As the new year begins, Soddy-Daisy Mayor Gene Shipley has his eyes on several projects, but one of the largest is to deal with several major creeks and streams throughout the city.
“We’re having a lot of issues with flooding problems,” Mr. Shipley said. “Some of ours are getting worse every time we have a big rain.”
Banks along some waterways are eroding, and with every heavy rain, several yards and homes flood throughout the city, Mr. Shipley said.
“That’s going to be a main focus this next year for us, straightening those problems out,” the mayor said.
City officials are working to receive grant money to pay for projects on such waterways as Little Soddy Creek.
Soddy-Daisy’s goalsCorrect several overflowing creeks and streams that are causing flooding:Add new sewage lines to several areas of the cityRepave several major roadsBuild a new building for the police department’s detectivesEnter into a franchise agreement with EPBAdd on to the Senior Citizen CenterBuild a railroad overpass at Harrison Lane
The grants will come through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the mayor said.
The engineering cost alone is estimated at $43,000 just for Little Soddy Creek, he said.
The city also plans to work with nearby counties to address flooding, he said.
Another major project for the city will be a new building for the police department behind City Hall, he said.
The building will be for detectives and will be large enough to store impounded cars collected across the city, said Soddy-Daisy police Lt. Jeff Gann.
The state requires the police department to have a secure area to store the vehicles, and the city only has a fenced-in area, Lt. Gann said.
Most of the money for the new building will come from the police department’s drug funds. The city will provide the rest of the money, Mr. Shipley said.
One project expected to be addressed in the first City Council meeting of the year is to enter into a franchise agreement with EPB for the utility’s fiber-optic network, said Soddy-Daisy City Manager Hardie Stulce.
“All your power needs, electricity can come from one place now,” Mr. Stulce said. “You don’t have to deal with private businesses.”
Other projects include repaving the road from Oak Wood Drive to Daisy Dallas to Gann Road and adding on to the city’s senior center, Mr. Shipley said.
“If we can meet that at the end (of the year) or get close, we’ll have had a good year in Soddy-Daisy,” he said.