for fencing and building the steps. That made the projects as inexpensive as possible, said Commissioner Paschall.
Night Out for Lookout, the fundraiser for Lookout Mountain Elementary School, was a big success, said Commissioner of Schools Brooke Pippenger. She said many people were there who do not currently have children enrolled in the school and the crowd also included residents from the Georgia side of the mountain. On March 4, “Lion’s Day” was celebrated at the end of the day with a bottle rocket exhibition behind the school put on by the fifth-grade science class. And to replace the Christmas music program that had to be cancelled this year, the school will have Jukebox Time Machine Music Program on March 17 and 18 at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium. Important upcoming dates for the school also include Spring Break from April 11-15, Field Day on May 20, Fifth grade graduation on May 24 and the last day of classes on May 25 with dismissal at 11:30.
Spring is a transitional time for the public works department said Mayor Jones, in the absence of Commissioner Frank Schriner. A lot of people are cleaning up their yards and taking the brush to the streets. He reminds residents to keep the piles manageable and asks everyone to not put debris over drains, which causes flooding.
Mayor Jones also recognized the many volunteers in the town for their help. He said the garden clubs have been cleaning up and beautifying The Commons. The terraces by the tennis courts were planted last year by the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club and should soon be in full bloom. And the Garden Club of Lookout Mountain has held a Weed Wrangle around City Hall and the Commons and is planning to continue the work around the track. On April 2, Lookout for Litter will take place. This is organized each year by Ann Caldwell. All the community involvement is appreciated, said the mayor.
Jennifer Waycaster, the town’s certified municipal officer, gave the financial report for February 2022 that shows that through the month, $400,000 in property taxes were paid with an additional $75,000 collected in late payments. The town has now received 98 percent of the property taxes for 2021. And 96 percent of additional budgeted revenue has been collected. At three quarters of the way through the year, just 52 percent of budgeted expenses have been spent. Mayor Jones said that shows everybody is doing a good job of staying within their budgets.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission will be Tuesday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m.