What does the Downtown Project encompass?

The primary purpose of the project is to replace the existing infrastructure, specifically water and storm sewer. Additionally the infrastructure improvements will ensure that adequate fire protection can be provided to downtown Crossville.

Major components of the project:

Water – The current 8” cast iron lines were installed in the 1920’s. They will be replaced with 12” ductile iron lines. The project was extended from Lantana Road to the top of Water Tank Hill to connect with the 10” line that serves the hospital. This will provide a secondary water supply to the hospital in the event of a problem on West Ave.

Storm Sewer – There is currently no storm drainage system in the downtown area. A common practice when these buildings were constructed was to connect roof drains to sewer lines. The project will be installing a storm drainage system and connecting the roof drains to the new system. This will assist in reducing I/I in our wastewater system. All other downspouts will be connected to eliminate over flow over the sidewalks. The new system will have approximately 40 catch basins and the underdrains will intercept underground water in order to alleviate freeze/thaw effects. This should address flooding issues at Cumberland County Bank, Highland Federal, Mayberry’s, the building owned by David Simcox on Division Street, and other buildings and areas.

Fire Protection – Downtown does not have adequate fire flow capability to save buildings if they catch fire. Replacing the existing 8” line with a 12” line will greatly improve water flow and help maintain the residual pressure in the system. The needed fire flows are established by the Insurance Services Organization (ISO). Presently, several large buildings have approximately half of the needed fire flow.

Street Lighting – The street lights in the downtown area are leased by the City from Volunteer Electric at an annual cost of $9,012. With this project, the City will own the lights and they will be LED to provide more energy efficiency and better light. The estimated payback is approximately 9 years.

Traffic Signalization – New LED traffic signals will be installed on mast arms with internally illuminated street name signs and pedestrian signals.

ADA – The sidewalks and curbs do not meet federal standards for accessibility. This project will bring them up to current standards. The City recently had a claim filed on the behalf of two citizens who fell by Mayberry’s as a result of accessibility issues. A second fall occurred in December 2013.

What about all those "extras" (medians, fountains, etc) I have been hearing about? The intent of this project is to make the necessary changes to the infrastructure that will improve those basic necessities, water and storm sewer issues. However, to make those improvements the roads will have to be taken up to access the system, as those are replaced some beautification efforts are included in the plans, however specifically:

• Medians – All medians down Main Street have been removed from the project.
• Courthouse Plaza – The fountains have been removed from the project.
• Benches, Trash Receptacles – These have been removed from the bid portion of the project. They will be directly purchased from funds raised by DCI.

How will this project be funded? This is a large project and funding is a concern.

The Proposed Funding for the Project will include:

Grants: (All funds are restricted to this project and cannot be transferred to another project.)

• $1,000,000 EDA
• $1,067,974 Transportation Enhancement Program
• $   317,380 ARC
• $   567,000 SRF
• $   210,000 TDOT Paving Funds
• $   584,000 TDOT Surface Transportation Program
• $   500,000 DCI

$4,246,354

Loans:

• $1,323,000 State Revolving Loan Funds
• $4,000,000 Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund (not to exceed)

$5,323,000

Approved Contracts and Expenditures as of 9/10/13:

• $884,153 – Engineering
• $ 80,000 – Grant Administration
• $   1,152 – Marketing/Public Relations
• $   4,778 – Legal fees
• $       939 – Recording fees
• $       428 – Plan Review fees
• $       204 – Misc. Administration (shipping, etc.)

$971,654

   14,000 – DCI expenditures for engineering/surveying

$985,654

A referendum could be held in conjunction with primary in August, 2014. However, $2,067,974 in grant funds would no longer be available.

$10,281,681 Estimated cost of project

     -985,654 Contracts and expenditures as of 9/10/13

$ 9,296,027

   -4,246,354 Grants

   5,049,673

The City Clerk has compiled the retail sales from the businesses in the downtown area from confidential state data. Those sales in the past year exceed $27,000,000, which would generate $742,500 in local option sales taxes, more than 10% of the amount budgeted.

Will my taxes go up?

The City is looking at several funding plans for the debt that will be incurred on this project, as well as a multi-year capital project plan. A tax rate increase may or may not be necessary, depending on the plan that is chosen by the City Council. However, if a tax increase is necessary, here are examples of the effect on residential tax rates for each 1¢ increase:

            $500,000 home (appraised value)             $12.50/year

            $200,000 home (appraised value)             $ 5.00/year

            $100,000 home (appraised value)             $ 2.50/year

            $ 50,000 home (appraised value)              $ 1.25/year

Will my water and sewer bill go up?

The City may increase the water and sewer rates because of this project as well as many other projects that are necessary to keep the water and sewer system maintained and ready for the future. A multi-year capital project plan will be presented to City Council very soon along with proposed funding plans. However, should the City Council need to raise the rates by 5%, the impact would be:

            Water customers       22¢ per 1,000 gallons

            Sewer customers      27¢ per 1,000 gallons

A minimum water bill is based on 2,000 gallons per month ($0.98 increase total for water and sewer). On average, residential customers use about 4,000-5,000 gallons per month ($1.96-$2.45 increase total for water and sewer).

Will I still be able to drive on Main Street during construction?

While pre-construction meetings have not taken place yet, those will happen in the next 30-60 days, it is anticipated that the Downtown Project will be completed in sections to minimize the interruption. Main Street will be accessible during the project, adjustments to traffic patterns will vary depending on need.

How will the construction affect access to businesses on Main Street? Specifically in relation to parking and navigating sidewalks.

While construction is taking place there will still be access to all businesses on Main Street. It is a requirement of the project to provide safe navigation of the areas under construction.

How long will the project take?

The contract calls for 545 calendar days or approximately 18 months.

What parking will be available?

Since the parking on Main Street will not always be available while it is under construction, the City is making arrangements for temporary parking to be available on 8 private lots and directional signage will be erected.