News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Old Gainesboro Grade Utility District has awarded bids for upgrades to its water distribution system.
Engineer Nathaniel Green said there are two projects involved with these upgrades, including water storage and a new water transmission main. He said a new water storage tank is a major need, and is something that has been noted by TDEC.
“Currently they are needing additional water capacity and so the water storage tank will provide that storage capacity in the system in case of emergency,” Green said. “As well as offering some pressure benefits.”
Green said this project was explored about 10 years ago, but did not move forward because the need was not as significant then. Green said the new water transition main coming from the city of Cookeville will provide additional volume for future demand.
Green said this work was made possible through a $500,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant and a USDA loan. He said the project bids came within their budget.
“We had to update our budgets, we had actually estimated these pre-2020 and of course, we had issues just as everybody has in the industry has with items coming in what we had originally anticipated,” Green said. “But we put together an updated budget in the 3rd quarter of last year, and we actually were under that budget on our construction. So we are under the budget we had anticipated, but the utility district is going to be looking for additional bond funding to pay for any overages that they might have.”
Green said the water storage tank project has a contract timeline of some 400 days. He said the water transmission main project has a contract timeline of just under a year.
Both bids were awarded contingent on the approval of the funding agencies.
