Each year the Red Bank Soddy Daisy Charitable Foundation awards a grant to both cities. The money comes from interest on money derived from the sale of the Red Bank Community Hospital. This year each city was given $21,000. To receive it, the city must accept conditions that are put on the gift by the foundation. The cities are asked for suggestions of projects that would benefit the most citizens and the foundation chooses the project. This year Red Bank suggested two public art installations.
At the Tuesday night commission meeting the commissioners appropriated $7,000 of the grant to be used at the Red Bank Kids Club Park at 3817 Redding Road. A mural will be painted on all four sides of the restroom facility in the park. Ten artists submitted applications and the Red Bank Public Art Advisory Board selected Adam Stephenson to paint the mural. A second mural will be on a retaining wall along Morrison Springs Road at a later date.
New members were appointed to fill three vacancies on the art advisory board of 10. They were welcomed at the commission meeting. They are Julie Goss, Philip Luckey and Catherine Billings.
The Active Older Adults Program in the city will be getting two new activities. The commissioners authorized signing an affiliation agreement with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Music Therapy Department. This will give the students in the field of music therapy experience and will offer enrichment experiences to the adults who participate in the program. Another new program for the older adults will be Bingo at 12 p.m. on Thursdays.
The fiscal year 2025 budget was amended to appropriate unbudgeted expenditures and grant funding in the amount of $20,000. After Finance Director John Alexander retired last year, the city engaged Kristina Pickle who was a full-time employee of the Robert Half agency as his replacement. Ms. Pickle was later hired by the city, which was then obligated to pay the Robert Half Agency a contract release fee of $20,000. The commissioners authorized the payment for hiring Ms. Pickle as the city’s CFO.
The Red Bank Beer Ordinance was amended to allow a beer vendor to obtain a single license to sell beer at multiple city-sponsored events in one calendar year. It will prevent the vendor from having to apply for every event individually, such as the Red Bank Jubilee and the Christmas Parade.
City Manager Martin Granum invited all residents to come to the ribbon cutting for the new playground beside the community center. It will be on Thursday, March 18, before the Commissioners Work Session Meeting that day.