Cookeville City Council approved a change order Thursday night for phase two of the new Energy Department Facility off South Jefferson Avenue.
Bids for concrete and steel for the project came in at some $2.43 million. That is $141,000 under budget, according to Energy Department Director Carl Haney.
Council also approved the purchase of land on Miller Avenue for the Spay Neuter Clinic that operates there. The city will own the property and Wags & Whiskers will lease the property to continue providing services. City Manager James Mills said the property will be paid for with money left to the Animal Control Board several years ago in a will.
“We’ve saved over a million dollars,” Mills said. “We’ve saved this money for the many years for capital purchases. None of that money is used for operational expenses. This fits perfectly for what those, I believe, those bequested money should be used for, and that’s how we would fund this.”
Mills said a new lease with the facility will be completed in February.
No one spoke at the first of two public hearings focused on a possible expansion of Cookeville’s urban growth boundary. A second hearing will be held later this month.