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Commission approves $1 million UT Extension building buy and wide-ranging road-repair contracts
Summary
Carter County commissioners authorized a $1 million appropriation for a building to house the UT Extension Office and approved multiple large purchase orders and payments for road and bridge repairs, professional services and engineering inspection work tied to recent flood recovery and bond proceeds.
The Carter County Board of Commissioners approved a $1,000,000 appropriation to buy a building for the UT Extension Office and voted to award multiple contracts and purchase orders for road and bridge repairs at their Nov. 17 regular meeting.
The appropriation was presented by Budget Committee chair Julie Guinn. The motion to appropriate $1,000,000 passed with 20 yes votes and one no (Donnie Cable). The board recorded $282,000 coming from Sports Betting Tax Reserves and $718,000 from Capital Projects Reserves. A signed purchase contract with EPRT Tennessee Properties, LLC was among the attached documents provided in the meeting packet.
Separately, commissioners approved a range of road and bridge work tied to Helene flood recovery and bond proceeds. Notable approvals included POs and contracts to Summers-Taylor ($905,850 for Hampton Creek Road repairs; $664,920 for Heaton Creek repairs), Baker’s Construction ($730,660 for Laurel Highlands; $819,853.40 for Long Hollow Bridge work), Beam Construction ($142,054 for Perkins Hollow Road), and an RK&K addendum for construction engineering inspection services for the Long Hollow Road over Doe River bridge repair not to exceed $147,500. The board also approved payments to contract vendors and engineering firms (e.g., Mattern & Craig $81,000 for White Rocks Tower Site access road design, ECE invoice approval for HH studies).
Many items were explicitly tied to funding sources in motions: bond proceeds designated for flood-related road projects, NRCS reimbursements for certain bank stabilization work, and ARP or other local reserves for some contracts. Two Schaus Professional Services invoices—one for $1,200 and a revised invoice for $46,905.62—were approved after recorded split votes (14 yes, 6 no).
Several budget amendments were adopted to cover the series of purchases and reimbursements, including County Fund Budget Amendment 101-5 ($239,183.42) and a Helene Bond Fund amendment of $932,636.63. The board recorded votes and abstentions where provided in the meeting minutes.
Commissioners said the approvals move forward repair work deemed necessary after the Helene event and are part of longer-term recovery efforts; reimbursement timing (FEMA, NRCS, state grants) was discussed in staff reports and the attached emergency-spend documents.
