Signal Mountain, Tennessee Issues and Happenings

Those of you who read the paper this morning know that a development group has approached the town about buying town property for commercial development. These developers apparently contacted the town and asked to meet with the Town Council. They were informed that they could not meet with us as a group unless it was a public meeting, but that they could meet with us individually. Individual meetings are legal and do not fall under the open meetings law since no "deliberation" can occur. This is an important point. Two years ago, former Planning Commission Chairman Dan Saieed was severely criticized about meeting with local landowners for information about their plans. This meeting too was legal and the criticism of Dan was totally inappropriate. Nonetheless, private meetings always raise concerns about what was discussed, so I thought I would try to clarify my position on this proposal.

When I met with these gentleman, they laid out the plan that has subsequently been made to the town and is therefore now public. I told them that I would keep an open mind, but that the town property did not belong to me, but to the citizens of Signal Mountain. I told them that any decisions I made would be with full public discussion and input. I told them I could only support this if I saw overwhelming public support from the citizens of Signal Mountain. They were very understanding of this position. I assume they wanted to gauge Council opinions or feelings on this proposal before deciding whether to move forward. They must have felt some encouragement as they have made a formal proposal.

I should say that I am fairly dubious about this proposal and its likelihood of being supported by the town. The original proposal made is not acceptable in its current form. The logistical issues of moving ballfields, tennis courts and, ultimately the Playhouse are rather formidable. I should state that, while I am willing to keep an open mind about the initial proposal in the area of the ballfields and soccer field (assuming I were to hear overwhelming public support), I would be adamantly opposed to selling off the tennis courts and the Playhouse area for commercial development.

The positive aspect of this has been to refocus myself on some thoughts I had soon after being elected. I think we have an excellent resource in the Town Hall complex. I would love to see a master plan to incorporate this area into a "Town Center" that wouldn't necessarily have to involve commercial development. If we sell the land, we lose control. However, we could do a better job of connecting the Town Hall with the Playhouse, Library and Recycle center through more paths, etc. I remember riding through this area with my son on our bikes a few years ago and there is some real potential there. I would love to see the Playhouse amphitheater used during the spring and late summer and fall for concerts and other types of events. It also seems like it would be a great place for weddings, Scout ceremonies, etc. I would rather take this approach to a "Town Center" than having two more big box stores and a parking lot.

I hope we can move forward in a positive manner with this discussion about the future of Signal Mountain. I am very anxious to hear the opinions of our town's residents on this (and all other) issues.