East Ridge to Reopen May 1

It didn’t take long for East Ridge to follow the lead of Hamilton County in reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Wednesday press release a spokesperson for the Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County announced East Ridge along with other satellite cities in the county will open on May 1, and follow state guidelines for the reopening, even though those have yet to be announced.

According to the press release, East Ridge is one of seven cities in The Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County. The other cities that will also reopen are Collegedale, Lakesite, Lookout Mountain, Red Bank, Ridgeside, and Soddy-Daisy.

“Recommended guidelines for reopening from Governor Lee’s Economic Recovery Group are expected to be sent out this Friday, April 24,” the press release states. “While the Coalition intends to follow the guidelines, steps taken to open the cities may vary depending on the plan’s details.

“As each city begins the process to reopen, residents and visitors are reminded to protect themselves and their families by continuing to maintain safe distances and avoid large crowds.”

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.