At their monthly town meeting in July, commissioners for Lookout Mountain, Tenn., passed the 2023 budget on its final reading. A 7 percent property tax increase was included to make up for income lost from the state Hall tax that has now been phased out. In the financial report, certified municipal officer Jennifer Waycaster said that total income for the year, which was expected to be $3.9 million, actually came in at $4,072,000, partially due to the American Rescue Plan Act. The ARPA funds pertain to Covid-relief, but much of that federal money received by the town remains in a restricted fund. In June, the McAllister Foundation made a donation to Lookout Mountain, Tenn., to be used for parks and playgrounds and beautification of the town. Ms. Waycaster said that overall departmental expenses for the year were less than anticipated.
The Fourth of July parade that ended at the Commons was a big success, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall. He said that for the first time in many years, new scoreboards have been ordered for Senter Field, the LMS gym and the field at the Commons used for flag football. The Lookout Mountain Rec Board, Love Lookout and Hugh Morrow/Ruby Falls all were instrumental in procuring the new signs. The cost for all three will be just under $15,000.
Commons Camp was highly successful this summer, with large numbers of campers. Three new ceiling fans in the pavilion were appreciated on the hotter days, said the commissioner. Lookout Mountain’s 9/10- and 11/12-year-old baseball teams won their respective state tournaments. The next upcoming sport is soccer, and competition will begin in early August. Registration for flag football will open August 1.
Fifth grade graduation took place in May with LMS graduate Alice Martin speaking. The DAR Citizenship award went to Nathan Eriksen, the Christy McBryar Faculty Award was given to Maryellen Mixon and the Nancy Caulkins Scholarship award went to Caroline Carr.
On awards day, Allie Wakefield received the Susan Frankenberg Award for excellence in writing, Joseph Bastone received the Redwood Award for improvement in math and Wylie Shumate received the Science Award for participation, progress and love for science.
This year, the graduating class presented two metal picnic tables with umbrellas for fifth grade students to use when eating lunch outside. The students dedicated their gift in memory of Mrs. Betsy Caulkins Bookout. The school mourns the loss of the beloved third grade teacher who represented and encouraged kindness, humility and service to others.
Registration for the next school year is Friday, August 5, and the first day for students is August 10.
Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley and Mayor Walker Jones addressed problems that large trucks are causing because they are unable to navigate the narrow, curvy mountain roads.
In the month of June, there were five incidents involving the large trucks on Lookout Mountain. Both Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Lookout Mountain, Ga., will put signs warning trucks of this hazard. The goal is to have no vehicle larger than three axles on Ochs Highway. In addition to the Lookout Mountain towns, Dollar General also wants to find a remedy, said Mayor Jones. The problems have been costly for the company, which will be responsible for replacing railings, paying fines and the loss of inventory.
Dollar General is not being targeted, said the mayor, explaining that any and all large trucks pulling trailers are the problem.
Commissioner Bentley said the police department has been busy during the last couple of months. Officers patrolled 6,000 miles and made 150 traffic stops in June. The department made 235 traffic stops the month before.
Capt. Duane Schermerhorn told the commissioners that the police and fire department will be holding a “First on the Scene” class to educated the community about how to respond to an emergency before the medics from the town get there. The classes will include training in CPR, as well as other important skills, and will be taught by the Lookout Mountain, Tenn., paramedics. The hands-on training will help those taking the class to save a life and it comes with a certificate, he said. The class is limited to 20 people. The four-hour class is divided into two nights, with the first scheduled for September 6. He said if more people are interested, other classes can be held. The community can contact the city hall dispatcher to register.
Police Officer Brighton Spain joined the Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Police and Fire Department in 2020, and now has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He was previously a firefighter in Dayton, Tenn., and Franklin, Penn. After returning to Tennessee, he trained at the Cleveland State Police Academy and worked in Collegedale for four years before coming to Lookout Mountain, Tenn., where he has helped to make improvements to the communications system including implementing real time exchange of information between 911 centers and coordinating the patrol mounted computers.
Public Works Commissioner Frank Schriner said that the focus this time of year is brush. The public works employees are busy picking up what residents take to the street. Trimming by the town has been put on hold until repairs can be made to the town’s bucket truck, which is needed for much of that work. Paving is planned for Bragg Avenue this year, but the town hopes to receive more bids for the work.
Another big WWTA project will begin soon, said the mayor. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the EPA are requiring old sewer lines to be rehabilitated. This will be the final phase of work that was started on Lookout Mountain two years ago. Traffic at Bragg Avenue and Fleetwood Drive will be rerouted for 30 days in October so people should expect traffic disruptions. Ochs Highway will remain open during the work, which is expected to take around six months to complete.
