Sewer Line work in Cookeville’s Fisk Road and Walnut Avenue areas will cost more than expected.
Cookeville City Council will review a proposed change order Thursday for some $764,000. Water and Sewer Department Director Barry Turner said a big portion of the increase was the addition of sections that were not originally included in the project.
“We got this one section here on Walnut that we are wanting to do that if we did put together a contract and got it bid, it would be too late for this fall,” Turner said. “So we are adding that over here in Cinderella Park that we are gonna, that we were gonna do since it’s here close to the Walnut portion and stuff.”
The proposed project will repair those sections before repaving this fall. The new contract price for the project is now an estimated $1.9 million.
City Manager James Mills said he had strongly encouraged Turner to get the work done sooner rather than later.
“If you’ve been up through Fisk, it’s got a cut right down the middle of it,” Mills said. “It’s in really bad shape, so we do appreciate doing it, and hopefully, we can get this fall or next round of pavement comes through, we can get that taken care of.”
Mills said the city’s paving project will include Chocolate Drive and Shag Rag Road to create a loop.
The project is a Cured In Place Pipe Project, meaning it can be done without digging trenches. A new liner is inserted into the pipes.
Turner said the city has budgeted $2 million for the next fiscal year and will still have to do another CIPP project in fiscal year 2026.
The city council will vote to approve the change order at the upcoming city council meeting this Thursday.
