Although they ultimately opted to spend $62,500 for new lights at the Johnson Field in Lookout Mountain, Hamilton County commissioners first spent about 30 minutes Wednesday debating whether that was a worthwhile use of taxpayer money.
The town experienced some severe storms during the county’s budget process, and a tall light pole at the athletic fields toppled over, Commissioner Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley, said. Employees checked the other light poles in the park and determined they were all deteriorating, Graham said. The town owns the property.
“It was one of those big hits,” he said during the meeting. “It’s a small town. They just weren’t prepared for it, so they asked us for help.”
The allocation passed in a 7-4 vote with Chair Jeff Eversole, R-Ooltewah, and Commissioners Warren Mackey, D-Lake Vista, Chip Baker, R-Signal Mountain, and David Sharpe, D-Red Bank, voting against. An effort to table the resolution failed.