Mayor Jones gave a tribute to Greg Brown, who died this month. Greg served the town as mayor for three terms and was beloved by everybody, said Walker Jones. “Every positive adjective can be used to describe him. He was a wonderful individual - one of the great guys - and will be missed by all,” he said.
Election day is August 4.
The Fourth of July parade that ended at the Commons was a big success, said Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall. He said that for the first time in many years, new scoreboards have been ordered for Senter Field, the LMS gym and the field at the Commons used for flag football. The Lookout Mountain Rec Board, Love Lookout and Hugh Morrow/Ruby Falls all were instrumental in procuring the new signs. The cost for all three will be just under $15,000.
Commons Camp was highly successful this summer, with large numbers of campers. Three new ceiling fans in the pavilion were appreciated on the hotter days, said the commissioner. Lookout Mountain’s 9/10- and 11/12-year-old baseball teams won their respective state tournaments. The next upcoming sport is soccer, and competition will begin in early August. Registration for flag football will open August 1.
Fifth grade graduation took place in May with LMS graduate Alice Martin speaking. The DAR Citizenship award went to Nathan Eriksen, the Christy McBryar Faculty Award was given to Maryellen Mixon and the Nancy Caulkins Scholarship award went to Caroline Carr.
On awards day, Allie Wakefield received the Susan Frankenberg Award for excellence in writing, Joseph Bastone received the Redwood Award for improvement in math and Wylie Shumate received the Science Award for participation, progress and love for science.
This year, the graduating class presented two metal picnic tables with umbrellas for fifth grade students to use when eating lunch outside. The students dedicated their gift in memory of Mrs. Betsy Caulkins Bookout. The school mourns the loss of the beloved third grade teacher who represented and encouraged kindness, humility and service to others.
Registration for the next school year is Friday, August 5, and the first day for students is August 10.
Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley and Mayor Walker Jones addressed problems that large trucks are causing because they are unable to navigate the narrow, curvy mountain roads.
In the month of June, there were five incidents involving the large trucks on Lookout Mountain. Both Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Lookout Mountain, Ga., will put signs warning trucks of this hazard. The goal is to have no vehicle larger than three axles on Ochs Highway. In addition to the Lookout Mountain towns, Dollar General also wants to find a remedy, said Mayor Jones. The problems have been costly for the company, which will be responsible for replacing railings, paying fines and the loss of inventory.
Dollar General is not being targeted, said the mayor, explaining that any and all large trucks pulling trailers are the problem.
Commissioner Bentley said the police department has been busy during the last couple of months. Officers patrolled 6,000 miles and made 150 traffic stops in June. The department made 235 traffic stops the month before.
Capt. Duane Schermerhorn told the commissioners that the police and fire department will be holding a “First on the Scene” class to educated the community about how to respond to an emergency before the medics from the town get there. The classes will include training in CPR, as well as other important skills, and will be taught by the Lookout Mountain, Tenn., paramedics. The hands-on training will help those taking the class to save a life and it comes with a certificate, he said. The class is limited to 20 people. The four-hour class is divided into two nights, with the first scheduled for September 6. He said if more people are interested, other classes can be held. The community can contact the city hall dispatcher to register.
Police Officer Brighton Spain joined the Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Police and Fire Department in 2020, and now has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He was previously a firefighter in Dayton, Tenn., and Franklin, Penn. After returning to Tennessee, he trained at the Cleveland State Police Academy and worked in Collegedale for four years before coming to Lookout Mountain, Tenn., where he has helped to make improvements to the communications system including implementing real time exchange of information between 911 centers and coordinating the patrol mounted computers.
Public Works Commissioner Frank Schriner said that the focus this time of year is brush. The public works employees are busy picking up what residents take to the street. Trimming by the town has been put on hold until repairs can be made to the town’s bucket truck, which is needed for much of that work. Paving is planned for Bragg Avenue this year, but the town hopes to receive more bids for the work.
Another big WWTA project will begin soon, said the mayor. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the EPA are requiring old sewer lines to be rehabilitated. This will be the final phase of work that was started on Lookout Mountain two years ago. Traffic at Bragg Avenue and Fleetwood Drive will be rerouted for 30 days in October so people should expect traffic disruptions. Ochs Highway will remain open during the work, which is expected to take around six months to complete.
Mayor Jones gave a tribute to Greg Brown, who died this month. Greg served the town as mayor for three terms and was beloved by everybody, said Walker Jones. “Every positive adjective can be used to describe him. He was a wonderful individual - one of the great guys - and will be missed by all,” he said.
Election day is August 4.
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