Loudon City seeks contractor for right-of-way mapping; bids due March 6

Loudon City’s Electric Department asked contractors to bid on a one-year right-of-way mapping and vegetation-management contract that uses LiDAR mapping and a mobile app to identify and document trees for trimming, department staff said at a utility workshop.

The project is intended to target cuts more precisely and reduce unnecessary work: the vendor’s survey of about 127 miles produced a recommended trimming total of 98 miles for the coming year, the department said.

“This will give you the circuits, and you can go out and evaluate that,” said Aubrey Cagle, director of electric for Loudon City. “It’ll have an address on our 102 Mulberry, and it’ll have a picture to pull up with that tree. Once you all ride away that tree and cut that tree, you take your device, you take a picture of that, you submit it back.”

Why it matters: the department said more-accurate mapping should reduce contractor hours and overall costs by focusing work where it’s needed, and it will create a dashboard to track completed cuts. Staff emphasized limits on monthly mileage, invoicing deadlines, and contractor responsibilities to avoid customer outages and property damage.

Key c…