An artists rendering of what new Fire Hall No. 2 will look like.
With the East Ridge City Council dealing with the hiring of a new City Manager and the acting CM being called out on a fire, the council still managed to get through some ordinary business, Thursday, during its regular meeting.
The council decided to retain the services of River Street Architecture to design and help build a new fire hall on property east of Interstate 75 the city acquired last year.
Don Sells, a principal with the firm, explained to council some of the issues associated with using recycled material from the old fire hall that was dismantled in April 2015. Sells said he and others will analyze the cost per square foot of utilizing the frame from the old fire hall. Using the recycled material may only save the city about $7 a square foot.
Sells, a resident of East Ridge whose wife teaches at East Ridge Elementary School, told the council that he will stay within the $1 million budget for the new building.
Sells presented renderings of the new fire station to the council. It will be very similar to the old fire station but will have a third bay.
River Street will be paid $56,000 for its services.
The council continued to grapple with an ordinance that would regulate extended stay motels. The board is considering legislation that would limit anyone’s stay to 180 days in a calendar year. The thinking, Mayor Brent Lambert has said, is to not allow the motels to act as ad hoc apartment complexes.
Councilman Larry Sewell made a motion to amend the new ordinance being considered that would remove the handful of motels in the city that were “grandfathered” in the existing ordinance that allow them to continue operating without regulation. Sewell suggested that those motels be given two years in which to conform.
Councilman Jacky Cagle presented a number of scenarios where motel owners could allow guests to stay for 89 consecutive days, move out for a day, then move back in, in an attempt to skirt the regulations.
City Attorney Hal North said it would be difficult to enforce, and Mayor Brent Lambert said the city may consider adding additional staff in Codes Enforcement who would be devoted to keeping track of the comings and goings of extended stay guests. North further suggested that owners of the motels be invited to a meeting with city officials to discuss the measure.
The amended ordinance passed, 3-0, on first reading, with Councilmen Cagle and Denny Manning abstaining.
The Council approved the practice of the city continuing to mow the grass at Exit 1 on Interstate 75. It will cost the city about $45,000 a year to mow the area. The state of Tennessee allows $8,000 a year to contract with private businesses to mow the area.
There was much discussion about the Traffic Control Department’s desire to purchase a new truck for the purposes of mounting a painting machine inside the bed to stripe lanes. The $45,000 expenditure would come out of this year’s budget, something that Vice Mayor Marc Gravitt took exception with.
“I don’t feel comfortable making any more high-dollar expenditures out of this year’s budget,” Gravitt said. “I’d rather wait a couple months and include it in next year’s budget.”
It was pointed out by Traffic Control supervisor Mike Ailey that there is a brief window of opportunity in which to apply paint to stripe the roads, essentially July and August. If we wait to get the truck in next year’s budget, it may lay over the striping of the lanes until next year.
Cagle made a motion to authorize the expenditure using money from the State Street Aid Fund. The measure passed unanimously. Ailey will now get bids for the truck.
