Lenoir City Council plans to seek grants to enhance its downtown district. 

Monday, the council unanimously voted for a resolution authorizing the resubmittal of a grant application under the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Transportation Enhancement Grant Program for streetscape enhancements along U.S. Highway 11 and Broadway.

"We have submitted this grant application for a couple of years," Mayor Matt Brookshire explained. "Of course, it's always a very competitive process. We made a few changes this year to possibly give our application a greater boost. 

"As we have done for the last couple years, we are not only putting forth our pledge to do a 20 percent match, but we are putting forth our pledge for another commitment of $102,000.  "That is money we have received by way of special appropriation through Congress, so it would actually give us a whole lot more spending power for our small 20 percent match," he said. To get the application filed, city council was required to pass a resolution.

Brookshire said the total project cost is estimated at $120,000. The grant itself is for $100,000. 

"It is an 80-20 match," Brookshire said. "That's probably where the $20,000 comes from. We would have a problem making up the difference for that ..."

"It would be $24,000," Simpson added.

"We'll double-check it," Brookshire assured.

Council member Tony Aikens made the motion to pass the resolution, and it was seconded by fellow member Mike Henline. 

On another matter, Mayor Matt Brookshire updated the council on efforts being made to find funding for Loudon County Visitors Bureau. 

"We are currently working to provide some numbers in regard to that request from the visitors' bureau for additional funding for this fiscal year," the mayor said. "I had looked at some numbers and came up with some favorable things. Mr. (Dale) Hurst (city administrator) had come up with some ideas as well; so hopefully we will be getting that out to you very very soon."

Oct. 19, Doug Davis, chairman of the bureau's board of directors, asked for $32,000 from the city to keep its doors open. This is in addition to the $25,000 the city has already appropriated to the bureau. Council members expressed their interest in helping the bureau with that request.

Also during the meeting, Brookshire acknowledged the work of the street, police and parks and recreation departments for their work on landscaping the medians on Highway 321. 

In other business, the council:

• Approved the purchasing committee's recommendation to enter into an agreement with Cannon & Cannon, an engineering firm, to do work on the Creekwood Park Boulevard improvement project. Funding for this is to come from the Creekwood project account. This is not general fund money. It is $43,000 for engineering, Hurst said. 

Brookshire said this project is by way of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding the city received to finish some of those projects along Creekwood Boulevard, which is located adjacent to Loudon County Visitors Center and off Highway 321.

Hurst and the purchasing committee recommended, to save money, splitting up the project so Wilbur Smith would do the resurfacing and Cannon & Cannon would do the improvements project. 

"This continues to move our stimulus funding contracts along," he said. 

• Approved entering into a master services agreement with Cannon & Cannon, an engineering firm, for professional services concerning the storm water project. 

"As you know, we are in the process of bringing our storm water program in line with state mandates. 

Recently, the city was audited on how its controls on pollutants being washed by storm water runoff into local streams, rivers, lakes or coastal waters. City Codes Enforcement Officer Leslie Johnson reported Oct. 12 news on the audit was not good and the state presented the city with several mandates with which it has to come into compliance. To get into compliance, the council has agreed to contract with an engineering firm.