George Wright family with Rep. Hazlewood
photo by Gail Perry
The city of Soddy Daisy is planning to erect a new building to hold the police department and court building. City Manager Burt Johnson told the commissioners that the goal is to do it without taking out a loan.
Three bids were received the first time it was advertised. Mr. Johnson said the cost came in $1.3 million above what had been planned. After getting the prices, he and Steve Grant, the city’s public works director and building inspector, will be working with the architect to reduce costs by cutting out what is not necessary. They will also extend the construction time in hopes of reducing the cost enough. Once the alterations have been made, the city will rebid the project and reach out to other construction companies.
Police Chief Billy Petty was given the approval to purchase Power DMS Software. The Soddy Daisy Police Department is trying to become accredited, which will help the city to receive federal funding. This software will give the police access to different police departments from around the country. Information that will be available from this software will allow the Soddy Daisy Police Department the ability to strengthen their policies and procedures, helping them achieve the accredited status, said the chief.
Soddy Daisy is beginning to get ready for the Fourth of July celebration. The tradition of allowing people to camp in Soddy Municipal Park around the lake will continue this year. Camping can begin Thursday, July 4, through Sunday, July 7. The city holds its fireworks show each year on the first Saturday in July, which this year falls on July 6. The regularly scheduled commission meeting falls on the July fourth holiday and has been cancelled.
State Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, who represents Soddy Daisy, gave a special presentation honoring two long- time residents of Soddy Daisy. The Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution that was signed by Governor Bill Lee and Rep. Hazlewood that puts George Franklin Wright in the state archives and become part of Tennessee history. He was born in Soddy Daisy and lived there all his life. He was a respected general contractor who built numerous commercial buildings, including the city’s Detective Building and the Soddy Daisy Fire Hall #3. He also was a builder of houses and subdivisions, many of those in Soddy Daisy. The resolution recognizes traits of Mr. Wright as a consummate professional with integrity and loyalty who had a big impact on the community and the state of Tennessee.
Max Orr moved to Soddy Daisy from Henagar, Ala., and attended Soddy Daisy High School. He served in the Army Air Corps in World War II and began his career as a carpenter. He moved up the ranks to eventually become the CEO of B&C Inc. Drywall Contractors and served as the president of the Chattanooga Contractors Association, and he taught construction courses at Chattanooga State and Kirkman Vocational School. He was Soddy Daisy’s first mayor and was on the city’s planning commission and a charter member of the local volunteer fire department. The resolution recognizes his legacy of integrity, compassion, impeccable character and loyalty in private life. This resolution will also be filed in the Tennessee state archives.
Curtis Cecil of the Kelcurt Foundation said this summer is active and busy. Kelcurt Farms has just completed the seventh community garden with the help of a large number of volunteers and the city. June 27 will be the start of planning for the Keeping Kids Warm campaign for new coats, socks and hats that will be collected at the Fall Festival on Sept. 28. The Soddy Daisy Community Library will be feeding children this summer in collaboration with the James A. Henry YMCA and the food bank. Take home “sack packs” will also be given out. And the library continues to give free books to children. He said that on a recent Free Book Friday in five hours, 198 people came and 223 books were handed out.
Longtime City Commissioner Gene Shipley will not be running for his seat in Soddy Daisy this year, and that means he cannot represent Soddy Daisy as the city’s representative to the WWTA board. He told the commissioners he has asked and Commissioner Mark Penney has agreed to take that position .It is the consensus of the board to approve that appointment.
Max Orr family with Rep. Hazlewood
photo by Gail Perry