MTA board authorizes parking‑lot and roof rehabilitations, long bus‑only lane and renewed police MOU

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority board on Thursday approved a series of state‑of‑good‑repair contracts and a security memorandum of understanding, authorizing work on employee parking lots and a major roof project, and advancing a multi‑agency transit‑stop upgrade that will include a roughly 1,500‑foot bus‑only lane.

Staff recommended and the board authorized a contract with BC Mason Group for the Nestor employee parking lot rehabilitation in the amount of $1,556,535 and approved a 30% contingency of $466,960, establishing a total authorized budget of $2,023,500. Patrick Hester, who presented the item, said the work will add lighting, cameras, access gates, EV charging and ADA stalls to address drainage and pavement deterioration. A motion to approve was made and the item passed with Ms. Dauphin recusing herself from the vote.

The board also approved a Nestor roof rehabilitation contract with RSS Nashville for the base EPDM roof replacement ($1,418,107) plus two alternates totaling $677,177 and a 20% contingency of $419,000, creating a total project budget of $2,514,284. Staff told the board that the roof shows ponding and seam failures and needs structural inspection for areas damaged by high winds in 2021.

A Myatt employee parking lot rehabilitation was authorized with a contract value shown in the staff presentation as $359,999 plus a 20% contingency ($71,998) for a total budget of $431,988; the lowest responsive bidder was identified in the slides (transcript references the winning firm with inconsistent spelling in two places). The work covers asphalt resurfacing, drainage improvements and increased stall capacity.

The board approved a construction task order for improvements at the Murfreesboro Pike and Thompson Place transit stops. Lydia Benda described the project as upgrading three stops, building ADA‑compliant sidewalks, and installing a bus‑only right‑turn lane roughly 1,500 feet long. Staff reported the BC Mason Group bid of $1,229,879.12 for construction plus a 25% contingency for a total of $1,537,348.90; funding comes from state Improve Act and local sources and transit investment grants.

The board also authorized a limited change order for eVision to continue supporting the Oracle Unifier project controls implementation, approving up to $24,000 of new board‑authorized funding after reallocating existing contingency dollars. The board accepted staff recommendations for project controls support to finish integrations and training.

Separately, the board approved renewal of a memorandum of understanding with the Metro Nashville Police Department secondary‑employment unit to maintain a security presence at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center and the Rip Patton North Nashville Transit Center. Staff presented a projected FY26 cost of about $1,628,016, with line‑items provided for officer hours, supervisory hours and vehicle hours. The item was framed as an interim arrangement while a dedicated transit policing unit is stood up.

Most items passed by voice vote; the record notes several recusals (including Ms. Dauphin on multiple items and Ms. Dalton on one matter). Where staff identified potential unforeseeable subsurface or roofing conditions, the board approved contingency amounts to cover unknowns.

The board listed funding sources for the projects as FTA 5307 formula funds and a combination of state and local matching contributions for federally supported projects, and state/local and Improve Act funds for non‑federal work. Contracts will proceed to execution following the standard preconstruction and procurement processes.

The next procedural steps for each contract include final signature by the CEO, preconstruction meetings and phasing schedules; staff said some projects may be staged to align contractor availability and internal crews.