Lakeland Wastewater Treatment Plant

The new/expanded Lakeland Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to open in mid-November. The plant will significantly expand the ability of the Lakeland Sewer System to treat wastewater and will significantly increase the quality of the water discharged to the Loosahatchie River.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed to allow future expansion without significantly affecting the curent operations.

The expanded plant will have a current capacity of approximately 2.5 million gallons per day. The capacity of the plant prior to the expansion was approximately 1 million gallons per day.

Windward Slopes Park

Windward Slopes Park development is expected to be completed in mid-November and will reopen to residents.

Activities will include the walking trail, tennis courts, a childrens playground and a pavilion. A unisex bathroom was also constructed.

Windward Slopes is adjacent to Lakeland Fire Station # 1 on Beverle Revira Drive.

Litter Marketing

I was unpleasantly surprised this morning to find another "litter marketing" campaign on my lawn and noted my neighbors also had this litter.

"Litter marketing" is the practice of putting rocks in a plastic bag with marketing literature and throwing it in driveways and yards.

While this may appear trivial, it is a serious problem, since this litter ends up in our drainage system and waterways and lakes and ponds. The city has had to spend thousands of dollars on repairs to the drainage system due to such thoughtless actions and concerned citizens have found hundreds of such bags in our lakes and drainage systems. The litter is also a danger to wildlife and pets.

The City is mandated by our storm water permit to control such violations and Code Enforcement officials will notify the company that this is a serious violation of our Storm Water Permit and issue a citation if possible.

In the meantime, I urge all residents to avoid purchasing from companies who use such practices and advise the City of Lakeland (867-2717) of such violations. Help protect the environment by stopping "litter marketing".

UPDATE: The company was contacted by Lakeland Code Enforcement and agreed to stop "litter marketing" in Lakeland.

Lakeland businesses

Askew Hargraves Harcourt and Associates (A2H) recently celebrated their second annual anniversary of their office in Lakeland at 3009 Davies Plantation Road. The Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce assisted in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark this event.

An Art Exhibit by Jim Powell is currently on display at the A2H offices and the public is invited to view the art during normal business hours.

A2H purchased the vacant building at 3009 Davies Plantation Road and remodeled it into local offices. The building had been vacant for at least five years, so the remodeling of the building and the location of Askew Hargraves Harcourt and Associates in Lakeland provided a double benefit to Lakeland. Additional information on the firm, which provides engineering, surveying and planning services, is available at www.A2H.com.

The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce also has risen from being dormant to being an active asset to the area. The Chamber meets monthly (schedule and additional information is at LakelandChamberofCommerce.com). Businesses and residents are encouraged to become active in the Chamber as the Chamber continues its efforts to support local businesses and the community.

The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and the Lakeland Economic Development Commission are actively involved in encouraging development, support and expansion of quality retail and office uses in Lakeland.

Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood presents website at Lakeland Chamber After Hours Mixter

Tom Leatherwood, Shelby County Register, presented the amazing amount of information available at the Register website at www.register.shelby.tn.us at the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce quarterly After-Hours Mixer.

I won’t try to explain the information available, except it appears almost anything about property records in Shelby County can be found on this website! Mr. Leatherwood explained that the website includes property back to 1812 for Shelby County! It also includes historical records on Shelby County and GIS information. Definitely check this out at your first opportunity!

Thanks to the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce for bringing this information to Lakeland Chamber members and residents. If you have a chance to hear the presentation by Mr. Leatherwood in the future, I encourage you to attend!

The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce web site is www.LakelandChamberofCommerce.com. The web site includes information on future meetings, membership and other chamber and community information.

Good Neighbors

I wrote the previous entry on animals due to the growing number of complaints I had received and the suggestion that I note that this is becoming a problem in Lakeland.

After the entry appeared, I received a comment that roaming cats are as much of a problem as dogs.

I think the issue really is “being a good neighbor”. A good neighbor doesn’t let their cats, dogs or other animals roam the neighborhood tearing up gardens, frightening walkers etc. A good neighbor shows respect for other residents in a lot of ways, including noise, trash, yard/house maintenance etc. (If I try to enumerate all of the ways, I will leave something out!)

I believe most Lakeland residents do try to “be a good neighbor”. I personally am lucky in that I have wonderful neighbors and it is easy to forget just how disruptive to daily life and “BAD” a “bad” neighbor can be.

If talking with your neighbor about a problem doesn’t help, or you don’t know the person responsible the City does have a Code Enforcement program to remind residents of violations of City Ordinances and resolve problems. Violations may be reported by using the Action Request form at www.Lakelandtn.gov, calling City Hall at 867-2717 or e-mail CityHall@Lakelandtn.org. We are required to provide notice of the possible violation and provide time to correct the problem, so it does take time to resolve the problem. In most cases we are required to provide at least 10 days notice of a violation.

