End of the road: Completion of Commonwealth Drive project

Spring Hill officials are committing additional tap fees for the completion of Commonwealth Drive, provided the contractor completes the project by mid-October.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 7-0 to approve about $16,500 in additional tap fees to Tennessee Contractors Inc. to push forward the completion of Commonwealth Drive with the caveat that Tennessee Contractors execute the agreement by July 18. The board also required Tennessee Contractors to have the project complete by Oct. 16.

Mayor Rick Graham was not at the Monday meeting.

Alderman Chad Whittenburg proposed an amendment that failed 5-2 to not increase any tap fees for the project. Only Whittenburg and Alderman Eliot Mitchell voted for the amendment.

Whittenburg said contributing additional fees is a tough pill to swallow for him because the city has already contributed $343,000 in tap fees and seen deadlines on the project past.

Our $343,000 could already be pulled away because the contract wasnt met, he said. I have problems contributing additional money because we (the city) are going to pave the road, stripe it and then all the people who were originally partners in the game are going to benefit from it. There is still money to be made by every party in this agreement, regardless of what we add.

Alderman Susan Zemek said Commonwealth Drive is too important to the future of the city. She said it is hard for emergency crews to get to the Longview Recreation Center and elementary school on Commonwealth Drive because the road is not complete.

Though his amendment failed, Whittenburg said he wants to see the city hold contractors more accountable in the future.

I understand there were some unfortunate circumstances, but we as a board on several other instances have established a precedence that we do not hold consultants and contractors accountable for the contractors we write with them, Whittenburg said. At some point, we have to start being accountable The economy was not what set this in motion. Really, it was (Tennessee Contractors) not having it done by the prior agreement

The city originally pledged about $343,000 in tap fees to Tennessee Contractors when construction of the final phase of the roadway was originally proposed, which would allow the contractor to recoup money spent by getting permit discounts when water and sewer is installed to developments along the road.

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End of the road: Completion of Commonwealth Drive project