Bell Buckle amphitheatre under budget

Despite a few technical sound and lighting glitches, the opening night at the Bell Buckle Park's new amphitheater on July 4 was a big success, said Alderman Jenny Hunt last week. According to Alderman James Anderson, it's been a construction success as well.

"We budgeted $106,000 for the amphitheater," he said at the Tuesday night meeting of the board of mayor and aldermen. "It looks like we're going to be under that. Anyone who's in construction knows how hard that is to do."

The money was drawn down from a municipal loan as it was needed, and the board approved a final drawdown of $20,000 that night -- bringing the total borrowed to about $90,000. It was needed, said Anderson, to pay up the last of the costs and a grant for that purpose won't be in hand for another 90 days. Some of the grant money, he said, would pay on the 26-year note, which the Parks and Rec department is responsible for paying, both interest and principal.

The board also gave its approval to a Chamber of Commerce project that will involve roping off the main parking area in front of downtown one day in the future. The chamber wants to repaint the quilt on the parking lot, said Mayor Dennis Webb, and it will choose a light traffic day, such as a Monday, to do so.

In the financial report, Webb said the town didn't have as much income over the month as he'd hoped, but it wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

"We were short in what I hoped we'd flush out -- no pun intended -- with water and sewer," he said. "We have to monitor the situation closely."

One reason for a lower income may have been a higher water expenditure. According to Ronnie Lokey of the water department, there was a 32 percent water loss over the month because of four major leaks.

Three of the four were the result of Blue Max materials, he said, which are being replaced as the leaks are discovered. Lokey said the only way to know which lines were Blue Max lines would be to dig them up.

"It will probably be an ongoing problem until it's all replaced," he said.

Alderwoman Annie Rooney asked if it would be cost effective to read the meters twice a month to catch leaks sooner. Lokey said he didn't think so, but he would look into it.

Webb had words of praise for the Volunteer Firefighters Auxiliary, who helped at the many public events held in Bell Buckle recently.

"They did a phenomenal job," he said. He also commended everyone for the town's Fourth of July celebration and thanked Charles Cook for organizing the Tri-Lakes Sports Car Club rally, which had 20 cars and 60 people participating.

He also reminded the board that the next events coming up were the Best of the Butts barbecue contest in September and the Webb Arts and Crafts Show in October.

Speaking for the planning commission, Webb updated the board on the commissioners' project to come up with three possible Urban Growth Boundary plans to be presented.

"I felt like the board needed the pros and cons of each sample," he said. He told the board about a joint economic meeting held Friday with representatives of Wartrace, Bedford County, Shelbyville and Normandy about their respective regional planning status. He said Count Mayor Eugene Ray would set up meetings with the municipal governments to allow them to explain why they want regional planning status.

Webb also told the board that some questions had been raised about a sign recently erected near the gazebo.

"The sign's a little too close to the road," he said.

Webb said he had a meeting with the owner of the business and the sign and was sure things could be worked out, but he said it drew to his attention that the sign ordinance, as well as the property ordinance, needed "some cleaning up."

"Some of it is too convoluted," said Webb.