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Athens council approves Sunrise Park amendment and awards major utility and engineering contracts
Summary
Council unanimously approved a $50,000 increase to Sunrise Park construction management with Martin and Kobe, authorized a roughly $1.7 million contract to Taylor Electric for transmission/distribution work, accepted Taylor’s hourly rates, and approved a Morell Engineering agreement not to exceed $250,000 for roadway engineering.
The Athens City Council on April 13 approved a package of infrastructure actions, including extra construction management hours for Sunrise Park and multiple utility and engineering contracts.
The council authorized the mayor to amend the consultation services agreement with Martin and Kobe Construction Company for phase one of Sunrise Park for an additional estimated 225 hours at a cost not to exceed $50,000, funded from proceeds of the 2024 GO warrant fund. A member of the public asked what issues the firm had found; Mayor Marks said one issue had already been addressed and another was a minor construction issue with a pavilion, calling the contractor’s work "boots on the ground." The council voted 5-0 after suspending rules to approve the amendment.
Council also approved awarding Contract 1-2026 for transmission and distribution improvements to Taylor Electric for a low bid reported in the meeting as approximately $1,700,571.29, with the cost to be paid from the city’s 2022 warrant fund. The council separately authorized acceptance of Taylor Electric’s hourly rate proposals for ongoing transmission and distribution work; both measures passed unanimously.
Finally, the council approved entering into an agreement with Morell Engineering for surveying and engineering services for a US-72 corridor and related roadway and signal projects, not to exceed $250,000 and to be funded from the 2024 GO warrant fund. Council members noted multiple bidders on the electric work and praised the competitive procurement.
What this means: the actions move forward construction activity at Sunrise Park, add major electrical system upgrades, and begin design work on a corridor improvement project; funding sources are local warrant funds for some items and departmental capital accounting for others.
Next steps: staff will execute contract amendments and awards, schedule pre-construction and coordination meetings, and track grant and warrant fund expenditures for reporting.
