Cookeville City Council voted Thursday to move forward with extending sewer service to the Tennessee Avenue area.
Water and Sewer Director Ronnie Kelly said the plan will aid in the development of the new fairgrounds property and the interchange.
“For it to develop you need sewer,” Kelly said. “That’s the main thing they’re going to have to have there. So we’re trying to get it in there and ready for development. There has been a lot of talk about development. And we’re doing a project with one of the property owners out there to get it up to their property out there so it will be a good thing.”
Council approved two items that will facilitate the work. One item will provide some $19,246 for a design amendment that will allow the sewer line to bypass wetlands in the area. Kelly said the other item is a resolution authorizing City Manager James Mills to acquire any properties necessary for that project. Mills said at Monday’s work session that the city hopes to use American Rescue Plan money for the work.
In the process of doing design work for sewage serving the new fairgrounds property, Kelly said they wanted to bypass wetlands in the area. He said wetlands pose an issue when it comes to development because the city would need to go through to get an individual permit for development, mitigate the wetlands, and purchase a wetlands bank which can be costly.
“The state of Tennessee has regulations about wetlands,” Kelly said. “And if you go through them you have to try to mitigate them and buy some wetland banks and it’s very expensive and time-consuming. So we tried to talk to the engineer to avoid that.”
Kelly said that they are aiming to bid the projects sometime this winter or spring. He said they have to finish the design process and obtain the easements.
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