Fentress To Explore Repave Of Senior Center Parking

Fentress County officials will look at a permanent fix for the Senior Center parking lot, a facility that Road Supervisor Ryan Reed said is nearing the end of its life.

Reed said the county is probably a year or so away from needing to replace the entire parking lot. Meantime, he looked specifically at adding some height to one particular corner of the parking lot where water stands, causing an icing issue in the winter. Reed said the corner has settled over time, causing the water to drain improperly.

“This is just to get the water out of that corner where it’s not standing there,” Reed said. “There’s only one catch basin in that whole front section of the parking lot that all the water’s got to run to. And you’re dealing with pretty flat grades right there. I mean, it’s a poor design.”

But commissioners said it made more sense to at least get bids on what repaving the entire parking lot would cost, before spending $6,000 that would be wasted in a year or two. Reed said he would not venture a guess on what a complete repave might cost. Commissioners approved getting quotes to make a decision.

Reed said his crew could do the patch using a couple of loads of hot mix, but the county would need a paving company to do a complete overhaul of the entire lot.

“I don’t feel comfortable enough, myself and my crew, to pave that whole parking lot,” Reed said. “I was just looking for a quick fix to get us through until we can address the bigger issue.”

Several inches of water collect in the corner after a rain event.