The Crossville City Council discussed the Meadow Park Lake expansion project during their work session this evening, focusing on the next steps for compensatory mitigation required due to impacts on wetlands and streams from raising the dam to increase water supply. Proposals for full delivery services of the mitigation work have been received, and the selected proposer (J.R. Wauford) will require a negotiated contract to proceed. J.R. Wauford and Company is expected to handle contract development at a cost of $10,000, with the City Attorney’s involvement adding another approximately $10,000, for a total of around $20,000.

A proposed Amendment No. 6 to the existing contract with J.R. Wauford and Company was presented, not to exceed $100,000. This amendment covers contract development for the mitigation services, completion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permit (including the initial draft application sufficient for public notice, alternatives analysis, and final application incorporating agency comments), and the related Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit and Section 401 Water Quality Certification from TDEC. It also includes $30,000 to cover work already performed that exceeded the prior budget under Engineering Agreement No. 5, offset in part by a -$60,000 adjustment related to permit preparation tasks.

City staff recommended approving Amendment No. 6 if the city intends to move forward with the reservoir expansion, noting that funds are already budgeted for this purpose. The mitigation plan development phase is expected to take about six months, after which the full permitting process could extend to around a year total. This timeline places the city roughly 18 months away from major financial commitments, such as large-scale mitigation implementation and construction costs potentially reaching six- or seven-figure amounts.

Council members sought clarification on key decision points where larger expenses would become locked in and emphasized the importance of alignment with regional stakeholders (such as CPWA) and including assignability provisions in agreements to accommodate potential future mergers.

Overall, they expressed support for proceeding with the contract development and related steps, with a final decision on these items scheduled for the council’s meeting next Tuesday.