The Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority is addressing sewage that has been a problem on Signal Mountain for 50 years, primarily because of where the pipes were located when the system was built. The pipes and manholes carrying wastewater were often put in stream beds where gravity controls the water flow leading it down the mountain and ultimately into the Tennessee River. During periods of heavy rain, water infiltrates the sewer pipes, and time has caused pipes in the streams and underground to crack and break resulting in overflows that cause heavy contamination of E Coli in many of the creeks. Town officials said they want more input on the major project.
The WWTA and Jacobs Engineering have created a plan to clean up the water in Signal Mountain so it conforms to state and federal requirements. The new system will abandon the old pipes and manholes and move wastewater to two pumping stations along the edges of Green Gorge Park. One would be on Green Gorge Road between Fern Trail and Druid Road and the other is planned to be on Ravine Road near Whippoorwill Drive. The park land where they will be located is owned by the town of Signal Mountain which must give WWTA easements to build there.
Another part of the new system will be for houses in two neighborhoods that have areas of high infiltration of ground and stormwater entering the pipes. Low pressure grinder pumps will be installed at those individual houses. Sewage from the houses pass through these grinder pumps on the way to the main line in the street.
The town has not yet been asked to give the easements, but the issue was discussed at the Monday council meeting. Since it has been determined that there are no alternative locations to place the pumping stations, and it is necessary for the contamination to be stopped, the council wants to be prepared when they are asked.
A list of conditions is being compiled that they would like placed on building the new system in addition to those recommended by the municipal planning commission. Many citizens are not happy that the park will be disturbed and that sewage facilities will be built in their neighborhoods. Mayor Charles Poss has stressed that the project is being conducted by WWTA and not the town. He said that he appreciates that the WWTA has been cooperative, and asks the community to have a spirit of cooperation. Civility is vital, he said.
The list of requests includes creating a citizen’s advisory committee which would have only recommending powers, but could give opinions regarding aesthetics. The city plans to ask the WWTA to build a bike/pedestrian path around the park in the areas of the pumping stations where the work will be done. The council wants a condition to be put on the project that the pump stations will be only to benefit the citizens of the town of Signal Mountain, who are the ones donating the land. They should not be used for the unincorporated parts of the mountain or Walden. That limitation would safeguard the capacity for town residents. And no new connections would be allowed to feed into the stations which could cause a need to expand the pump stations in the future.
Councilman Andrew Gardner would like to move the pump stations back as far as is feasible from the road which he said would be less visible and have less impact to property values of homes near them. He also wants to add the condition that chemical tanks will be at each location for odor control. There will be some protections from noise for those who live nearby, which could come from the city codes already in place or from creating a new set of rules about work hours and days of the week. It is recognized that too many restrictions could slow the deadline and could complicate the process of WWTA getting reimbursed by the federal government.
Mayor Poss said he had expected to hear more comments about the grinder pumps than about pump stations. Council member Susannah Murdock said it is likely that people do not understand what they are used for, and that it is the responsibility of the WWTA, not the town, to explain what they do at the homes that will be required to have them installed.
Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the review plan for building and codes. Town Manager Elanie Brunelle said a study of the budget by the advisory organization, MTAS, showed expenses in Building and Codes have exceeded revenue for years, so a review was warranted. Adjustment of the fees was recommended and a chart with the proposed increases was created based on fees charged by peers of Signal Mountain. Reviewing what the town charges will be assessed on a regular time frame, possibly every two years. There will also be a mechanism created for the council to initiate a review of fees and update them at any time, if they do not seem to be sufficient.
State law has changed and now municipalities are required to provide a time during meetings for the public to speak and that time must be included in the advertised agenda. The council discussed the possibility of creating a sign-up list for people who wish to speak, which may mean one list for citizens of the town and another for non-residents. This could identify and give priority to citizens of the town of Signal Mountain.
Items on the agenda Monday night for a vote include the approval of reorganizing the fire department and the corresponding job descriptions. Money allocated to the fire department in the budget, allows the additional personnel, including a training officer for the department and several firefighters.
The costs to make repairs to the sewer and to replace windows at the MACC that leak, were included in this year’s budget. Thet amount was estimated to be $32,500 for both projects. The sewer problem was repaired for $11,000 which left enough money to replace the two worst windows. The council approved a contract for $16,464 with Chattanooga Exteriors for the window replacements.
Matt Justice, the Signal Mountain water utility director, was appointed to be the town’s liaison with the WWTA board.
The council approved a new contract with Town Manager Elaine Brunelle. Mayor Poss said two changes from the previous year involve salary and vacation time. In council reviews of the town manager’s performance, a suggestion was made for her to have a mentorship relationship with the former interim city manager Mitchell Moore. The two have a good working relationship said the mayor and Ms. Brunelle is in agreement.