Phil Jacobs, left, has been named an assistant judge to Lookout Mountain, Ga., Judge Buddy Presley
photo by Gail Perry
Duane Steele has served as fire and police chief for the city of Lookout Mountain, Ga. for six weeks and on Thursday night received high praise from Taylor Watson, police and fire commissioner. She said that the morale is high and the facilities are spic and span. Needed equipment and repairs have been identified in the department and, at the council meeting, the cost for all were approved.
The city is currently using fire engine #2 for calls while the #1 fire engine is out of commission due to a pump problem and repairs needed because of rear end damage caused by an ex-employee backing into a wall. Estimates for the back-end repairs are $10,000, subject to insurance coverage, but the cost to fix the pump is still unknown. The fire engine also needs updates for the siren that will be $750-$800 and a back-up camera for $400-$500.
A 2014 Tahoe used by the police needs $3,600 in maintenance to keep it running. And four car radios are needed in the police vehicles to be used as back-ups to the body radios that each officer has. Including installation, the new radios will cost $7,500. All of the fire and police expenses will be paid out of SPLOST funds.
Chief Steele said that a new procedure will be used for the mutual aid agreement that the city has with the town of Lookout Mountain, Tn. In the past, he said that Walker County just pushed a button to notify the Tennessee department of an incident, and they were immediately dispatched. Going forward, each of the cities will respond to a call and once they are at the scene, they will call for fire or police assistance from the other town if there is a need. This saves each city the costs of responding when it is a false alarm.
The police will be placing cones at the top of Rock City Trail each day when school is beginning and is dismissed. Drivers should also be aware that police will be ramping up traffic stops for speeding and for talking on cell phones. Council Member Watson said it will begin with giving warnings, then they will change to citations. She also announced that the city has hired two new officers.
Leaf season is almost finished, just in time for brush season to begin, said Kevin Leckenby, the council’s liaison with the public works department. He reminds residents to adhere to the city’s rules about where to place the yard debris.
Installation of the new gas lines on both Scenic Highway and on Wood Nymph Drive are taking more time than expected, due to encountering more rock than anticipated and both rain and ice during January. He said that the weather events this month “have been handled heroically, thanks to the guys in public works.” The primary salt spreader was damaged beyond repair, but an old one has been restored and will get the city through the 2024 winter. A new salt spreader, and several large new public works vehicles will be included in the city’s three-year vehicle replacement plan.
The city shares the cost of recycling services with Lookout Mountain, Tn., he said, and residents on the Georgia side should go to the Tennessee Recycling Center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. He gives the reminder that all household garbage needs to be bagged and tied so debris will not go airborne when it is compacted and create a hazard for the public works employees. And disposing of building debris is the responsibility of the contractor, not the city, he said. The city also cannot accept paint disposed of with garbage or with recycling unless it is completely hardened.
Councilman Tony Towns is working with a group of professionals in the field of stormwater runoff. They now have outlined all the primary watersheds in the city and will have it put into the GIS system to look up boundaries, rights-of-ways and easements. They also plan to take an inventory of both above and underground culverts and their sizes. Next the group will determine who is responsible for maintenance and how to partner with Walker County and Tennessee. When those things are known, a plan will divide the needed work to control stormwater runoff into immediate, intermediate and long term.
City Manager Kenny Lee said that the recent concert held at the Town Hall was a success and that plans are to continue with holding special events in the great hall and on the lawn in front of the building. He will be sending out a survey so people can let him know what they would like to see in the future.
Wes Hasden, chairman of the sewer advisory board, told the council members that the project to rehabilitate the sewer pump station has officially been started. City officials met this week with planning, engineering and financial partners and they are working to set a timetable. Mr. Hasden said it will still be several months before construction begins.
An assistant judge has been provided for Municipal Judge Buddy Presley. He will fill in if Judge Presley has a conflict with a case or needs to be away when a court date is scheduled. The council approved his recommendation of Phil Jacobs, who is a resident of Lookout Mountain, Ga. Judge Jacobs was sworn in at the February council meeting.