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published on 04/13/2004
A VISION WITH A PLAN, A DREAM COME TRUE, and A JEWEL IN A CROWN
By
sigmtn.com staff writer
The Town Council for the Town of Signal Mountain met Monday, April 12, 2004, at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall. Boy Scouts, Scott Althaus and Scott Wagner from Troop 116 led everyone present in the Pledge of Allegiance. After Mayor Jim Althaus called the meeting to order, the town recorder, Diana Campbell called roll. Present were Vice-mayor and Councilmember Bill Leonard and Councilmembers Robert White and Rachel Bryant who offered a prayer to begin the meeting. Out of town, Councilmember Steve Ruffin was absent. Also present were the town manager, Hershel Dick and town attorney, Phil Noblett.
A wide variety of topics were discussed at this meeting, each important and vital to the life of our community. After almost six months and thousands of citizen’s hours Councilmember Robert White presented the got mtn. vision? Strategic Plan. Thanking the facilitators, Lisa Hawkins, Chip Baker, Art Dickerson, Glenn Baird, and Mark Shartle, Mr. White noted that many who participated in the process could not be present at this meeting, so a formal “thank you” is forthcoming. After reviewing the strategic planning process, he shared with the audience the final results. The Plan calls for Four Goals: Community, Services, Education, and Cooperation. Each goal has strategies and tactics to implement the plan. Mayor Althaus and Councilmember Bryant both thanked Mr. White and Mr. Leonard for their leadership in this endeavor and called for them to be the “Keepers of the Plan.” Both men agreed to do this. Copies of the Strategic Plan are available at the Town Hall.
There were four resolutions presented at the meeting, each very important. The first resolution came at the request of the Personnel Committee after reviewing various personnel policies in the Town of Signal Mountain Personnel Policies Manual. The resolution pertained to adopting vacation leave, sick leave, holiday leave, and compensatory leave for employees of the Town of Signal Mountain. Councilmember Bryant raised questions concerning qualifications of members of the committee and requested time to look over the changes from the previous policy. Vice-mayor Leonard, a member of this committee, applauded Mrs. Bryant for wanting to make an educated decision on the matter and thus agreed to pass on the vote at the meeting. The resolution was tabled until further notice.
The second resolution presented at the meeting authorized the town manager to award the contract for the playground equipment at the park behind the Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club to Game Time Division- Play Core Wisconsin, Inc. The third resolution gives the town attorney permission to file a lawsuit to remove a deed restriction on the Tabb family property. The James family is trying to stop CVS from building on the Tabb property and is using a very old deed restriction stipulating the intended use of the property. According to the mayor it is in the best interest of the Town of Signal Mountain to have the deed restriction removed and allow the property to be developed as the Tabb family sees fit. Both these resolutions passed unanimously.
The final resolution presented rescinded action taken in 1993 by the Town Council at which time the position of Public Safety Director was created. Mr. Noblett explained that according to the charter of the Town of Signal Mountain, it is not the job of the Town Council to hire or fire employees of the Town. That is the job of the town manager. Since it was the Town Council who created the position of Public Safety Director, the town manager requested the two positions, public safety director and chief deputy to the public safety director be eliminated. After discussion the resolution was approved. According to Mayor Althaus, the current public safety director, Mr. Eddings, who was in the audience, may apply for one of the new positions available, but it would mean a cut in pay.
John Clark from the Mountain Recreation League, Inc. gave an update on the park at Shackleford Ridge. In addition to the state of the art bathroom facilities, new trails, and fields, more ballparks are being built thanks to more grant money becoming available. Upkeep is going well thanks to a highly visible police force and professional maintenance of the park. Two key issues Mr. Clark pointed out was that word needs to get out to the public that four-wheeling is against the law and causes thousands of dollars of damage every time someone drives onto the park. The second issue is the continued need of financial support from the Town of Signal Mountain. Thanking the Council for past financial support, Mr. Clark asked to be considered in next year’s budget. He reminded everyone that this park is now the crown jewel of Hamilton County and sets the precedent of what the County wants all their parks to be like.
Mr. Glenn Baird, co-chairman of the Friends of Signal Mountain High School thanked the Town Council for voting to pass the resolution at the special called meeting on March 23rd calling for a referendum to raise taxes for the high school. Several people in the audience asked Mr. Baird questions. He also shared the good news that people all around are signing up for yard signs, posters, stickers, and other material encouraging friends, neighbors, and families to vote yes on May 18th.
The Signal Mountain Planning Commission met on Monday, April 1st. Secretary, Lou Oliphant, presented the Town Council with the minutes of that meeting. The only action the Council needed to take was to approve a contract with the Local Planning Office. Mr. Bryan Shults has been consulting on a regular basis at a cost of $8,000 a year. The new contract will be increased to $8,500 a year. Mrs. Oliphant as well as Mayor Althaus both praised Mr. Shults’ contribution to the Planning Commission and welcomed his continued service. The Council approved this motion.
Councilmember Robert White made a point of clarification addressing Mr. Joe Dumas concerning statements made in the local papers. Feeling that some of Mr. Dumas’ statements were inaccurate, Mr. White asked that Mr. Dumas be more careful when making statements about the high school issue. He said that residents who read the newspaper articles became confused and called Mr. White for explanations. In response, Mr. Dumas said that was not his intention and that he hoped that a forum would be made available so all citizens could hear both sides of the issue.
Councilmember Bryant asked for clarification on a list of pending questions dating back to October 2003. One issue is sidewalks on James Boulevard; now put off until next fall because of a $10,000 shortage in expenses. According to the town manager, the Town is going to be using some Chattanooga Municipal Planning Office money to complete the project. She requested a May Day be planned where residents can park and walk along Shoal Creek between 1:00 and 3:00 possibly the first Sunday in May. She also questioned the schedule for the upcoming budget sessions. Vice-mayor Leonard complimented Councilmember White for his work on the strategic planning process and Councilmember Bryant for her commitment to the Playground Committee. He praised all the people who volunteered on both these ventures and said that after thinking the playground was a mistake, he has come to realize what a good thing it is for the Town and how we can be proud of it. Mayor Althaus closed with saying that he wanted to encourage everyone to vote YES on the referendum for a high school. For those people who want to see the gates closed and not look to future growth in the Town of Signal Mountain, Mayor Althaus reminded us that, “No growth means the Town will die.”
The meeting adjourned at 9:35 PM.
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