Improvements continue to be made at the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commons. New turf was placed on the field and residents were asked to stay off it until the grass is established. Now that soccer is getting ready to start, the new turf is in great shape, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds Jim Hailey. The gates will be put back up around the field in the coming week. The Mountain Munchery snack bar has now been moved into the old press box.
Repairs at two locations in the town need help from Tennessee American Water. An area on the track at The Commons stays soggy despite multiple attempts by the town to find and stop the leak. The commissioner said that all of the town’s water meters are accounted for and show no unreasonable water consumption. Tennessee American Water has been notified several times and is finally sending a leak specialist to hopefully identify the problem. There is also a fire hydrant on West Brow Road at Prospect Way that was destroyed by a vehicle several months ago and has been out of service since the wreck. To make sure there is fire protection for houses near that hydrant, Fire and Police Chief Dale Taylor will make another request to Tennessee American for it to be replaced.
The new school year has begun and on opening day Lookout Mountain School welcomed 216 students. During the second week, Kindergartners will be phasing in. Parent orientation for kindergarten is Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and the first PTA meeting will be next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The first Lions Day of the school year will be Aug. 30.
A new playground for the upper grades was the project supported by last year’s Night Out for Lookout fundraiser. Commissioner of Education Karen Leavengood said kids in grades 3-5 love it. The Fall Carnival is already being planned for Oct. 1. This year, Officer Brittani King will be the school resource officer (SRO) at LMS. She will work closely with the Lookout Mountain Police Department to ensure safety of the students, faculty and staff.
With school now open, Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley warned that the police will be cracking down on speeding cars and so will be upping radar detection. The town will also be very aggressive with enforcement of the Park Mobile monitored parking around Point Park and will not hesitate to issue citations, he said.
During the past few months all available asphalt in the area had been reserved for a large project being done by the city of Chattanooga and smaller municipalities had to postpone paving and patching projects, the council was told. In the next few weeks, Commissioner of Public Works William Valadez expects asphalt to become available again after which patching potholes can be done.
Brush removal continues and that includes the public works department trimming tree branches that interfere with the roadways. That is necessary for safety reasons such as clearing the line of sight on the roads and having the space for fire trucks to pass under. Residents who want control over how their trees are shaped can have the work done themselves, said Mayor Walker Jones.
The financial report from Town Consultant Brooke Pippenger shows that during the first month of the fiscal year 2024-2025, the city is under budget. During July, Lookout Mountain, Tn. received $6,366 from the state’s gasoline taxes. That will go to the town’s State Street Aid fund.
Mayor Jones welcomed back the same board of commissioners and school board members who have all been re-elected for another two-year term.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. commission will be Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m.