Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure And Capital Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carlisle officials pursue wastewater authority conversion, facilities assessment and traffic‑signal resiliency
Summary
City Manager Chris Lohr told council the Franklin Regional Wastewater Authority may transition from a non‑profit to a governmental entity to make it eligible for grants; council also reviewed a facilities assessment for City Hall and the police station and asked staff to study battery backups for traffic signals after a recent outage.
City Manager Chris Lohr told the Carlisle City Council on June 24 that the Franklin Regional Wastewater Authority is considering conversion from a non‑profit joint board to a governmental entity composed of Carlisle, Germantown, Franklin and Warren County, a change that would make the Authority eligible for state and federal grant programs.
"I met with Cheryl Shields from Franklin Regional Wastewater this morning," Lohr said, describing a draft agreement and saying Ms. Shields and the Authority's attorney would brief council in July or August. Lohr said the group hopes to begin the transition by the end of the year.
Lohr also described a facilities assessment the city is finishing that examines whether to build a new City Hall and police station or to renovate existing buildings. The assessment cites multiple issues with the current electrical systems and HVAC. Lohr said the next step is to meet with the project's architect and the architect's grants and funding specialist to evaluate costs and pursue available programs, including USDA grants and loans for small communities.
Council members raised local infrastructure issues as part of the same discussion. Council member Jason Faulkner asked why a recently failed traffic signal did not continue operating on a battery backup; Lohr said the signal was not designed with battery backup and recommended staff prepare a cost estimate for the next budget cycle. Council member Michael Kilpatrick noted that darkness during the outage made temporary stop signs hard to see and framed the issue as a public‑safety concern.
Lohr also clarified that an upcoming conditional‑use case referenced in public notices concerns a proposed McDonald's drive‑through; he said the city will provide clearer postings going forward after council asked why the notice omitted the business name.
No votes or formal approvals were recorded on the items Lohr presented; council received the reports and directed staff to return with further information and cost estimates. Ms. Shields and the wastewater authority attorney are expected to brief council in a future meeting.
