White ‘can see peek’ desire, but Hall fix vote 5-0
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen took another step toward renovations of Town Hall when it voted unanimously, on on first reading, during a special-called meeting Thursday, Nov. 30, to amend its American Rescue Plan Act budget to pay an extra $1.5 million for the renovations.
The Board also approved a contractor bid to do the work.
But the actions came with challenges from two residents who questioned the motion because it “does not match the agenda in the meeting packet, nor does it match the notice in the paper,” pointing out a 200-page comprehensive analysis by Cove Architecture was not in the meeting packet.
“I think what Mike (Mitchell) was more referring to was nobody’s seen the plans,” Alderman David White said. “I can see where the average citizen might want to take a peek at the plans or the specifications and kind of see what we’re going to do, but I don’t think that was put out, and I think that was what Mike’s talking about.”
However, “I’m totally 100 percent in favor of remodeling the (Town Hall) building,” White added. “Our staff and employees need that. They need a work environment that they feel safe in and they can perform.
“I just think it’s time. … It’s good for the citizens, so I’m certainly glad we’re doing it.”
About the 200 pages, “We did not include 200 pages of bid documents that are very specific to what the contractor is doing and what they’re bidding on,” Town administrator David Smoak explained.
However, “the bids were available to the public to view at any time they wanted to through our website whenever we had the bids out and available, so that information was available,” he added.
”What (the Board is) approving tonight is a contract with Wright (Contracting) to do that work. Obviously, if the Board would like all that information and want to look through those 200 pages, we would be happy to give it to you. Typically, that’s not something that we have historically done, but we do give you all the contract language and all the verbiage that you have in your packet in order for you to make an informed decision.”
More renovation reaction, figures
“I’d say, after 30 years, it certainly is time,” Mayor Ron Williams said about the renovation need. “We’ve run out of space and this will give us more space.”
On first reading, the Board approved increasing ARPA appropriated expenditures from $7.4 million to $8.9 million, an increase of $1.5 million.
“This amendment is needed to budget for the additional expenditures required for the Town Hall renovations,” Smoak said, adding that because of the grant, the amendment also would increase revenues from $1,791,566 to $3,858.263.
In Town Hall, at age 32, “Much of the office space ... does not provide for an efficient working environment for the staff or to be able to conduct productive meetings with the public,” Smoak said.
