Hello Thursday.
April 18 2024
Today, we’re getting under the hood of Chattanooga’s infrastructure problems + possible solutions that were recently outlined in Chief of Staff Brent Goldberg’s presentation to City Council.
Graph showing the comparison in local road conditions from 2010 to 2020 based on PCI | Screenshot from "Under the Hood" presentation
🛣️ Roads
- Chattanooga’s current average road condition — measured in PCI, or Pavement Condition Index, on a scale from 0 to 100 — is 62 PCI across 2,352 miles of local roadway
- A PCI of 40 or below is defined as “poor”
- Locally, many of the roads with the lowest rating are in the most vulnerable communities + neighborhoods
- According to the presentation, the City budgeted $6.3 million for road paving this year, but Chattanooga needs to spend $9.22 million per year to maintain our current PCI
🚦Traffic Signals
- The presentation identified 17 local intersections that currently warrant traffic signals
- Current funding levels allow for building 1 new traffic signal per year, or the repair of 1-3 existing signal intersections per year
🌉Bridges
- The City manages 86 structures crossing rivers, creeks, roads, and railroad tracks
- The City budgeted $400,000 in Fiscal Year 21 for bridge repair
- According to the presentation, over the next 5 to 10 years Chattanooga needs ~$120 million to repair our most critical bridges
- The Wilder, Wilcox, and Walnut Street bridges all have funding plans in place
Graph providing a summary of Chattanooga's bridge conditions | Screenshot from "Under the Hood" presentation
🏘️ Sidewalks
- Citywide, there are currently 490 miles of sidewalk (not including sidewalks on most local neighborhood streets)
- Using current contract costs for sidewalk construction ($440 per linear foot), new sidewalks would cost ~$1.5 billion
🌳 Greenways
- Residents have requested additional greenway construction in the following areas: East Line, North Chick, Northshore, Alton Park Connector, and the University Greenway
- The presentation estimated that construction of new greenways would cost roughly $3 million-$6 million per mile
What are possible solutions for the future?
- Seeking community input to determine where the City’s money can best be spent on infrastructure
- Seeking outside sources of funding
- Ensuring that infrastructure is examined through an equity lens so as to not leave behind vulnerable communities
- Revising the City’s budget to reverse infrastructure decline
Where would you like the majority of the city’s infrastructure budget to go?
- Roads
- Traffic signals
- Sidewalks
- Greenways
Arts
TryThis
- Soul Train Nights | Thurs., July 15 | 8-10 p.m. | Cooper’s Alley, 704 Market St. | Free | Boogie down to this Soul Train dance party with an on-site DJ, Soul Train playing on a big screen, and a local comedian. 🕺
Outdoors
- Nickajack bat cave canoe tour | Thurs., July 15 | 7:30-10 p.m. | Nickajack Lake | $20 | This guided + equipped canoe trip to Nickajack Cave will feature a sighting of thousands of endangered gray bats. 🛶
Learn
- Ladies who Launch | Thurs., July 15 | 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Common House, 1517 Mitchell Ave. | $12+ | This partnership event between The Chattery + Common House will feature a talk from author and podcaster Emily Thompson.
Show
- Killer Beaz Comedy Show | Thurs., July 15 | 7:30 p.m. | The Comedy Catch | $17+ | Killer Beaz just finished his third season guest starring on the Discovery Channel's “Moonshiners.”
PlanAhead
- Ice Cream + Game Night | Fri., July 16 | 6-7:30 p.m. | The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Ave. | $15+ | An ice cream bar with all the fixings and board games to start the weekend + end The Chattery’s week of Adult Summer School. 🍦
- Social + Group Dance Class | Fri., July 16 | 6:45-9:30 p.m. | Dance Tonight Chattanooga, 46 E. Main St. | $5+ | This event starts with a group class for beginners and is followed by a dance social.
- Farmer’s Market Summer Meals | Sat., July 17 | 3:30-5 p.m. | The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Blvd. | $35 | Join a holistic wellness coach to learn how to prepare meals by sourcing ingredients from local farmers. 🍲
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Haven Life Insurance Agency offers an easy way to buy affordable term life insurance coverage online. A 35-year old female in excellent health can purchase a $500,000, 20-year Haven Term policy for as low as $18/mo. That’s peace of mind for the price of a large cheese pizza.
Visit Haven Life and discover how simple getting life insurance actually is. Some disclosures and limitations apply — see site for full details. Ⓟ
Weather
- 91° | Partly cloudy | 15% chance of rain ⛅
Announced
- Chattanooga was recognized as 1 of the best US cities using data + evidence to improve city government decision-making. The city received a Gold level What Works Cities certification — an initiative that promotes the use of data to tackle community challenges. Chattanooga is 1 of 40 cities to be certified. 🏆
Civic
- The Hamilton County Recycling Center in Red Bank is extending its days of operation from 3 days to 5 days. The recycling center is now open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays + 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. ♻️
Development
- Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and County Commissioner Randy Fairbanks will host a community discussion regarding plans for the newly acquired McDonald Farm on July 22 at 6 p.m. The event will take place at the Sale Creek High School Gymnasium. (Chattanoogan.com)
Health
- The Hamilton County Health Department is offering back-to-school vaccination + birth certificate events on weekdays from July 19-Aug. 13 for school-age children — no appointment needed. There will also be special Saturday events on July 31 and Aug. 7 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
- The American Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage. Throughout July, the Red Cross is offering incentives to blood donors, such as a $10 Amazon gift card + a chance to win gas for a year. On July 29, there will be a blood drive at the local American Red Cross from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (The Pulse)
Coronavirus
- Get Vaccinated Chattanooga is hosting several vaccination block parties. The next event will take place on July 17 in East Chattanooga + will feature free food, live music, health screenings, and COVID-19 vaccine information. CHI Memorial staff will administer vaccinations to those who are interested.
Edu
- Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson recently announced that he will be resigning as superintendent beginning Aug. 17. In his resignation letter, Dr. Johnson said that he is "committed to a smooth transition for the incoming leader." (The Pulse)
Arts
- ArtsBuild recently announced a new, monthly community series called ArtsBuild AfterWork, which will celebrate local artists + performers as part of the city-wide Live Music is Back Summer Series. The first ArtsBuild AfterWork will take place on July 22 from 5:30-7 p.m. 🎶
- A new art exhibit recently opened at 6th Cavalry Museum thanks to a partnership with the Ridgeland High School Art Department. The exhibit highlights student artwork under the theme of “End of World War II in Europe.” 🖼️
TryThis
- On July 23, the Rabbit Valley Farmers Market will be hosting the Wine and Art in Ringgold event from 6-9 p.m. This event will feature art from local artists, wine, charcuterie, live music, + a Paint and Sip class. (The Pulse) 🍷
This painting created by local creative Genesis the Greykid entitled “computer love” recently sold for a whopping £63,000 (that's $87,077 in USD) at Phillips Auction.
Genesis the Greykid is an artist + poet who resides in Chattanooga and is also behind the painting created for Kanye West’s song “Brothers.”
You can find more of Genesis’ work hanging at Easy Bistro, on these stylish face masks, and all over his Instagram page.
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NOOGAcurrent: What we’re loving
Brianna here, and I’m loving that my baby bell pepper plants are starting to turn red. I started the plants from seed (that I got from a bell pepper I was eating) during the spring, transferred them from my former home to my new apartment, and am finally seeing them turn from green to red. They’ve had quite the journey, and it’s so fun to watch them grow. 🫑
It’s Trista, and I’m loving trivia at Five Wits Brewing Co. with Chatt Trivia. We came in second place last week, and we’re coming for first tonight.
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