On Thursday evening during its regularly scheduled meeting, the East Ridge City Council adopted its new sign ordinance.
Long in the making, the ordinance regulates the number, design and placement of commercial signs throughout the city.
Kenny Custer, the city’s Chief Building Official, said he has worked for the better part of two years with a myriad of stakeholders in crafting the new regulations.
“I’ve worked with sign companies, business owners, the regional planning agency and others to make sure this was done the right way and we’ve got something completed that we can utilize,” Custer said.
The council also approved a bid to install a new fire alarm system inside City Hall. The low bid of $13,600 was accepted with a small monthly monitoring fee. Officials said the actual price the city will pay will be about $11,000, as the city has a $2,500 grant it will use toward the purchase of the new system.
The council appointed eight members to a new Needy Child Fund board of directors. The new board members are Barton Burns, Debbie Colburn, Mimi Lowery, Ora Citty, Andrea Witt, Mary Lambert, Stephanie Moschkau and Tom Roe. City Manager Scott Miller will act as chair during the first meeting of the board, then step aside and allow the new board to elect officers. The first meeting of the board has yet to be scheduled.
The city moved last year to establish the fund as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Those documents, which are essentially finalized, will allow for better accounting, officials said. The Needy Child Fund has been operated for years by firefighters and police officers in the city. It not only helps less fortunate families celebrate Christmas, but assists desperate residents of East Ridge throughout the year.
The council discussed plans to re-purpose the materials that were salvaged from the old fire hall on Camp Jordan Parkway for possible use in a field house which will compliment the new Raymond James Stadium. Officials said that the company that dismantled the fire hall could reconstruct the building for about $80,000.
The East Ridge Alumni and Supporters Association raised more than $50,000 last year which will be matched by an anonymous donor. That money could be used to offset costs of erecting the new field house.
The council gave approval to waive fees associated with the rental of Camp Jordan Arena for two car shows this summer. The River City Corvette Club car show is scheduled for Aug. 5 and the Optimist Club car show will be June 24.
