March 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Construction may begin soon on the replacement of a small bridge with a hole in it on Dry Creek Road over Fall Creek just off of West Broad Street.
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen awarded a bid for the replacement of the bridge. Most of the funds for the project will come from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act money but State Representative Michael Hale has requested some state funding to help pay for it. Twin K. Construction of Helenwood, Tennessee was the only bidder and the aldermen accepted their bid of $630,605. In addition to the construction bid, other added costs including engineering have been or will be incurred that will possibly put the total project at more than $700,000.
“Our appropriations filing deadline is Monday and among the bills I have filed is a request for $250,000 from the state to help the city with that bridge not only to benefit the city but because this is the closest access route to our state highway garage which is on Dry Creek Road,” said Representative Hale.
Although it remains partially open to traffic, the bridge has a hole through it that city officials discovered last summer. The Mayor and Aldermen subsequently voted to have an engineer develop plans and specifications for eventual bid letting for a new bridge. A bid opening was held last Tuesday morning.
When construction begins this spring, the street at the site of construction will have to be closed until the project is completed.
In other business, the aldermen adopted on second and final reading an ordinance to rezone the Carol Buchanan property from R-1 residential to C-1 commercial located at State Route 56 and Jennings Lane near the Smithville Church of the Nazarene. First reading action was taken last month upon the recommendation of the Smithville Planning Commission.
The aldermen also adopted on first reading an ordinance concerning septic tank effluent pumps (STEP).
Last month, Daniel Tribble, Manager of Field Services for JR Wauford and Company of Nashville recommended that the city adopt an ordinance or resolution to prohibit future installation of STEPs by private developers based on a new state law which requires municipalities to maintain them. JR Wauford is the city’s engineering consultant.
The proposed ordinance, as adopted on first reading, states as follows:
“Whereas the City owns and operates an existing gravity wastewater collection system; and
Whereas, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation passed updated Rules in May 2022 that state the following in Chapter 0400-40-06 “State Operating Permits”- Low pressure pumps, low pressure tanks, septic tank effluent pumps (STEP), STEP tanks, and septic tank effluent gravity (STEG) tanks are integral to the treatment and conveyance of sewage in a low-pressure system, and shall be owned or under control of the municipality, other body of government, public utility district, or a privately owned public utility demonstrating lawful jurisdiction over the service area; and
Whereas the City desires to continue the use of a gravity sewer collection system consisting of gravity sewers which discharge to existing components of the City’s collection system or to a central sewage pumping station when topography requires. The city desires to control the implementation of low-pressure sewer systems due to the additional maintenance required by the city to maintain grinder pumps. The city wishes to prohibit the implementation of STEP and STEG systems that connect to the wastewater collection system since these type systems require additional maintenance and discharge lower strength sewage which could inhibit proper operation of the City’s wastewater treatment plant.
Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that:
1. The City may allow the connection of low-pressure sewer pumps in the following situations:
a. When a single lot cannot be served by gravity sewers,
b. When the topography of a proposed development would require numerous central sewage pumping stations which would require more maintenance than low pressure sewers,
c. When the City’s Administrator deems low pressure sewers acceptable.
2. The City will not allow STEP and STEG systems to be connected to the City’s wastewater collection system.”