Franklin staff brief board on Robinson Lake dam rehabilitation and first phase costs; bid award set for later review

City of Franklin staff told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen during a Feb. 25 work session that bids for the Robinson Lake dam rehabilitation and the first phase of the Southeast Municipal Complex Park came in significantly above earlier estimates and that the board will consider a bid award at the board’s upcoming business meeting.

The item, presented by engineering staff and Parks Director Lisa (last name not specified in transcript), covered the project history, design and permitting work, and a line‑by‑line construction estimate. Paul (engineering staff) said the project had been bid twice and that the board would be asked to decide on a bid award at the regular meeting. He described the engineer’s estimate as “around 13 and a half million,” and outlined major line items including a $5.8 million dam rehabilitation line, roughly $2.28 million for site improvements and infrastructure, $875,000 for dredging, $1.4 million for earthwork, and additional sums for demolition, erosion control, landscaping and electrical. He told the board there is “a substantial amount of contingency built in” to address unpredictable site conditions, including sinkholes and potential wetlands.

Parks Director Lisa framed the project as a regional amenity that would add roughly 77 acres of park property with an 11‑acre lake, a boardwalk, trails (about 0.78 miles in first phase), a pedestrian bridge and parking. She said the design includes an accessible dock as an alternate and that the lake could support fishing and paddlecraft; staff will coordinate with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency on fishery plans. Michael Walters Young, the city’s budget officer, told the board the capital‑improvement program (CIP) currently assumes total project costs in the range city staff modeled and that a combination of facilities tax, already‑appropriated general fund resources and possibly tourism (hotel‑motel) funds could be used; he said the CIP assumed the project and noted staff can examine shifting hotel‑motel funds among park projects if needed.

Several board members said they supported moving forward rather than delaying, citing rising costs and potential permitting risks if the project sits. Alderman Burger asked about wetlands and warned that delaying could trigger additional permitting. Alderman Barnhill recalled an earlier, difficult hydraulic dredging project and asked whether this design reduces future dredging complexity; staff said the design includes a riser structure so the lake can be drained and mechanically dredged in the future if needed. Multiple members urged staff to seek external funding and private‑public partnership support for elements such as the dock and landscaping.

Staff noted one alternate—an ADA‑accessible boat dock—and said the dock’s cost is an explicit decision item for the board. Staff recommended moving toward bid award consideration with the understanding that the project contains contingencies and that a complete funding and scope discussion will occur at the business meeting.

The board did not take a formal vote during the work session; staff said the bid award decision will be brought to the business meeting for formal action and recommended a review plan and continued coordination on funding and permitting.

Looking ahead, staff asked the board whether it wished to proceed with the scheduled bid award consideration. The agenda item will appear on the board’s next business meeting.