The city of East Ridge is getting a new animal shelter. At the city council meeting, before the vote that unanimously approved building a new shelter, two advocates from Friends of East Ridge Animal Services spoke to remind the council about how bad the current facility is and how desperately a new one is needed. In the dog area there have been problems with roaches, rats, raccoons and a lack of space, among other things. The situation for cats is even worse; in the trailer where they are kept there is no running water or ventilation.
There is actually space for 18 dogs, but during emergencies such as when the motel in East Ridge was closed, over 30 dogs were taken to the shelter. The amazing staff made do, they told the council members. As for cats, the shelter tries not to take kittens. The speakers said the best option is just not to take them in now because it is not safe.
The property that East Ridge bought for a new shelter is perfect, they said, and the request is not for anything “over-the-top, just functional for both the animals and the staff that have, until now, done an excellent job with what they have.”
Some residents of the city are also in favor of and contributing to the replacement of the shelter. Tyler Schievelhud, owner of Lumberjack’s Tree Service who grew up in East Ridge, came to the meeting to present the city with a check for $4,028 that the company raised for East Ridge Animal Services by selling over 200 calendars highlighted with photos of the lumberjacks who work there.
City Manager Scott Miller said a bid went out in January for the design of a 4,500 square foot shelter and three were received. MBI Companies, Inc. was the unanimous choice for architectural services. ASA Engineering will provide engineering services for the project.
The city had budgeted $1.6 million for the facility. Mr. Miller said more exact costs are now known and they exceed the amount that was projected. The architectural/design costs will be $112,000 for MBI. The cost for engineering will be $34,100 and for site preparation another $3,000. And $1.25 million is expected for the actual construction.
The city manager said the amount the city had planned for is short about $450,000. But he said the East Ridge Animal Shelter is deplorable, and the city has enough in the fund balance to pay the difference. He said that he believes it is the right time to build it and it is his recommendation to move forward. The council agreed with a unanimous vote to build a new shelter, after eight years of trying.
The expected timeline is for the design to be done in the next several months, and then it will be presented to the council for their review. Bids should go out this coming summer with construction beginning in July or August. It should take around one year to complete, said Mr. Miller.
Mayor Brian Williams said that the city’s plan to improve roads began with a survey of each street in East Ridge to determine their conditions. They were then prioritized from worst to the best. The city allocated $1 million this year to start repairing and repaving the roads according to need, as far as the money would go. The plan now is to continue appropriating $1 million each year to continue the paving, said the city manager. He said if that money is put in the upcoming budget for 2023, then more paving can be started this summer.
Approval was also given at the meeting to replace a section of the roof at city hall that is above the council chambers, the court and detention area. The cost estimate is around $60,000. The council approval will allow the city manager to put out bids.
The purchase of two trucks was also authorized. One will be used by Animal Services and the other for the fire and rescue department. Because of shortages, the city has been unable to find the vehicles they originally were looking for and decided to buy a used truck in good shape for $29,998 to be used for the animal shelter and a smaller truck than had been planned for $45,150 that will need added equipment for the fire department.
The bid for the construction and installation of a maintenance garage at Camp Jordan Park was also approved from Smith Brothers. The cost of the garage will be $33,745.
The council heard three rezoning cases. The request to rezone 918 South Crest Road had been approved by the planning commission and adjoining property at 1000 South Crest Road had been denied. The request was to change zoning for the two lots from R-1 Single Family Residential to R-2 Residential Duplex. The lot at 918 currently holds a duplex, which is a non-conforming use. The council approved the zoning change, which just makes the use of the property match the zoning. The property at 1000 South Crest is currently empty. If the zoning changed it would allow for another two duplexes to be built there. Two neighbors were adamantly opposed to adding more rentals in their neighborhood. The council denied the zoning change for that address.
A building at 4308 South Terrace, originally a single-family home, is located within an R-1 residential district. But it has most recently been used as a commercial plumbing facility. The property has been bought by Cynthia Evans, who requested to allow a child-care facility at the location, which could care for eight or more children. The vote approved the use for the location.
The new timeline for the multi-modal project along Ringgold Road has changed again. The work is largely reliant upon weather conditions and has been delayed because of heavy rain. Now Tally Construction hopes to complete the south side of the road by the end of April, after which work will move to the north side and moving west beginning around April. They are working behind the gas company which is replacing lines under the pavement. It is hoped that it will be completed in October this year, said City Manager Miller.
Mr. Miller also would like residents to call city hall and ask if leaves still need to be picked up. He said the service is continuing now with an on-demand basis.