Cocke County approves contract with engineering firm for industrial park sewer work

The Cocke County Commission approved an agreement with Robert G. Campbell Associates to perform engineering work tied to sewer service for the Smoky Mountain Innovation Park.

The contract was described in the meeting as the county’s portion of a multi‑party agreement needed to advance sewer infrastructure; a county official said the contract has been reviewed by the county attorney. The commission moved and seconded the item and approved it by roll call.

Why it matters: commissioners said advancing sewer design and permitting is a necessary step to make industrial park pads marketable to prospective tenants. County staff and commissioners said design work is nearly complete and funding is in place to move toward bidding once the engineering tasks proceed.

Details: Commissioner Temple (motion) and Commissioner Jason McMahon (second) were recorded during the request for approval. A member of the commission summarized the item as the county’s portion of the partnership and said the vote was needed so all parties could proceed. The contract approves work on sewer access for the industrial park; further implementation steps discussed earlier in the meeting included finalizing sewer design and moving to bid phases once design is complete.

Implementation: staff reported that sewer design work is nearing completion and that bids will follow; the commission approved the contract so county obligations can proceed. The vote was recorded by roll call in the meeting minutes and the contract will move forward under the terms reviewed by the county attorney.

Ending: with the contract approved, county staff can continue design completion and prepare for competitive bidding to extend sewer service to the industrial park.