Cookeville still waiting for T-DOT approval for the proposed gateway monument projects.
City Manager James Mills said the idea for such signs had been discussed for several years but came to fruition after deciding on a joint sign with Tennessee Tech. He said the previous city council had approved a 50-50 split on the cost of constructing signs at Jefferson Avenue and South Willow Avenue.
“We believe we’re in the final stage now, we’ve nailed down two potential locations for the signs within the right-of-way and we’re awaiting the final approval from T-DOT,” Mills said. “Once we get that, we’ll do the final design and then let the projects out for bid.”
Mills said the design has not strayed much from its original concept. He said they want the signs to match the gateway signs on Tech’s campus as much as possible, including using the same stonework.
Mills said they anticipate hearing from T-DOT hopefully within the next few weeks. He said ideally the signs will be under construction this fall.
“The actual sign construction, based on the parameters that preliminary architectural design shows which has increased the size to begin with,” Mills said. “We’re looking at, in the neighborhood of $500,000 to $600,000 to construct two signs. That will be split between the city and the university.”
Mills said the signs will serve to tie the university and the city together, as well as serve as an entrance sign welcoming people into the city of Cookeville.
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