Engineers have discovered unsuitable soil around the Cane Creek Pickleball and Splash Pad projects, leaving Cookeville City Council with decisions.
Cookeville Leisure Services Director Rick Woods told the Council during a Monday work session both projects were designed to have asphalt. But the soil is not dry enough. Contractors offered a $150,000 estimate for hauling away unsuitable soil and rock. Woods said that cost seems too expensive.
“We’ve got drivers and trucks available,” Woods said. “We can haul off the spoils, we got a place to put it, we can haul off what they don’t use, we can go purchase rock with our annual bid contract and haul it back. They are gonna do the work with their people and their equipment.”
Council Member Chad Gilbert suggested using concrete instead of asphalt. Gilbert said he believes concrete could be a cheaper option.
“I’m just wondering aloud, are we better off just maybe pivoting and maybe looking at concrete, which I assume that stuff is going to be on one or two percent or something,” Gilbert said. “That’s hard to pave on that anyway, without duct nesting, so if we went to a reinforced slab, you can float that on what’s there.”
Woods said his hauling plan would reduce the additional $150,000 to $36,700. But the Public Works Department only has time next week to help with the project.
Woods said the Public Works Department has made attempts to address the soil issue in the past but has had no success.
“We’ve gone out there and tried to get it and basically plowed it up on sunny days when we had some time and tried to get it dried out and regarded, but that has not worked effectively when we put rollers on it,” Woods said. “It is still pumping, and so it’s not suitable. We want to do it right and make sure our pickleball courts are gonna be lasting.”
The council will look into a cost estimate for using concrete instead of asphalt to see which direction they would like to move forward with.
