Council approves $337,500 contract increase for East Knoxville Greenway design and environmental work

The Knoxville City Council approved a resolution to amend the contract with Barge Design Solutions Inc. for the East Knoxville Greenway project, increasing the contract by $337,500 for a not-to-exceed total of $827,770.

Tom Clabo, the city's engineering director, told council the increase covers additional environmental studies required by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and work to advance the project into final design, including studies related to pedestrian bridges. "There are right now two pedestrian bridges proposed, over Williams Creek and a tributary to Williams Creek," Clabo said. He said the project is approximately 30% designed and that final design and right-of-way work — including title work and fair market-value offers — would return to council before any property acquisitions proceed.

Council members asked for clarification about how the Greenway's federal funding and a lost federal "Reconnecting Communities" grant interact. Clabo said the East Knoxville Greenway is fully funded in the city's Transportation Improvement Plan (approximately 80% federal, 20% local) and had been used as local match for other federal grant applications; the project itself retains its funding despite some grant application outcomes.

Public commenter Rick Roche urged greater community engagement and warned the project could accelerate gentrification without sufficient community input.

The resolution to amend the Barge Design contract passed on a voice vote recorded in the transcript as carrying (noted as 6–0–1). Council members asked staff to return with maps, alignment details and lists of affected property owners as designs advance.

Provenance: topicintro=SEG 652, topfinish=SEG 740