Water Front Topic Of Discussion This Week

The Town of Dandridge spent Tuesday seeking input from residents concerning a proposed water front plan that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, as well as the Town Administration, see as a possible future project for Dandridge. In an effort to tie the Town more closely to the lake, Dandridge has partnered with EDOC to hire Thompson Engineering, of Chattanooga, to start the initial planning phase. Representatives from the firm were on hand Tuesday to meet with business owners, special interest groups, and the public to get a feel for what the locals consider a reasonable scope for the project. They also met with a steering committee, whose members were invited to help develop the project. So far, the Town has allocated $20,000 for the project and EDOC is committing $5,000. A true sense of the cost of a waterfront project has not been established, as it is still in the design phase. Hurdles for the project include limited easily accessible space, as the majority of the waterfront owned by the Town is either restricted, under long-term lease or could be costly to develop. Thompson Engineering is expected to have some recommendations and options available before the Holiday season, however they have cautioned that the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas will most likely be a lag time due the difficulty of engaging the public during this time.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen met for a work session at the public works building during the public portion of interviews (field of dreams activity center) regarding the waterfront project. Items that were discussed included employee benefits, pending grants, bridge approaches right of way appraisal, special events policy and RFPs for the Farmer’s Market and the Town website. Also under consideration at the voting meeting will be a proposed ordinance that could create and levy a fee for commercial building plan review and fire inspection, as well as the possibility of jointly purchasing, with the Library, an option for the Slone property adjacent to the Dandridge Library for $5,000 each. Dandridge Community Trust Representative Tina Murrow stated that fall decorations will be going up at the intersection at Food City and in the Historic Town Square on Thursday morning.

Source: K. Depew, News Director