Applications being accepted for appointed Boards and Commissions

Applications are being accepted for open positions on the Municipal Planning Commission, Design Review Commission, Board of Appeals, Park/Natural Resources Board and Economic Development Commission. Application forms are available at www.Lakelandtn.gov (under “employment") or by calling City Hall at 867-2717, stopping by City Hall or e-mailing CityHall@Lakelandtn.gov. (The web page is being updated with the open positions.)

What does a resident need to do to be appointed to one of the Boards or Commissions?

-The first step is to file an Volunteer Application. These are available as noted above.

-New this year, all applicants for the Boards and Commissions (except for the Municipal Planning Commission) will have the opportunity to visit with the Board of Commissions and discuss their qualifications for appointment. Members of the Municipal Planning Commission are appointed by the Mayor, so this procedure is not used for the Municipal Planning Commission.

Persons appointed to the Boards and Commissions play an important role in City government. Many decisions are final decisions, others are recommendations to the Board of Commissioners and recommendations by Boards and Commissions are always seriously considered by the Board of Commissioners.

Applicants for the Board of Adjustment, Park & Recreation/Natural Resources Board, Design Review Commission, and Economic Development Commission will have the opportunity to appear before the Board of Commissioners at the following meetings:

-Work Session, Monday, October 22, 2007

-Regular Meeting, Thursday, November 1, 2007

-Work Session, Monday, November 26, 2007

Applicants do not need to call ahead, but applicants who call at least a week before the meeting will be listed on the agenda as scheduled to speak.

We emphasize it is not required to appear before the Board of Commissioners.

If you are interested in a Board or Commission and wish to attend their meetings to get a better idea of what type of decisions they make, Regular Meetings of appointed Boards and Commissions are:

-Park and Recreation Board/Natural Resource Board meets the 2^nd Monday of each month.

-Design Review Commission meets the 2^nd Tuesday of each month.

-Municipal Planning Commission meets the third Monday of each month.

-The Board of Adjustment meets on the third Thursday of each month, but does not meet unless an appeal or other issues is to be decided.

-The Economic Development Commission meets the 4^th Thursday of each month, but does not meet in November or December.

If you want to contribute to the Lakeland community, wish to make a difference or want to be involved in important aspects of our community, I recommend you consider applying for appointment to one of the appointed Boards or Commissions.

We are publishing ore detailed information on the Lakelandtn.gov web page as well as providing information on blogs and news releases.

I-40/Canada Road Interchange information

Paul Degges, Chief Engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation recently confirmed in an e-mail to the City of Lakeland that the Single Point Interchange design will not delay the interchange improvements and that the City of Lakeland’s share will not increase due to an increase in construction costs.

This resolves two major concerns about the project.

The City of Lakeland expects to receive a contract on this project in the near future. We will keep you advised on progress in this matter.

Bobbi Cornett exhibiting Art in City Hall

We welcome Bobbi Cornett’s display of art at Lakeland City Hall, which started last week. City Hall seems suddenly alive with her colorful exhibits!

I always really enjoy her art and this exhibit is especially interesting with the variety of art works!

Stop by City Hall and view the Bobbi Cornett exhibit. She has a number of new art works that are especially interesting and enjoyable. The exhibit may be viewed anytime City Hall is open, normally from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at night meetings of Boards and Commissions.

As with all “Art in City Hall” Exhibits, purchase of art may be made by contacting the artist directly.

Animals at large complaints

We have been getting an increase in complaints about animals running at large and not under the control of their owner. Problems have included residents being apprehensive about going since they aren’t sure about whether a dog is vicious or just overly friendly.

Lakeland Ordinances require that pets be under the control of the owner at all time when not on the owners property. Please enjoy your dogs, but keep them under your control when they are out of a fenced area!

Violations can lead to a citation for letting an animal running at large and/or animal facility fees if an animal must be picked up.

Your neighbors will appreciate your cooperation in this matter!

Non-Smoking Law-complaint procedures and information

Information on the Non-Smoker Protection Act and reporting violations is available at:

www.health.state.tn.us/smokefreetennessee.com

Violations may also be reported to the Tennessee Health Department at 800-293-8228.

I found the web site to be very informative both for reporting a violation and for information on complying with the new law.

The Tennessee Health Department deserves a big “thanks” for a good job on the web site.

The quickest and simplest way to report a violation is to report it to management of the facility. The management is required to take care of the violation. If management does not resolve the violation or the violations continues, the Department of Health can be notified either by the web page or the toll-free number.