Fentress County Continues Work on ADA Bids

Fentress County expects to begin Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance updates this fall.

County Executive Jimmy Johnson said the county originally expected to have the bid process finished in spring.

“At this time we are in the process of still getting some bids together as far as what the cost will actually be,” Johnson said. “And the buildings we may renovate or some that we might even not operate in anymore.”

If county buildings are not ADA compliant, the federal government may withhold certain funds from Fentress.

Johnson said fire damages to the recycling center play a role in the ADA decisions.

“One of our major projects is going to have to be with our solid waste offices. And so we had made plans possibly of moving them in the future to another building if we purchased one,” Johnson said. “But being on the side that we are going to have to build a new building for the solid waste, we are probably actually going to include those in the specifications of the new building.”

The county will also continue to use inmate labor to complete smaller ADA projects, such as building ramps.

“We have had a couple taken care of already such as over in the history building and our archives building,” Johnson said. “We have done some work there. We have had inmate-work done there and it’s just a slow process.”

Johnson said the county must begin the larger ADA projects by the end of the year.