Cookeville City Council approved additional costs to the Water Treatment Plant Generator Project on Thursday.
Among the additional costs was to pay an estimated $13,000 to Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Cooperative. Water and Sewer Director Barry Turner said the costs are for the Cooperative to remove lines and poles that will be abandoned as part of the project.
“There’s about 10 poles down towards the intake that we are gonna get removed, and the line, overhead line, that’s part of that as well,” Turner said. “This is part of that grant that we are getting the ARP (American Rescue Plan) money on at the water plant, so I recommend your approval.”
Turner said the costs will be added on top of the estimated $31,800 that the council approved in October for additional line work to make the plant and the intake on the same electric meter. Turner said the other addition to the project cost was an estimated $41,600 for copper wire.
“This is to purchase some copper wire that we had in the contract for the construction contractor,” Turner said. “It said that it would be provided by others, meaning the city. The city has not purchased this. We just went ahead and purchased the aluminum conductor, so this change order gets it purchased by the contractor and furnished by them.”
The generator project will install a new standby generator for emergency power. The project is funded mostly by an estimated $3.9 million from a TDEC grant and ARP funds.
In other business, the council set a date of February 19 to hold a public hearing on an ordinance to rezone a property located on North Willow Avenue from Multi-Family Residential to Local Commercial.
Council approved a cybersecurity insurance policy renewal.
An estimated $31,752 bid was awarded for twenty-four 30-foot square poles for the Energy Department. Energy Department Director Carl Haney said these are standard items.
Council also awarded bids for the Energy Department and the Water Department to purchase more automated meters.
Council approved to surplus a 2007 Mack roll-off sanitation truck.
Council held a public reading and approved on first reading to close and abandon a portion of Baron Court.
Council approved for City Manager James Mills to execute an agreement with Gresham Smith to provide engineering services for the city.
Council approved an amendment to the City of Baxter Water Contract. Turner said this contract has not changed other than extending the length of the contract to July 29, 2045.