Lenoir City OKs Allenbrook pavin

“Of course, we accepted the roads at the last meeting and I, along with the councilmen (James) Brandon and the vice mayor, attended the county commission special called meeting last week and they tried to rescind it,” Tony Aikens, Lenoir City mayor, said. “... They tried to rescind it and didn’t have enough votes to do. Now the chairman made the statement that it would be put off a couple weeks and we would end up getting the money.”

Loudon County Mayor Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw’s office submitted an open records request Feb. 21 for bid specifications, the bid envelopes, the actual bids and everything else in the packet. Amber Scott, city administrator, said the request was granted within an hour and a half. The city has not heard back from the county, Scott said.

Aikens found the request, instead of calling and asking to stop by to see the documents, “disappointing.”

Despite being asked by Douglas “Buddy” Hines, city councilman, if the agenda item should be tabled, Aikens felt the city should move forward.

“I mean we’ve already accepted the streets and we need to go ahead and accept the bids and then I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens on the 18th and just have to wait and see, I guess,” Aikens said.

Loudon County Commission will meet March 18 for a workshop, which Aikens plans to attend.

“I only had concern because I want to make sure everybody on this council understands that we’re going to have to dig into our reserves or we’re going to have to use our drawdown money, one or the other, if the county in some way hedges out of this, which the one commissioner is really pushing hard to get that to happen as usual,” Simpson said.

Aikens said the city had no intention of misleading the county.

Agreement passed

City council also unanimously passed an agreement with Tennessee Department of Transportation to implement construction of improved signalization on Highways 11 and 321.

“We basically have to ask TDOT for permission to construct along their state route because it is their state route,” Scott said.

Although work is still months out, Scott considered this the first step in the construction process. Signals on Highway 11 from about G Street to the Highway 321 intersection and then to the Interstate 75 interchange will be worked on, she said.

“We’ve spent years on preliminary work,” Scott said after the meeting. “It’s taken a quite a while to do so. This will allow for improved communicability between the signals and allow for traffic to be efficiently up and down the two corridors.”

Bids for the project are not moving forward yet, Scott said. Kimley-Horn of Nashville is the engineer.

“I can’t wait to get it done because it seems like every morning as I go to work every traffic light on (Highway) 321 will catch you,” Simpson said. “I don’t understand it but it does.”

“I will have to say I had a meeting at the utilities a few weeks ago with everybody involved, even Ms. Scott went out there, because we heard it may get delayed for some reason, but everybody seems to be on track and knows what is to be expected of them,” Aikens added. “So we’re excited about it too, and I know everybody else will be too that travels on (Highway) 321 every day.”

In other news, Lenoir City Council:

• Approved closing North A to South A streets 5-8:30 p.m. June 21 and July 19 for Nights on Broadway. Kingston to C streets will also be closed 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 27 for the spring fling.

• Passed a facility use agreement with Lenoir City Schools for use of their facilities as required by liability insurance.

• Approved an agreement with TDOT for work at Kingston Street and Town Creek Road near Kingston Pike Baptist Church. Scott said the agreement notes the city will be responsible for maintenance after the state improves the intersection’s safety.

• Granted full-time employment for Jeremiah Rogers after finishing his six-month probationary period in the fire department.