The city of East Ridge is in the beginning stages of reviewing its charter. The city will be assisted and guided in the process by Municipal Technical Advisory Services, the organization in Tennessee that provides advice and recommendations to municipalities. MTAS will review and identify trends and case law across Tennessee to see if East Ridge’s laws and charter are still in compliance. This is a free service for cities which are members of MTAS.
Each city council member has the opportunity of nominating residents to serve on citizen boards and commissions which assist in making decisions to keep it moving forward. At the April 10 council meeting, nominations were made to fill several board vacancies. Councilman Jacky Cagle appointed Regina Parris to serve on the East Ridge board of zoning appeals, and Vice Mayor David Tyler’s appointment to that board was Tyler Buck. Councilmember Andrea Witt appointed James Meyers to fill an unexpired term to the East Ridge housing commission. Each of the appointments was voted on and approved by the entire council.
Renovations are being made for the restrooms within Camp Jordan Arena. Four bids were received ranging from $163,420 up to $224,000. The work was awarded to the low bid from general contractor Integrated Builds.
The city is now in the middle of three large construction projects and all are progressing on schedule, said City Manager Scott Miller. North Mack Smith Road is being widened, and building “Venue 1921,” the city’s new multi-use pavilion that is located in the East Ridge Town Center is going up. Plans for enlarging and renovating the East Ridge Community Center are being reviewed by the state since it is being built using a Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant from the state of Tennessee. When approval is given, the building is ready to start, said Mr. Miller.
The relocation of the dog park is still being explored. After the March 13 meeting where many interested people spoke to the council, a decision was tabled. Lisa Thompson, a dog park advocate, told the council that as a city planner she understands that although the current park is much used and liked, she understands that it is too small. She said she had visited the Springvale Park where the city owns five acres and can see the potential there. She assured the council that the interested group is open to the option of putting the dog park there. She spoke for the group when she said that they want to be good partners with the city. Mayor Brian Williams told her that wherever it is moved, it will be top notch. Right now the city is looking at details and costs.
At the April 24 council meeting there will be discussions about the CARTA Care-a-Van service in East Ridge. Based on the current cost that the city pays for providing rides to its residents, the projected cost for the service next year will be $150,000. That is based on 3,300 trips per year at $47 per trip, one way, the city manager told the council. The number may be reduced to about 35 percent of what the city spends now, he said, by limiting rides to only medical appointments. As it is currently, East Ridge pays almost $100 for a resident’s trip to and from the grocery store.
If the city provided the service to its citizens on its own, said the city manager, it would cost about $300,000 a year and there would need to be two buses and four workers. There is still hope that the situation may get better with CARTA if Hamilton County makes an appropriation for the service and if grants can be secured.