The contract between East Ridge and Chattanooga Football Club Academy (CFCA) will expire on the last day of June. Vice Mayor Marc Gravitt expressed concern that the agreement was one-sided in the favor of CFCA even though conditions in the contract were the same as last year with just one change, it will be for a 10-month period of time instead of 12 months. The club will pay the same rent, $40,000 for the year plus an additional $15,000 payment to buy new equipment such as lawnmowers and new goals approved by U.S.
Soccer. This equipment will become property of the city.
Matt Yelton, executive director of the CFCA, and Stump Martin, director of East Ridge parks and recreation, were questioned by Vice Mayor Gravitt concerning the renewal. In the contract, the city will be responsible for all of the field upkeep, painting and marking the fields and all equipment to do the work. East Ridge is also responsible for water, electricity, trash removal and security. Mr. Martin assured the vice mayor that $55,000 which will be paid for use of the facilities at Camp Jordan, can maintain the nine soccer fields, five of which are used by CFCA, as well as baseball fields.
Mr. Gravitt asked for a provision to be changed that required the city to pay CFCA $500 for every day over five that are allowed for East Ridge to use the fields. This payment was considered to be rent off-set to compensate CFCA for excessive loss of use of the fields. Mr. Gravitt suggested that rent off-set be changed to $50 per day. The change was agreed upon and the contract for 2015-2016 was approved by the council.
The developers of the Bass Pro Shop requested a zoning change for property located on Camp Jordan Parkway from R-1 Residential to C-1 Tourism Commercial District. When the property was sold, it was considered to be undevelopable land due to a floodway line that the state of Tennessee will not allow to be filled. Most of the land will hold a retention pond but a small portion will be paved and used for parking which is allowed, said Ethan Wood, representative of the development company. There is a small back corner that would be buildable after 17 feet of fill is used, he told the council. The ordinance passed on first reading Thursday night.
The council also approved a schedule of salary adjustments based upon the attainment of an educational degree for city employees in all departments. This would provide encouragement to complete a degree, said Mayor Brent Lambert, and would also help the city by providing an improved work force. The degree should be related to an employee’s job, but some benefit will be given even if the degree is unrelated. Another condition to be considered is that the employee must have received no disciplinary action for the last three years.
The council voted to tell County Commissioner Tim Boyd to proceed with a proposal to build a cell tower at East Ridge High School, with the understanding that it must come back to the council for a “use on review permit.” The city also made the recommendation to use the proceeds from the tower for building a new football stadium at the school. The agreement would pay Hamilton County Schools $460,000 over the 25-year lease. East Ridge High School would receive $10,000 when the tower construction begins and $1,500 would be split between the two each month.
Because the company performing the work is no longer in business, a new bid was approved for collection services for the East Ridge Courts.
Vice Mayor Gravitt requested that Interim City Manager Mike Williams develop a dress code for employees. He said that at events representing the city, employees should dress professionally. At a recent event he attended, Mr. Gravitt said employees of the city were dressed as if they were going dancing or to a party.
As a way to conserve money due to the high cost of mowing the grass at the Exit 1 intersection of Ringgold Road and I-75, Councilman Larry Sewell made the suggestion to plant wildflowers. Mayor Lambert proposed seeing if a “gateway enhancement grant” is available to help with beautifying the area since it is the first place seen when entering both Tennessee and the Chattanooga area coming from Georgia.
Interviews for a new city manager will be held Friday and Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m. both nights.