Repairs to Palace Theatre approved

Jan. 12—The city is ready to get to work on repairs to the wall at the Palace Theatre.

A low bid of $30,000 was received from Brad Daugherty Construction of Crossville — a reduction from the $45,000 quote presented in December from Midwest Maintenance Inc.

Crossville City Manager Greg Wood explained during the Jan. 3 work session it had been difficult finding contractors interested in the job as it was just the knee wall on the south-facing wall.

This is the section of the wall that collapsed in March, sparking a brief closure of the historic downtown theater. A structural engineer deemed the Palace safe to reopen about two weeks later.

The sidewalk next to the building has been closed since the collapse, as well.

The initial quote from Midwest Maintenance Inc. was not received through a bid process. City Engineer Tim Begley explained the city had hired J&S Construction through emergency hiring procedures to take care of the roof materials. They tried unsuccessfully to find a mason subcontractor to take on the job, Begley said previously. In July 2022, the company returned to the city saying they couldn't find anyone to take on the work.

Begley said he reached out to multiple masonry contractors, as well, and the only one that responded to those initial inquiries was Midwest Maintenance, which specializes in masonry repairs and is also a general contractor company. This was the same contractor that handled waterproofing the masonry at the Palace several years earlier.

Over the past month the project was advertised through traditional bid advertisement channels, including public notices in the newspaper, and staff reached out to other potential bidders, resulting in a second bid from Brad Daugherty Construction.

The council also approved the second reading of a budget amendment to pay for the repairs at the Palace.

In other business, the following items were approved by the city council:

—Disposal of vehicles and equipment in the water resources department, including a 2008 Chevy Silverado, 2006 Chevy Colorado and 1990 Ag-Gator. The vehicles will be sold at auction.

—$33,253.85 in unexpected repair costs for two wastewater pump stations

—Disposal of two rental cabins at Meadow Park Lake.

—Contract amendment with Gresham Smith for utility installation inspection for Phase 3 of the Northwest Connector. The project has been delayed requiring four additional months of inspection.

—Contract with GRW Engineers for engineering services on an inflow and infiltration sewer project using the city's American Rescue Plan Act funds. Inflow and infiltration refers to stormwater entering the city's wastewater treatment system. Once the stormwater enters the system, it must be treated and discharged, taking up capacity at the city's wastewater treatment plant.

—Contract with TruePani, Inc. to conduct a waterline inventory to comply with federal regulations regarding the identification of water lines containing lead and public notification. The cost is not to exceed $47,000.

—Changes to the interlocal agreement with Cumberland County for the Joint Economic Community Development Board.

—Changing the city's municipal purchasing procedures to follow state law. This would increase the amount the city manager may spend without council approval from $5,000 to $25,000 — the current state bid threshold, and raise the city's bid threshold to that same amount. The change was sought to bring the city's purchasing procedures in line with state law and allow for faster response to purchases due to the increased cost of equipment and materials.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.