Crunch time: Crews start paving Jackson Square parking lot

 

Work crews started paving the new parking lot at Jackson Square on Monday, preparing to put down enough pavement to have the Lavender Festival there this weekend.

Workers won’t stripe the pavement before the annual festival, and they may have to finish paving the parking lot after the festival, said Roger Flynn, Oak Ridge’s acting city engineer.

He said he is optimistic that enough work will be done that organizers can have the festival, and vendors know that the project won’t be complete.

Crews will temporarily remove exterior fencing around the square for the festival. And workers will fill in ditches and other areas to prevent tripping, Flynn said.

“The main thing here today is getting a surface down so they can have the festival and make sure there are no hazards,” Flynn said.

Paving work was being done on Monday by Rogers Group, a project subcontractor.

Workers are apparently putting in long hours to try to finish the project. Some worked Friday night and Saturday, and Flynn said some will probably work late tonight.

Some work will be done after the festival, including installing the interactive fountain in the middle of the square, final paving and striping, and landscaping.

The goal had been to have the project complete by this year’s Lavender Festival, but there have some reported delays, including unusual wintry weather in February and a change in the fountain vendor that caused the contractor, Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City, to revise its construction plans. Workers had expected to start construction at the center of the square, but they’ve reversed course and worked on the perimeter first.

The Oak Ridge City Council awarded a $1 million contract for the project in October. It’s funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work.

The work will include a landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, the interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act. Construction work on the $1 million rebuild started in January

The city’s share of the project has been estimated at $293,617.

City officials said the revitalization project will update Jackson Square and make it more inviting. The work will include some green space and a newly configured and modernized parking lot.

The city has improved the Farmers Market parking lot on the north side of Broadway to help with parking while the Jackson Square parking lot is being renovated.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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