Council To Vote On Fire Department Preconstruction

Cookeville City Council will vote Thursday to approve bids for preconstruction work for Fire Stations Two and Three.

City Manager James Mills said a price of some $719,000 was the lowest of four bids. He said W&O Construction, the low bidder, is the same company the city used for the Cookeville Police Department headquarters.

“This is for preconstruction services which gets you to the point to know exactly what the project’s going to cost,” Mills said. “And you have up to that point. There’s no mandatory requirement that we keep them.”

City Attorney Dan Rader and Architect Peter Metts crafted the agreement that if approved, will get preconstruction started for both stations right away.

“Benton’s been putting in a lot of time on this so we’re really excited about getting moving forward,” Mills said.

The city has spent the past several months searching for property for a second new station after purchasing property on Gould Drive to house Fire Station Three. The council will also vote to authorize Mills to execute purchase option agreements for two Washington Avenue properties. He said Cookeville Fire Chief Benton Young identified the properties and found them suitable for relocation.

“The property owners have already signed the agreement, but I’ll give you details Thursday night,” Mills said.