by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“I don’t know if Monteagle will appeal. It depends on what the final order says,” said Monteagle Mayor Greg Maloof following the March 31 Monteagle Council meeting when asked how Monteagle would respond to the ruling in the lawsuit filed by RBT Enterprises. During the meeting, Maloof updated the community on the status of the lawsuit. The council discussed the sewer rehabilitation project and a grant to help Monteagle plan for addressing future water supply and sewer needs.

At issue in the lawsuit was whether the vested property rights of the RBT developers had expired due to failure to meet progress benchmarks stipulated by law, and consequently, whether the project would be required to comply with a new stormwater control ordinance. [See Messenger, August 30, 2024] “The chancellor ruled in favor of RBT,” Maloof said. “I don’t know if there is a winner or loser.” “The decision was on technical grounds,” said Vice Mayor Nate Wilson. Explaining the process, Maloof said, “The lawyer of the prevailing side prepares a document, sends it to the other side, they review it, send it to the judge, and the judge issues a final order.”

Reporting on the sewer rehab project to reduce inflow and infiltration (I&I) of rainwater into the sanitary sewer system, Maloof said, Phase 1 was near completion. “They’re slightly ahead of schedule. We all knew [from the outset] Phase 1 would not solve all the problems. There will be additional sewer work when we get through the grant process.”

Alderman Dean Lay pointed out due to the I&I the cost of treating sewer water “could be as much as double what it should be.” Lay asked Utility Department Supervisor John Condra if the rehab work had helped. “Not that much that I can tell,” Condra acknowledged. But Condra added, citing a caution issued by city engineer Travis Wilson, “fixing one big leak puts pressure on other areas [yet unrepaired].”

Maloof stressed a good portion of the work done in phase one involved smoke testing and camera inspection of sewer lines to locate the problem areas. Vice Mayor Wilson noted that deciding what issues to repair was based on “how bad they were and what could be aggregated so it would be cheaper.” He proposed the best measure of progress would be to review historical data on I&I during heavy rain events and compare the I&I then to I&I during current heavy rain events.

In a related area, Monteagle received a Resilient Communities grant providing free professional assistance for mapping out a plan to address ongoing water supply and sewer issues. The grant calls for resident input in a series of meetings over the next 10 months and will allocate up to $25,000 in seed money toward implementing the plan. Residents wanting to serve on the citizens committee should contact Vice Mayor Wilson at (931) 636-8132 or <diospyros42@gmail.com>.

The council approved on first reading an ordinance providing criterion to guide the planning commission and board of zoning appeals when tackling requests for allowing special exception to the town’s ordinances.

Reporting on other business, Maloof said the town was investigating the efficacy of repairing or replacing the emergency alert siren to functional status, given that residents could sign up for email and text notifications. Information on signing up for notifications will be posted on the new website which recently went live.

Responding to a request that a map delineating the location of water and sewer lines be posted in the city hall conference room, Maloof explained the Tennessee Association of Utility District advised against divulging the location of utility infrastructure for security reasons. Viewing the map will be by appointment only.

Remedying the nonfunctioning lights at the interstate ramps was “a work in progress,” Maloof said. He cited replacement of circuit breakers and plans to test bulbs.

Monteagle will host an Easter Egg Hunt, at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 12, at Hannah Pickett Park.