The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission will hold a virtual meeting on the second Monday in May to hear zoning and other cases.
John Bridger, who heads the Regional Planning Agency, said the Planning Commission is expected to hear cases for April and May. The April meeting was canceled.
He said the meeting will be “a Zoom meeting,” similar to those held recently by the City Council.
Also, Bridger said, the Planning Commission will hold a vitual workshop on April 23 at 10 a.m. on the draft of the Area 3/Historic River to Ridge Area Plan. That meeting can be accessed at https://zoom.us/j/571635336.
Volkswagen dealers offer community effort
Volkswagen is supporting its network of dealers who wish to put their service loaner fleet to use for free pickup and delivery of needed supplies and food during the coronavirus pandemic in its Community Driven Atlas Initiative, according to Volkswagen of America.
As local delivery services normally relied upon are either shuttered or repurposed for essential needs due to COVID-19, Volkswagen dealerships have been looking for ways to make an impact in their communities and answer calls to serve local needs the best way they know how, the company said.
A “Dealer Response Team” will consist of a dealership employee as a driver and a vehicle. The team can be called upon for tasks such as delivering food to a local food bank, transporting masks and gowns to an area of critical need, or even dropping off necessary items to someone unable to leave their home – all at no cost to the group or person making the request.
“Since this pandemic began, our dealers have been quick to react to support those in need within their local communities,” said Saad Chehab, Volkswagen of America’s senior vice president of marketing.
Chattanooga-based Unum declares quarterly dividend
Unum Group, a Chattanooga-based voluntary benefits company, has declared a 28.5 cent per share quarterly dividend.
The company that sells disability, life, dental and other insurance products said that the dividend is payable May 15 for shareholders of record April 27.
The company, which also has major operations in Portland, Maine, and Columbia, South Carolina, is remaking its work space inside its downtown Chattanooga headquarters, spending upwards of $40 million in the city and $100 million in its offices companywide.
Dunlap, South Pittsburg receive Economic and Community Development grants
Ten communities, including Dunlap and South Pittsburg, have been chosen to take part in the seventh round of a downtown revitalization program, according to Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe.
“The Tennessee Downtowns program is an essential part of our rural development strategy, and we look forward to working with these 10 new Tennessee Downtowns as they develop sustainable renewal efforts in their commercial districts,” Rolfe said.
The Tennessee Downtowns program helps local communities revitalize traditional commercial districts, enhance community livability, spur job creation and maintain the historic character of downtown districts. The two-year program coaches selected communities and their steering committees through the steps of launching effective renewal efforts. Tennessee Downtowns includes community training in the Main Street America program and a $15,000 grant for a downtown improvement project.
Delta seeks bailout to pay idled workers
Nearly 35,000 of Delta Air Line’s employees have volunteered for unpaid leave, yet the company is still seeking aid from the federal government to pay its workers.
The Atlanta-based airline also is applying for unemployment benefits in Georgia for those taking leave.
In the federal stimulus package approved by Congress, $25 billion is earmarked to go to airlines, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic as travel has slowed significantly. Airlines are supposed to use the money to continue to pay their employees.
Eligibility for the coronavirus bailout, known as the CARES Act, requires airlines to “refrain from conducting involuntary furloughs or reducing pay rates and benefits until September 30, 2020” for employees other than corporate officers.
But it doesn’t restrict airlines from seeking voluntary leaves of absence from employees.
Delta has been urging its employees to sign up for voluntary leaves of one month or more to help the company save cash as it burns through $60 million a day. Company CEO Ed Bastian told employees in a memo last week that nearly 35,000 of Delta’s 90,000 employees had volunteered to take unpaid leave. But, he said, the company still needs more to volunteer.