Lenoir City moves forward with p

Lenoir City moves forward with projects

Jeremy Nash news-herald.net

Lenoir City Council continued progress on two initiatives that have been a long time coming.

Councilmen Brandon James and Jim Shields motioned and seconded, respectively, to approve a contract with Cannon & Cannon Inc., for construction engineering inspection services for a widening project on East Simpson Road. The vote passed 5-0. Councilman Bobby Johnson Sr., was absent.

Plans include widening the road from 18 feet to 26 feet, adding a sidewalk opposite First Baptist Church and fixing a hill coming from Shaw Ferry Road. Work is afforded through an 80-20 split through the Tennessee Department of Transportation Local Programs Surface Transportation Program funding.

“What we did here, we hired the person that will be in charge of getting the bids, making sure everybody bids the same and we should be, if everything goes well and we get bids back in right and they’re acceptable and not out of range, we should be starting something on that by early spring,” Eddie Simpson, councilman, said. “If the bids come back and they’re acceptable, we should have those back within the next 60 days or so and then we’ll be able to move forward. That puts us to where we should have been three years ago.”

Simpson said city officials initially started talks four years ago, but “hiccups” along the way pushed back work.

“Being able to get all the right-of-way purchase, had a lot of trouble with that,” he said. “Then we had a lot of trouble, too, with some drainage and all that out there. Just one thing after another that came about, and we’ll get it going, it’ll just take a little more time. ... At one point the state, TDOT, came back and told us, ‘Well, it’s been too long now.’ They were the ones holding us up. They said, ‘It’s been too long and you’re going to have to go through the whole process again.’ That meant NEPA and everything. We finally persuaded them not to force us to do that.”

A timetable on the project will be more in place once a contractor has been selected, Amber Scott, city administrator, said.

“We’re actually getting our review comments finalized to TDOT right now for our construction plans,” Scott said. “We’re looking to start the bidding process in March, probably mid-March. ... I think it’s a huge step in the right direction for that location. It’s heavily trafficked of the cars that use it as a shortcut to Walmart and Home Depot and all the other stores in that area, so widening it and also taking out that hill quite a bit will make a safer roadway.”

Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens sees the project as a positive.

“It’ll be great particularly for the church who has a lot of members and everybody that travels that road along that way,” he said. “It’s just like any other road project, just like the (Highways) 321 and 11 project, Highway 321 itself, I mean it takes time. Unfortunately when you’re dealing with government and state and federal funds, it takes times. You have to cross all your Ts and dot all your Is and you’ll be having to backtrack, which ultimately will cost the taxpayers money and we want to be right. Of course, the city administrator has done an excellent job in keeping up with it. Hopefully when it’s completed everybody will enjoy it and think it was worth the wait.”

Turn lane off Harrison

Council voted unanimously in favor of going to bid for construction of a left turn lane on Harrison Road onto Glenfield Drive. Simpson and Councilwoman Jennifer Wampler motioned and seconded, respectively.

“We’ve said from the get-go that we believe as far as the turn lane was needed,” Aikens said. “I was unaware that when the first phase of that development, the original development, until they (residents) brought it to our attention at city council that it was in the plans and, of course, we acted on it just like we told them we would. We also told them that it would take time. It’s actually took less time than what I thought it would, and so that’s the reason even though city council didn’t have the plans before them, I mean they trust our judgment when I tell them something and the city administrator tells them something.

“We wanted to go ahead and move forward with it and it will be in two separate phases a turn lane will be in,” he added. “We’re hoping to get those back in a couple of weeks and go out to bid.”

LeMay & Associates are working on designs, Scott said. If all goes well, she believes the project could be done in three or four months.

“We’ve got approval to bid it out but the designs are not complete yet,” Scott said. “If there will be an impact there, you’re just looking at a slight impact inside of the easement that already exists.”

Scott said the project could see two phases, with the first being a turn lane and the second a continuation of a sidewalk existing near Harrison Glen.

“I did instruct the engineers to put it in the plans as an alternative and city council can obviously do that phase when they feel that it’s appropriate and the funds are available,” Aikens said of phase two.

In other news, Lenoir City Council:

• Approved the second and final reading to vacate right-of-way for unimproved portion of alleyways between West Hills Drive and Doyle Street and return the underlying property to adjoining property owners.

• Passed the second and final reading to rezone property off Williams Ferry Road from R-4 Residential District to R-3 High Density Residential District.

• Passed the second and final reading to annex 4.4 acres off Williams Ferry Road.

• Adopted a resolution requesting Loudon County Election Commission hold a city election in November.

• Granted full-time employment for Christopher Rogers for the fire department. Riley Miller was also granted full-time employment if he graduates from the police academy.

• Amended the city dress code.

• Approved the city purchasing committee’s recommendation to rebid two trucks in the parks and recreation department on the lease/trade program.