Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Thompson Lane Easements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves appraisals and counteroffers after TDOT rejects in-road sewer alignment for Thompson Lane project
Summary
The Water Resources Board approved payment of recent counteroffers and authorized appraisals for 50 properties — up to $200,750 — and legal action to condemn if necessary, after the Tennessee Department of Transportation declined a staff proposal to place a 4,300-foot sewer segment inside the roadway to avoid additional easements.
The Water Resources Board voted to authorize appraisal work and pay recent counteroffers for right-of-way needed for the Thompson Lane sewer project after Tennessee Department of Transportation supervisors refused a staff request to allow a 4,300-foot section to be placed inside the roadway.
The action, approved by voice vote, authorizes appraisal costs for 50 properties at an estimated high end of $200,750 and approval of $35,737 in recent counteroffers. Staff also received authorization to have legal pursue condemnation if property owners do not accept offers based on the new appraisals and federal acquisition guidelines.
Staff said counteroffers received in recent months raised the total easement purchase amount from $883,734 to roughly $919,000. Project staff explained that placing the sewer main inside the roadway would have eliminated the need to secure about 17 additional easements and reduced construction and condemnation costs. ‘‘They told us their supervisor said no. They cannot be in the road,’’ the project presenter said, describing TDOT’s response.
Staff told the board that keeping the sewer out of the road will also require acquisition of easements that encroach on existing landscape features and a monument sign at Caroline Farms; condemning those features, staff said, could add replacement costs beyond the easement payments. Board members were told TDOT is tracking the project schedule and has moved the letting from December to February, with the possibility of further postponement if easements are not secured.
Under the federal appraisal guidance staff cited, the board will base offers on appraisals using a permanent-easement valuation factor of 50 percent and a temporary-construction-easement factor roughly equivalent to 20 percent (described by staff as 10 percent for a temporary easement multiplied by two years). Legal will retain a 10 percent negotiating buffer before pursuing condemnation for any property owner who rejects an offer.
Board members asked about the remaining outstanding parcels and why owners are resisting. Staff said many houses sit close to the existing right of way, which would require temporary construction easements near structures; other owners are seeking higher payments. Staff estimated obtaining the additional 17 easements could add roughly two months to the schedule for the 33 currently remaining appraisals and offerings.
The board approved the appraisals and the counteroffer payments and directed staff and legal to continue negotiations and return to the board with updates.
