Cookeville agrees to $15,000 contribution for Leslie Town Center lighting, asks staff to budget remaining $20,000

The Cookeville City Council voted to provide $15,000 to the Public Building Authority (PBA) to help replace the lighting system in the Estes Williams room at the Leslie Town Center and directed staff to consider adding $20,000 to the next fiscal-year budget to cover the PBA’s remaining share.

The PBA requested the city pay half the lowest qualifying bid of $69,355 from D and D Enterprises Inc., which the PBA said was needed because the existing lighting system can no longer be repaired. The PBA representative said discontinued ballasts and the absence of a retrofit left the facility with many nonworking fixtures. City staff and councilors debated timing and budget implications before approving the contribution.

Why it matters: Leslie Town Center is operated under a lease with the city; the PBA and city share responsibility for major repairs under that agreement. Council members said the facility is an important community resource and supported assistance while flagging the need to plan such repairs through the budget process.

City presentation and request: City staff described the PBA’s request and the PBA representative (identified in the meeting as Catherine) said bids were solicited in January and that the selected low bid of $69,355 did not cover possible ceiling-tile replacement or rewiring. The PBA asked the city to pay 50 percent of the replacement cost under the lease-sharing approach, which would equal $34,677.50 under the bid.

The PBA told council that since 2021 it has contributed about $20,000 above the minimum annual reserve contributions and currently has roughly $44,000 in maintenance reserves. The PBA representative said the group had spent more than $150,000 on leasehold improvements since 2021 and cited earlier city assistance — including a recent roof expense — as evidence of an ongoing partnership.

Council debate and amendment: Council members raised timing and precedent concerns because the expense was not included in the current fiscal-year budget. City staff and councilors discussed alternatives including (a) a smaller immediate payment with budgeting the remainder for the next fiscal year and (b) modifying how much the PBA escrows annually. After discussion, Councilman Walker moved to approve funding as recommended by the city manager; Vice Mayor Eldridge seconded. Councilman Baji moved to amend the motion to (1) approve $15,000 now and (2) direct staff to include $20,000 in the next budget session; Councilman Walker seconded the amendment. The amended motion passed unanimously.

Implementation details and schedule: The PBA representative said the contractor is scheduled to start work June 16 and expects a roughly nine-day period during which the room will be closed to events. The PBA also noted the bid did not include potential ceiling-tile replacement or additional rewiring; those additional costs were described as the PBA’s responsibility.

Outcome and next steps: The council-approved motion provided $15,000 immediately and directed staff to examine budgeting an additional $20,000 in the coming budget process. Council members said they wanted staff and the PBA to plan repairs through the budget cycle going forward and to revisit reserve levels for long-term maintenance.

Ending: Council members thanked the PBA representative for her work and noted the importance of the Leslie Town Center to the community. The council closed the item after the vote and moved on to other agenda items.