News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville’s Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation office is set to reopen to the public by the end of the month.
The highway 70 location sustained severe storm damage during the March tornado. General Manager Jimmy Gregory said about 97 percent of repairs are complete.
“We are very pleased,” Gregory said. “The process took a little while to get off the ground. When construction started, everything has remained on schedule and on time. We are very pleased up to this point the work schedule, the quality and the timeliness of all of it.”
Gregory said the only work that remains is the roof of the administrative wing. UCEMC customer services continue to operate out of office trailers until the building is finished.
“Major work to be done is replacing the standing seam metal roof on the administrative part of the building,” Gregory said. “That is the front part. That is a little more complicated process then a standard metal roof. Company that is doing that is very good at that. They had a little bit of delay getting the roofing materials delivered.”
Gregory said the time frame for when the Cookeville office will open is tentative and depends on community COVID numbers. If numbers climb, Gregory said UCEMC could possibly return to drive thru services only.
Two company storage buildings were also destroyed during the storm. Gregory said the UCEMC board will make a decision on how to replace these buildings sometime next year.
