Staff Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press
East Ridge no longer plans to spend $350,000 to purchase the former site of the Hungry Fisherman restaurant and the 19-acre tract of land it is located on at 6715 Ringgold Road as vandals recently stole wiring, copper and lighting from the main building.An already cash-strapped East Ridge is out about $10,000 on a property purchase that never happened.
Last December, the City Council unanimously voted to spend $340,000 for 19 acres of foreclosed property on Ringgold Road. Once home to the Hungry Fisherman restaurant, the site was surrounded by a dilapidated fence, overgrown shrubbery and glass from the restaurant’s shattered windows.
The city had grand plans, despite the mess. Outdoor Boy Scout functions, weddings and business conventions all came up as potential moneymakers.
But councilmen voted 4-1 Thursday night to cancel the purchase after City Manager Eddie Phillips said thieves took electrical wiring and vandalized much of the property, estimating that repairs would nearly double the cost.
Before the vote to cancel, City Attorney John Anderson billed East Ridge for $4,869.44 – without detailed line items – for negotiating a price for the property with owner Community Trust and Banking Co.