News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville’s Leisure Services have redesigned aspects of its skate park project after estimates came back over budget.
Director Rick Woods said the estimated completion of the park will likely be sometime next year.
“We did some redesigning and we now are awaiting for the final plans to be sent from HFR Design and they will be sent to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation,” Woods said. “They have to approve all of the design elements. Once they get the design elements done, then we will bid the project.”
Woods said the cost estimates for renovating the old pool building came back too high for their budget.
“The cost estimates on that came in extremely high so we had to come back and rework some of that design,” Woods said. “The design of the skate park itself, those cost estimates came in pretty good. So we haven’t made any changes to that design that was presented last January or February.”
Woods said once the redesigns are approved, he hopes to have the construction project bid out within the next few months.
“That’s slowed us down to the point where we will bid that this fall, begin construction on the entire project – the building and the skate park itself – this fall,” Woods said. “We project to be completed by the spring of 2019.”
Despite the delay, Woods remains optimistic and looks forward to the project being completed.
“It’s really a neat design and I think the skate community is really excited about it,” Woods said. “I wish we were open now but it’s still coming. We’re going to make it happen.”
Woods said TDEC will need to approve the final design of the project before the project is sent out to bid. TDEC gave the city $400,000 in grant money towards the project.
