Gainesboro Aldermen approved an estimated $4,900 increase for the T-DOT Multimodal Sidewalk Project Thursday night.
Gainesboro received a $600,000 grant with a five percent match from T-DOT in 2022. However, Gainesboro Mayor Lloyd Williams said the project has yet to begin because of issues on T-DOT’s side. T-DOT has now given the town the option to either pay the additional cost or reduce the scope of the project.
“They were gonna call me and I gave them my number, and they wrote another email,” Williams said. “They didn’t call me or anything to explain it, but I know money is tight, but I hate to, I hate for them to come down and cut it in half. You know, they are going to lower the scope if we are this far into it.”
The sidewalk would be constructed from the traffic light in front of Town Hall and extend to Highway 56. Williams said he is ready to get the project going.
“I want to see what it looks like,” Williams said. “I think it’s really gonna help improve the city’s look on that side. Our sidewalks that they are replacing are very old and they need to be replaced. So, it’s a win-win, but you know, sometimes you just wish things would happen faster.”
Town Recorder Lisa Dodson said the new sidewalk would help with some of the drainage issues that the area has been experiencing. Alderman Tom Goetz said he feels like the project is still a good deal.
“Well, for the city to get a $600,000 project for $37,000 is still a pretty good deal,” Goetz said. “And it’s definitely something that you can see physically, you can see it’s corroded as a whole. The sewer part of it or the drains, are kind of a plus there too.”
Dodson said T-DOT has assigned the project but is waiting to receive the check from the town before beginning the project. Dodson said she did not get a date for when they would begin. The aldermen questioned if T-DOT would actually start on the project this time around.
In other business, the aldermen approved an estimated $5,376 bid to replace the playground mulch at the city park. The city will be using the same exact mulch that was used last time. The aldermen are replacing the mulch at the park’s playground for child safety reasons.
The aldermen approved an estimated $8,700 bid for a 60-inch zero-turn lawn mower. The town had received eight bids. Street Department Official Joe Lynch recommended the bid that was approved, as it is a similar mower to the other mowers that the town has now.
The aldermen also approved to offer Jeff Bowman a full-time position at the town’s Street Department. Bowman currently serves part-time. Lynch said a full-time position is needed as the department tends to run thin on staff during the Fall season.
