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Oak Ridge council approves water-tank engineering, conference center furnishings, EV chargers and land offer for animal shelter
Summary
Council unanimously approved a $550,000 not-to-exceed engineering contract for a new 2,000,000-gallon water tank, awarded furniture procurement for the new conference center (~$69,497), authorized a consultant-based EV fast-charging project (total not to exceed $275,000, TVA to reimburse 80%), and approved offering up to $200,000 for ~2.52 acres as a potential animal-shelter site.
Oak Ridge City Council on Nov. 11 approved several infrastructure and procurement items aimed at shoring up aging systems and preparing new facilities.
Water storage: Council authorized a professional-services agreement with CTI Engineers (Knoxville) for design, bidding and construction administration for a new 2,000,000-gallon concrete water storage tank at the existing treatment plant, not to exceed $550,000. Staff said the current reservoirs and related infrastructure are approaching 80 years old and have been patched repeatedly; an engineering contract will allow the city to proceed with design and procurement.
Conference center furnishings: Council approved purchase, delivery and installation of tables, banquet and auditorium chairs and related furnishing for the Oak Ridge Conference Center from Inspire Business Interiors (Johnson City) in an amount not to exceed $69,497.42. Staff said the procurement used a cooperative purchasing approach recommended by the architect; council asked whether local bids had been solicited and was told cooperative pricing yielded a competitive result. Staff provided capacity counts tied to fire-code limits (320 with round tables; 455 auditorium-style seating).
EV chargers: Council authorized entering agreements with 7 States Power Corporation for consulting and for purchase/installation of two fast-charging electric-vehicle stations (collective agreements not to exceed $275,000). Staff said TVA will reimburse about 80% of the cost with local match; consultants will analyze candidate sites, likely along major Turnpike corridors.
Animal shelter land offer: Council authorized the city manager to submit an offer up to $200,000 to purchase approximately 2.52 acres near Fairbanks Road and the Oak Ridge Turnpike as a potential animal-shelter site. Staff reported the capital-projects fund included $250,000 for land purchase and due-diligence work (topo and geotechnical surveys underway).
All resolutions carried unanimously.
Why it matters: the actions target long-term infrastructure (water storage), facility readiness (conference center), electric vehicle access (fast chargers) and animal-service capacity (land for shelter). Financing details vary by item; TVA grant/reimbursement is expected to offset much of the EV expense, while water-tank engineering is budgeted as a not-to-exceed professional-services amount.
