Mayor Walker Jones and Sergeant Brighton Spain
photo by Gail Perry
The 2023 budget for Lookout Mountain, Tn. was passed on the final reading at the July commission meeting with a seven percent property tax increase to make up for income lost from the state Hall tax that has now been phased out.
In the financial report, Certified Municipal Officer Jennifer Waycaster said that total income for the year, which was expected to be $3.9 million, actually came in at $4,072,000, partially due to the American Rescue Plan funds.
However, much of that federal money received by the town remains in a restricted fund.
In June, the McAllister Foundation made a donation to Lookout Mountain, Tn. to be used for parks and playgrounds as well as beautification of the town. Although a few line items in some departments came in higher than budgeted, overall expenses were much less than anticipated, Ms. Waycaster said. A budget amendment was approved for those changes.
The Fourth of July parade that ended at The Commons where food trucks were available was a big success, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall.
For the first time in many years, new scoreboards have been ordered for Senter Field, the LMS gym and the field at The Commons used for flag football. The scoreboards are available thanks to the Rec Board, Love Lookout and Hugh Morrow/Ruby Falls. The cost for all three will be just under $15,000.
Commons Camp has been highly successful this summer with the number of kids reaching the high 20’s on many days. Three new ceiling fans in the pavilion have been enjoyed on the hotter days, said the commissioner. Lookout Mountain’s 9-10 and 11-12 year old baseball teams won their respective state tournaments. The next upcoming sport is soccer. Competition will begin in early August. Registration for flag football will open Aug. 1.
Fifth grade graduation was May 24 with LMS graduate Alice Martin speaking. The DAR Citizenship Award went to Nathan Eriksen, the Christy McBryar Faculty Award was given to Maryellen Mixon and the Nancy Caulkins Scholarship award went to Caroline Carr.
On awards day, Allie Wakefield received the Susan Frankenberg Award for excellence in writing, Joseph Bastone received the Redwood Award for improvement in math and Wylie Shumate received the Science Award for participation, progress and love for science.
This year, the traditional gift to the school from the graduating class was two metal picnic tables with umbrellas for fifth grade students to use for eating lunch outside. The gift was presented in honor of Mrs. Betsy Caulkins Bookout. Condolences are given to her family for the loss of the beloved third grade teacher who represented and encouraged kindness, humility and service for others.
The library at the school will be open four more days in July and all books will be due back on the last day, July 21. Registration for the next school year is Friday, Aug. 5, and the first day for students is Aug. 10.
Commissioner Bentley said the police department has been busy during the last couple of months. Officers have patrolled 6,000 miles and made 150 traffic stops in June and 235 stops the month before.
Capt. Duane Schermerhorn told the commissioners that the police and fire department will be holding a “First on the Scene” class to educated the community about how to respond to an emergency before the medics from the town get there. The classes will include training in CPR, the use of Narcan, and bandaging, among other skills, and will be taught by the Lookout Mountain, Tn. paramedics. The hands-on training will help those taking the class to save a life and it comes with a certificate, he said. The class is limited to 15-20. It is a four-hour class divided into two nights scheduled for Sept. 6 and 20, but he said if more people are interested, other classes can be held. The community can contact the city hall dispatcher to register.
Police Officer Brighton Spain was promoted to the rank of sergeant for the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Police and Fire Department. He joined the department in July 2020. He was previously a firefighter in Rhea County and Dayton, Tn. before moving to Pennsylvania. Coming back to Tennessee, he trained at the Cleveland State Police Academy and worked in Collegedale for four years before coming to Lookout Mountain, Tn.
Public Works Commissioner Frank Schriner said that the focus this time of year is brush. The public works employees are busy picking up what residents take to the street. Trimming by the town has been put on hold until repairs can be made to the town’s bucket truck, which is needed for much of that work. Paving has been planned for Bragg Avenue this year, but the town is hoping to get more than the one bid it has received so far.
Another big WWTA project will begin soon, said the mayor. TDEC and EPA are requiring old sewer lines to be rehabilitated. This will be the final phase of work that was started on Lookout Mountain two years ago. WWTA will start clearing the ravine soon, where Bragg meets Fleetwood. Traffic will be rerouted for 30 days in October so people should expect traffic disruptions. Ochs Highway will remain open during the work, which is expected to take around six months to complete.
Mayor Jones gave a tribute to Greg Brown who died this month. He served the town as mayor for three terms and was beloved by everybody, said the mayor. “Every positive adjective can be used to describe him. He was a wonderful individual - one of the great guys - and will be missed by all,” he said.
A debate for the school board candidates will be held on Thursday, July 14, at 7 p.m. and it will be live streamed, said the mayor. A reminder was given that early voting will be July 15-30, and election day is Aug. 4.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain Commission will be Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m.
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