The town of Signal Mountain received $2.6 million in ARP funds from the federal government. Now the council is in discussions about priority uses for the money received for COVID relief. At the council meeting Monday night, various projects were considered but just one was approved. Authorization was given for entering into a contract with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for a grant that will reimburse the city for connecting the water supplies for Signal Mountain Water Utility and Walden Ridge Utility District. This infrastructure project will ensure an added water source for both towns. The $240,516 project will require a co-payment of $72,154 from Signal Mountain.
Signal Mountain Water Utility District Director Matt Justice has applied for a grant for $998,500 to make repairs needed for multiple water infrastructure projects, including the interconnection. The town will be responsible for paying 30 percent of that amount, or $299,550, if the grant is received. Mr. Justice is requesting for the council to spend three percent of the cost of the projects for administrative services to help ensure that all the requirements of the grant application are met. Mayor Charles Poss agreed that the terms and conditions of the grant are complicated and it would be worth paying TDEC $7,215 to handle the grant application and make sure there are no mistakes that would prevent the town from getting the money. Mr. Justice said help would only be needed for the work that his department is not capable of doing itself.
Other water projects that will be prioritized include the replacement of Pump #1. Mr. Justice said that in 2021 the council passed a resolution for its replacement, and it authorized $21,400 to CTI for engineering services. At the time $13,500 was spent but the pump was never replaced. The town has two booster pumps that are needed during the summer months, each capable of providing 250 gallons per minute when there is high water demand. Pump #1 has been out of service for about 10 months. He is requesting an upgrade to a larger pump that is able to mover more water up the mountain at a cost of $365,000, with the town responsible for 30 percent. CTI will be asked to credit the amount of $13,500 that it has already been paid and Signal Mountain would have to pay $109,566 out of pocket for this pump replacement.
The ability to create zone metering is also being requested. A third party would look at and place meters that will help detect water leaks in individual zones.
There is also a booster station that is needed near Thrasher Elementary School, said Mr. Justice. This would increase fire flow and residential water pressure in the area. The pre-fabricated building that would be used along with engineering services for this could be included in the ARP funding, but there would be an additional cost of $285,473 that is ineligible, which would be needed from the town to complete that booster station.
In summary, he said the town would be getting nearly a million dollars of work on the water system for 30 percent of that amount. And, he said these are considered to be critical projects, not just spending money because it is available.
Other projects being considered for use of the COVID relief money includes drainage repairs to the town hall building, paving of Mississippi Avenue and the Palisades Road project. Others are rehabilitation of a fire station door, body cameras and gun racks for the police and to help with the cost of cyber security. It was stated that paving Shallowford Ridge Road may need to be delayed.
How to proceed will be decided at the next council meeting. Once definite estimates have been received for the various projects, those could be brought to the council which could pass a resolution to spend the money in the new fiscal year. Another way could be to do a budget amendment to the current year’s budget to be able to spend it this year. If the money is spent by June 30, said Jennifer Broomfield, finance director, reimbursement can be requested this fiscal year. The city manager and finance director will decide the most efficient and easiest way to move forward.
Vice Mayor Elizabeth Baker has created a new staff compensation program and pay scale for the town that was praised by the rest of the council. She said that there has been collaboration from each of the department heads in the plan. It includes creating a pay scale or compensation plan with the objective to pay employees fairly and competitively. And she said it will promote consistency in pay practices. The step pay scale outlines career paths, she said, and the pay structure is specific to each department. It also sets up procedures and standards up front. And it will move away from tenure to evaluations of specific jobs. But the new plan does have bonuses for tenure and longevity, she said. The plan will be further refined and voted on at a future meeting.
In the portion of the meeting set aside for citizen participation, town resident Jim Webster requested that Signal Mountain participate in a community certification for wildlife habitat. He said that currently around 50 residents already have qualified individually and that the plan would include the city of Walden and the whole mountain top, Grandview, and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. To be involved, the property needs to provide food, water, shelter and places for wildlife to raise their young. He said no funds or work from the town would be asked for, other than a pledge that the town will plant milkweed for a monarch garden.
Although staff time is not available now, Mayor Poss suggested the council could create a proclamation or put its weight behind the plan. The council is in favor of moving forward with the citizens and doing it, and Council member Andrew Gardner suggested getting the parks board involved.