UPDATE: On August 27, the developers of the Red Wolves stadium off Spring Creek Road received a permit to resume construction. Star Construction Builders had received a notice of violation from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). ASA Engineering, a company working on the project, challenged the ruling that alleged construction had disturbed more than an acre of land without having the proper permits.
ASA’s Jeff Sikes gave this statement to the Chattanooga Times Free Press: “We are glad to see that this misunderstanding was quickly resolved and the project is moving forward without impacting any overall development deadlines.”
Our friends at NewsChannel9 are reporting that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a notice of violation on Monday to the owners of the Chattanooga Red Wolves, saying construction work has already begun without getting a permit from the state agency.
TDEC inspectors provided photos in its notice of violation showing that “more than one acre of land” has been disturbed, which is against state environmental regulations. The inspection was conducted on August 8th.
According to a story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, TDEC inspectors were called in after a member of the Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance notified the organization’s chairwoman, Sandy Kurtz, of work being done on the site just East of Spring Creek Road. Kurtz then informed TDEC.
TDEC’s violation notice reads, “Disturbing one acre of soil or more prior to receiving coverage under the CGP is a violation of the Tennessee Water Quality Control act of 1977.”
Red Wolves owner Robert Martino, who is from Utah, must submit an updated CGP (“Construction General Permit”) application reflecting the current site conditions by August 23rd.
City leaders in East Ridge broke ground for the new stadium on July 9th.
NewsChannel 9 has reached out to Martino and city leaders in East Ridge, and we will update this story once we hear back. A Hamilton County spokesman we called referred all calls to TDEC.
