The Collegedale Greenway will soon be getting restrooms for the public. The commissioners at a meeting Monday night approved a bid to renovate an existing building where the facilities will be added. Three bids were received, the lowest one for $159,233 was accepted. That does not include painting which will be an additional $7,000.
The remodeled building will be handicapped accessible, will have two fully tiled bathrooms, a new heat and air system, reconfigured electrical wiring and conversion to LED lights. There will also be a water bottle filling station for the public, an office space for the Collegedale Parks and Recreation department and a kitchen/break area.
Money for this was allocated in the current year’s budget but an $8,000 budget amendment will be needed for overages. The motion to approve was passed on a vote of three to one with Commissioner Tonya Sadler opposed.
Repairs for the greenway at Tucker Road and University Place was also approved. This will fix damage to the greenway underpass caused by the recent train derailment. The commissioners approved spending $138,200 for the work which will cover everything except the road, which will be done by TDOT. The expense will be reimbursed by Norfolk Southern whose train was responsible for the damage.
A new development was approved for property off of Apison Pike that is currently zoned as C-1 Shopping Center Commercial. The Collegedale Planning Commission recommended approval of the project and the city commissioners followed by approving it on the first reading. Along Apison Pike, there will be two commercial buildings for small businesses. The road that enters the property between the commercial buildings will end in a cul-de-sac that will have five lots zoned to R-1-H, High Density Single Family Residential. Vice Mayor Tim Johnson voted no citing a concern that cars turning onto the road will end up becoming a problem in the circle of the residential neighborhood. There will be a public meeting where residents of adjacent neighborhoods will be able to voice their opinions before a second and final vote.
Mayor Marty Lloyd said that one of the most frequent requests he hears as a city official is to slow down cars. The police will have some help doing that with the approval of four new Stalker Radar units for new vehicles that have been ordered for the police department. Each unit costs $2,518 for a total amount of $10,376. Collegedale will be reimbursed 100 percent for the radar equipment with a grant from the state of Tennessee.
Finance Director Michelle Toro said Collegedale’s finances are looking great. At 75 percent of the way through the fiscal year, 97 percent of projected income has been received and 71 percent of the budgeted amount has been spent.