Artist Mary Tomas and the winning mural design “A Happy Place”
Soddy Daisy has eight schools in the city limits. In an effort to increase safety and reduce speed and the number of vehicles in the school zones, the city has agreed to go forward with a three-year contract with Blue Light Solutions. Police Chief Mike Sneed told the commissioners that having eight schools and only four police cars makes it difficult to monitor the cars and speeding around the schools. Blue Light Solutions will help by installing speed signs to let drivers know how fast they are traveling and License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras that can identify cars, document and send the information to the company.
Citations will be sent directly to those caught speeding.
Engineers from Blue Light will determine the best location for the cameras, and the speed signs will be placed on both sides of the zone so drivers will have a warning if they are over the speed limit before they reach the LPR cameras and before citations are issued. The system will document every car that comes around a school, and can detect if an auto owned by a child molester is in the zone, then notify police.
Chief Sneed said students speeding in the school zones is a constant issue. The cameras will issue tickets only 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after school hours, and a car has to be traveling 11 miles over the speed limit to get a ticket. Plus the speed signs give drivers a warning, so officials do not consider the system to be a speed trap. It is designed to slow people down, not to make money, said the chief. Warnings will be given for 30 days after the equipment is installed, before any citations are given, as a way to educate the people who use those roads. Drivers are expected to learn from the warnings and citations to slow down in the monitored zones so fewer violations should be taking place in the future.
The equipment, installation, maintenance and operations of the system will be provided to Soddy Daisy at no cost. The system is expected to be operable by October or November. Blue Light Solutions and Soddy Daisy will each receive a portion of the speeding fines generated from the tag readers.
The Soddy Daisy Fire Department will be getting a fire truck. Chief William Morgan found a used ladder truck for $140,000 and received approval to buy it. It comes with a 90-day warranty and will be bought on the condition that it passes all inspections. The cost includes delivery to the city.
Two new vehicles have been on order for the police department - a truck and a Tahoe. City Manager Burt Johnson said the truck order has been cancelled by the dealer so a change order was approved to order a second Tahoe for $39,000. The cancellation was blamed on the shortage of computer chips.
The city had planned paving within the city this year, but no bids were received from three companies they were requested from because they are too busy, said Mr. Johnson. The companies suggested resubmitting the bid requests in January when they begin scheduling for the year. This will get the city in line on the front end for 2023. But Dayton Boulevard is in such bad shape caused by utility work that the commissioners approved spending up to $50,000 for resurfacing it. The water company who officials said made the road cuts and left the faulty repairs will be asked to share in the cost.
Approval was also given to renew a contract with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for technical services used by Soddy Daisy. The three-year extension of the contract is $10,256.
The city manager is planning to help find a way to improve the playground at Scramble Alley that is in need of repairs, after resident Ginny Cobb brought it to the attention of the commissioners. The discussion is if it should be repaired or replaced. Grants may be available in the future.
A large tract of land at 12220 Dayton Pike has been rezoned from R-2A Rural Residential and R-3 Apartment-Townhouse District to R-TZ Residential Zero lot line district on the final reading. And in new business, another portion of the tract of land with the same address was also rezoned on the first reading from R-2A Rural Residential and A-1 Agricultural District to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse / Zero Lot Line District.
Volunteers in Soddy Daisy are continuing to organize activities for people in the area. Jim Stewart with Keep Soddy Daisy Beautiful told the board that plans are moving forward with the Fall Festival and 5-K run that will take place on Oct. 15. The race layout has been designed and it will start and stop at the firehouse and the course will be certified. So far 22 have registered and the organizers are hoping to have 200 runners. Mr. Stewart said there will also be some disabled athletes participating with handcycles and wheelchairs. And the track club has added a one-mile walk. He said sponsors have started to get involved. Proceeds from the race will benefit the Mary Ellen Locher Breast Center at CHI Memorial Hospital and a mobile mammograph coach will be at the event.
The Fall Festival will be held at Kid’s Club Park. Cindi Sanden with the group said vendors and food trucks have already been signing up. The festival will be free to all.
This organization also has a goal of enhancing the city of Soddy Daisy with public art. The first project will be a mural painted on the side of Wimpy’s restaurant across Dayton Pike from the city hall, and is a gift to the city. Seven artists submitted designs and the winning submission is from Mary Tomas who retired to the city with her husband in 2020. The mural chosen is titled “A Happy Place,” which was her first impression of Soddy Daisy.
Another city resident has contacted Commissioner Gene Shipley about planning a series of outdoor concerts at Soddy Lake for the fall, similar to Nightfall in Chattanooga. The commissioners said it would be a good use for the stage at that park so plans will continue.