Mayor Minute
City Project Update
Lawrenceburg has some great projects currently in process or planned for the near future on which I would like to give you an update.
We are making progress on the Square Revitalization Project. The work will extend into the fall because of unavoidable delays caused by weather, Covid-19 and issues underneath the sidewalks that project engineers had to fix before construction could move forward, including coal chutes and caverns. While the sidewalks are removed on each quadrant, LUS is replacing outdated and old utility lines. Also, utilities are being buried in the Historic Lawrenceburg area, and the road will be widened on Hwy 64 between Mahr Avenue and the railroad track.
The historic Crockett Theater received grant funding for renovations. The interior walls of the theater have already been repaired and painted, and the next phase is to replace old wiring and repair electrical issues.
After a tedious and long process that involved environmental studies, the City got approved for the expansion/construction of a new landfill on 160 acres located at the existing landfill site. This landfill is classified as a demo landfill; therefore, no hazardous waste or garbage is allowed. Only demolition-type material will be accepted. Construction is under way and should be completed within a year.
A TDOT funded buggy lane will be constructed on Hwy 43 near Walmart and extending to Memorial Gardens. The City built a connecting road from Remke Lane to Mattoxtown, which allowed us to convince the State to end the buggy lane a little farther north of Walmart in hopes of making it a more successful program by reducing traffic congestion near Walmart. DPW constructed the road extension and no cost was involved in acquiring the property.
Rotary Park is getting some much-needed updates with the help of the Lawrenceburg Rotary Club. Rotary Swimming Pool has just had major upgrading and is now open for the summer. Other exciting improvements include new fencing, new signage and gym improvements.
Lawrenceburg is in the process of a lighting and energy conservation effort to replace current lights with energy efficient LED lighting. We expect a quick return on the investment since these lights will have an estimated 90 percent energy reduction. LUS has been working with us as well to make this happen.
We have applied for a CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) which we hope will pay for a large portion of the lighting in areas classified as low to moderate income areas. We are also looking at energy reducing efforts in city buildings including conversion to LED lighting and upgrades to HVAC systems that are close to 50 years old, resulting in less maintenance and increased savings.
The Lawrenceburg Police Department is taking steps to become an accredited police agency through TLEA (Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation). The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program exists to improve the quality of law enforcement agencies in the State of Tennessee and ultimately the quality of services provided to the citizens of Tennessee.
The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was created under the direction and authority of the Tennessee Association Chiefs of Police which supports and endorses the continued improvement of law enforcement and emergency communications services by establishing professional standards of accountability, management and operations. We are also moving into more modern policing through implementation of a records management system (RMS) that allows us to use technology in creating and maintaining a records system that is essential to effective management of the department.
A future project is the widening of Weakley Creek Road. This will be a state-managed project funded by STP (State Transportation Program), requiring only a small local match. We are in the beginning phases of planning, but the current plan is to widen and resurface the road, tile and cover open ditches on each side of the road and add a sidewalk on one side of the road. The sidewalk portion will tie into our recently completed SRTS (Safe Route to School Grant) that provided a sidewalk connecting LCHS to Ingram Sowell.
These are just a few of the exciting this happening in Lawrenceburg, and in the coming weeks, I will be providing you with updates and details on other projects that are in the works to make our City an even more wonderful place to live.
