by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Oct. 25 Monteagle Council meeting, residents learned of donations totaling $133,000 for police department, fire department, and parks needs. During regular business, the council revisited the question of possible pollution of the drinking water supply from runoff originating at the RBT construction site.

Katie and Tim Trahan donated $5,000 for the purchase of a generator for the police department to guarantee computer viability and communication in a power outage. Multiple donors enabled the city to purchase a new-used fire truck costing $149,000; $28,000 in donations came from the South Cumberland Community Fund, $55,000 from the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and the city received another $20,000 in small donations from residents. Morton Memorial Methodist Church pledged $25,000-$27,000 for the purchase of playground equipment at Hannah Picket Park, total cost $45,000.

Mayor Marilyn Campbell Rodman expressed gratitude to the donors on behalf of the city. Monteagle, in turn, donated $500 to Isaiah House 117 where children awaiting foster care placement will be provided for in a loving, homelike environment. Children often waited for foster placement at the sheriff’s office or other sites anxiety provoking to a child, said coordinator Susan Johnson.

Revisiting documentation presented in September by engineer Jim Waller showing photographs of muddy water polluting Laurel Lake and citing the RBT construction site as the source of the pollution, city engineer Travis Wilson responded to Waller’s request for information about Monteagle’s Source Water Protection Plan.

“It is against the law to hand out classified information for infrastructure as part of the Homeland Protection Act,” Wilson said. The city’s Source Water Protection Plan identified emergency responses, but making it public “would make it easy for someone to sabotage the [water plant] facility or water source.” Wilson went on to explain Monteagle did not qualify as an MS4 class community, as determined by size and population, and so had “no legal authority to regulate, control, or issue violations” for nonpoint source pollution during construction or even afterwards. The responsibility fell to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation or the EPA.

Wilson acknowledged TDEC had cited the RBT construction site for numerous violations. “I agree with the importance of assessing the runoff from the site,” Wilson said. But he also stressed, based on the drainage data available from the state, water from the site could go in multiple different directions.” He asked Waller for a detailed drainage analysis, and Waller agreed to provide him with the documentation data he collected.

Monteagle Assembly resident Lucy Keeble observed, “Maybe there’s nothing legally requiring the city of Monteagle to make sure a development doesn’t over pollute our water supply, but you have the opportunity to say, ‘You need to treat your storm water runoff.’”

“I think we’re going to do that,” Rodman replied. She reaffirmed the city’s commitment citing the decision to include storm water in the upcoming Global Information System study.

In other business, the city approved spending $16,000 for fire hydrant testing, maintenance, and GIS data collection rather than doing the testing in house. Wilson pointed out having GIS mapping and data would greatly reduce the cost of contracting for future testing and maintenance.

The city approved four ordinances on first reading. Ordinance 18-21 amends the personnel policy to stipulate an employee has 24 hours to turn in a job-related injury. Ordinance 19-21 rezones a tract on the corner of Highway 41 and Ingman Road from R-3 (high density residential) to C-2 (highway commercial). Ordinance 20-21 formalizes the resolution passed in September, which eliminated the requirement stipulating the council make specific findings before allowing rezoning. (Alderman Nate Wilson voted against approving the ordinance.) Ordinance 21-21 set 200 feet door-to-door as the required distance from a school or church in order for beer sales to take place. (The ordinance previously read “200 feet property line to property line.”) The council will hold a special called meeting at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 15, beginning with a public hearing on the rezoning.

The council also approved hiring Americorps VISTA Dominic Gialdini as the baseball coordinator and approved earmarking $11,700 for Christmas bonuses for employees. Rodman indicated the bonus money would come from COVID relief funds.