Council approves contracts for courts, pool design, AMI water meters and generator services

The council approved several infrastructure and professional‑services contracts aimed at recreation, utilities and utility legal work.

Parks & Recreation staff explained a contract with Sports Surface Pros to convert three tennis courts to pickleball courts and to resurface the remaining Oak Ridge High School courts in an amount not to exceed $121,000. Staff said the work would likely occur in spring and that the resurfacing is a temporary fix that will delay a larger rebuild.

Council authorized an agreement for aquatic design services for the outdoor pool (not to exceed $268,500). Staff described plans to install a PVC liner, address circulation and patch concrete before resurfacing; the work is intended to reduce water loss and extend the facility's usable life at lower cost than a full rebuild (staff cited prior rebuild estimates in the millions).

Public Works presented a reduced‑scope AMI meter installation contract with Flow Pros LLC to install approximately 7,600 water meters (city crews will install the remainder). The reduced scope brought the contract cost to about $455,350; staff said AMI meters support real‑time usage monitoring and leak detection and that antennas on towers are being used to communicate with the new meters.

Council approved two as‑needed services contracts with Nixon Power Services (each up to $100,000) to repair Kohler generators serving water and wastewater facilities; staff said aging generators and higher repair costs motivated the increased contract limits.

Finally, council authorized professional legal services with Miller & Martin PLLC (up to $250,000 for an initial two‑year term) to support complex industrial utility agreements, TVA parallel agreements, and related drafting and negotiation work.

All of the above items were approved by roll call as recorded in the meeting record.