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Smedley, Grohn to address public to community-wide meeting June 13

A wrecker prepares to pull a stranded car out of the floodwaters of Mackey Branch that covered Davidson Road Feb. 24, 2016. In addition to flooding, residents say concerns about the road include multiple blind curves, holes in the roadway, lack of an embankment, and areas too narrow for cars to drive simultaneously in either direction. As the road becomes more popular and necessary for the growing population's commute, the dangers increase dramatically, residents say. A wrecker prepares to pull a stranded car out of the floodwaters of Mackey Branch that covered Davidson Road Feb. 24, 2016. In addition to flooding, residents say concerns about the road include multiple blind curves, holes in the roadway, lack of an embankment, and areas too narrow for cars to drive simultaneously in either direction. As the road becomes more popular and necessary for the growing population's commute, the dangers increase dramatically, residents say.

By Ashley Arnold June 8, 2016 2 min read

Hamilton County Commissioner Sabrena Smedley and Chattanooga City Councilman Larry Grohn are hosting a community-wide meeting Monday, June 13 at 6 p.m. to update the public on matters happening in their districts.

Most noteworthy will be an update on Davidson Road and information on a study on how to best improve the road in the least amount of time, the officials said. This information comes after a previous community meeting last month focusing on a new development proposed for the area, which helped sway city officials to re-examine the road and allocate funds in the new fiscal year’s budget for its improvement.

Previously, community calls for road improvements were unsuccessful, despite efforts to prove the narrow roadway, which is prone to flooding, and with several blind curves, is considered dangerous.

TDOT officials will be present to give an update on the projects happening on East and Apison roads and what to expect going forward with those, and Erlanger East CEO Dr. Phillip Jackson will provide an update on the hospital’s expansion.

Hamilton County Trustee Bill Hullander will also be present to share information about tax relief programs that people may not be aware of, specifically programs for seniors on fixed incomes.

Smedley and Grohn will then discuss the budgets about to come before them for a vote, with Grohn focusing on the city’s budget and Smedley focusing on the county’s. They will open the meeting to a Q-and-A session after all set topics have been covered.

Smedley said she hopes many of her constituents attend.

“I feel that it’s important that voters know what’s going on in their community,” she said. “Since the budget is comprised of all taxpayer dollars, they definitely have a vested interest. They should be concerned and want to hear how those dollars are being spent. They want to hear that we are being efficient. This is just a way of us being accountable and transparent with the taxpayers.”

The meeting is being hosted by Erlanger East, which will provide refreshments for attendees.

The meeting is being held at Shelter Church, located at 9516 East Brainerd Road.