Council to consider contract for eighth rowing lane

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $50,000 contract for design and survey work, among other tasks, for an eighth rowing lane at the city’s rowing course.

The eighth lane has been on the city’s wish list for years. It’s been in the Oak Ridge Capital Improvement Plan since 2005.

Officials announced a $250,000 state grant for the extra lane in April. They said it will allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas at the Oak Ridge Rowing Course, keep the site a top-tier rowing venue, and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events. It’s also expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas.

The $50,000 city contract would be with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon Incorporated, and it would include geotechnical analysis, final design work, bid and construction administration, and completion of an as-built survey. Funding for the agreement is provided by a grant allocation from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick said in a memo to City Council.

Hetrick said a $250,000 grant has been approved in the fiscal year 2016 state budget, and a request for an additional $150,000 from the city Capital Improvement Plan has been approved by City Council.

He said BWSC has worked with the city to provide conceptual planning and permitting assistance for the project, most recently to acquire extensions of the project permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Monday night City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. August 10 in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. See the agenda here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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