| Today's Feature Council Bill for Elk Street Project.
The Elk Street drainage and
street improvements were again the topic of
discussion at the Public Works Committee meeting
Tuesday afternoon. Committee members voted to
send a bill to the full Council recommending that
the City enter into a contract with Southard
Construction for $92,323 for the project.
Southard was the low bidder,
but the bid was still $61,617 higher than the
$35,000 budgeted for the project. During a
previous meeting, City Engineering Department
Head Joe Butler explained that some financial
help would come from the bank and church in the
area of the project and that engineering fees
could be moved from the project budget into the
Engineering Department’s budget. The project
would still be approximately $11,000 short.
The Elk Street project is one
of 13 capital improvement projects included on a
status report recently given to all Council
members. Four of the 13 projects are already
under contract, and all four bids came in under
the budgeted amount. As much as $18,000 could be
available for the Elk Street project as a result
of this. City Administrator Tom Short also
mentioned the possibility that some funds the
City has earmarked as matching funds for a
Community Development Block Grant project may
become available if that grant is delayed.
"I think everybody’s
aware we’re going to have to do some
creative shuffling of figures to make things work
out," said Committee Chair Bill Fortune,
"but I think the Council is in favor of
doing it so whatever we have to do to make it
work we’ll do, I guess."
Claiborne Jackson
Drive?
Staff reports during
Tuesday’s Public Works Committee meeting
yielded some discussion concerning a suggested
street name. City Engineering Department Head Joe
Butler reported a call from Alex Boyer at
Americold requesting approval for a street name
in the tract of land Americold is developing as
an industrial park in the northwest corner of
town west of Civil War Road.
Normally, streets are named
after the area being developed is platted. The
plat goes to planning and zoning and to the
Council for final approval. According to Butler,
Americold’s plans for the development of the
area have been approved in concept, but the area
is not yet platted. They want to go ahead and
name the street, however, in order to have an
address for business purposes. Americold has
chosen the name Claiborne Jackson Drive, after
the Civil War era governor.
Butler also received a call
from Jack Crusa at Flex-O-Lators. Flex-O-Lators
is building a facility in the development, and
they do not like the proposed street name.
According to Butler, the City does not have any
guidelines for street names.
"As far as I’m
concerned, Americold is the developer,
they’re the ones that get to pick the
name," said Butler, "so unless Jack can
influence them to change it, it won’t be
changed."
"I don’t care what
they name it," said Butler. "I just
don’t want to give it an address and then
change it. Americold wants the same thing. They
want Council approval so that it can’t be
changed, so that when it’s platted it will
be Claiborne Jackson Drive."
Committee Chair Bill Fortune
raised the question that if the sitting Council
approved the name with a voice vote now, could
the Council in place when the plat is filed vote
to not accept the name?
Butler suggested checking with
the City attorney to see if once approved by the
Council the name would be final. The Committee
agreed to recommend the request go to the full
Council for a voice vote once the City attorney
has offered a legal opinion on that question.
Route 66 Signs.
City Administrator Tom Short
reported at Tuesday’s Public Works meeting
that he has been contacted by Ron Robb, president
of the Route 66 Association, about placing
additional Route 66 signs in town. According to
Short, there have been instances when tour buses
have gotten lost trying to follow historic Route
66.
Robb’s initial request was
that the City purchase and install three to five
signs, but he has agreed to seek donations to
purchase the signs if the City will provide the
standards, installation and arrows to accompany
them. Short said the City has done this in the
past.
"I wouldn’t think
there’s any major opposition," said
Fortune. "I think if we do it we’d want
to do it properly and have them in the spots
where they should be."
Street Commissioner Tom Shelley
will be consulted regarding the expense of
installing the signs, and Short will check back
with Robb on the status of donations and to
discuss further the locations of the signs.
"There are people who
drive old Route 66," said Committee member
Larry Ross. "It does bring people to
town."
Cost of Hall Examined.
During his presentation Monday
night, architect Jerry Hagerman presented a
statement of probable cost for the renovation of
Memorial Hall and a preliminary economic model of
revenues and expenses of the renovated building.
The total cost of the
renovation is projected to be $1,656,528. Site
and Grounds expenses are projected to be
$200,333. This includes the gazebo and plaza area
at the new southeast entrance, walkways,
pedestrian lighting, improved parking lot
lighting, irrigation, landscaping and other
exterior items.
Shipping and Receiving expenses
cover a small addition to the building, loading
dock and canopy for $249,333. General Building
costs, for example a new metal roof, new entrance
at the southeast corner, new windows and retrofit
windows, elevator installation and new stairwell
at the northwest corner, are projected at
$314,286.
The basement renovation,
including a small kitchen, should cost
approximately $215,000, the first floor $393,000
and the second floor $256,500. Special items such
as acoustical treatments, lighting, audio visual
and sound equipment, telecommunications backbone,
catering kitchen equipment and furnishings, total
$235,000. The architect’s fee is expected to
be $106,742.
"We tried to identify what
we thought it would take to bring the building up
to its highest and best use," said Hagerman.
Hagermans’ preliminary
economic model for the renovated building
projected revenue from events, office rent and
meeting room rentals to grow over five years from
$98,624 to $133,881. Operating costs would grow
from $184,000 to $201,000 as the building sees
increased use. The City contribution to cover the
difference between operating costs and revenue
would decrease from $85,376 to $67,119 over the
five year projection. Hagerman’s numbers
were based on usage history and research of
similar buildings.
Hagerman said his goal was for
the building to cost the City no more than
$75,000 annually.
"This may not be an
accurate model, but it gets everyone thinking
about what happens to this facility after
it’s ready to operate," said Hagerman.
"Otherwise everybody just assumes
somebody’s thinking about it, and
oftentimes, no one is."
City Administrator Tom Short
said the current budget for the operation of
Memorial Hall is about $92,000 with revenues of
$40,000-$50,000.
"It’s not going to
make enough money to pay for its own
operation," said City Administrator Tom
Short. "Everybody should understand that
going into this."
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