Council President Shane McDaniel ran the Oct. 6 meeting (Mayor Ruch was absent). The big items: the City Park stage, Community Center floors, and keeping a popular exercise class going.
What the council decided
- City Park stage improvements — up to $39,000. Public Works received three bids and will choose between DFCI and Summit 49 once a few details (floor joists, pressure-treated lumber) are confirmed. Part of the cost can come from park maintenance and building-improvement accounts, plus about $4,000 raised at Athol Daze 2026.
- New flooring for the Community Center — up to $16,000 (the city’s share). After water damage, DT Flooring will redo the kitchen, main room, both restrooms and the food bank hall. Insurance covers the damaged areas except the city’s $10,000 deductible; the restrooms and food bank hall are upgrades the city is adding at the same time.
- The Fit & Fall class continues. Panhandle Health District ended its sponsorship (the last PHD class was Oct. 2). The council waived the gym rental fee so the class — running three days a week for more than 12 years, with 30–40 people a session — can keep going, as long as participants sign a liability waiver approved by the city attorney.
- Liquor license transfer to Sweet Lou’s approved (from Farragut Bar, dba Tandoori Grill).
- A safety fan for confined-space work, up to $600.
- The Sept. 15 minutes and the September/October bills were approved.
Also discussed
- Water meters: 44 meters are left to convert to radio-read; that work pauses until spring.
- Mountainview Cemetery clean-up: about 16 volunteers, mostly from the American Legion family, put in roughly 65 hours. New cemetery flags are being ordered.
- City Park restroom: the grant-funded building is complete and should open for public use soon.
- Online permits: City Hall has started setting up Civic Review, a new online platform for permits and forms.
- Trunk or Treat is Halloween, 5–6:30 pm, in the Super 1 parking lot — more trunks to hand out candy are welcome.
- Tree Lighting: staff are planning this year’s event and hope to expand it as a free community celebration.
Source: draft minutes of the Oct. 6, 2026 meeting (PDF). These are unapproved, so details can change when the council approves them.