Britt proposes bidding of right-of-way project

Engineer Larry Britt met with the mayor and board of alderman at the behest of Ward 2 alderman Andre Jones to discuss bidding out a right-of-way clearing project that would help the utility department improve reliable service.

Britt said Jones contacted him in July to ask if he would be interested in making a proposal on clearing vegetation off of power line rights-of-way in the Holly Springs Utility Department.

He said he had worked with Don Hollingsworth when he was general manager before on the same type project.

“What we would propose to do, we would meet with Mayor Gipson and aldermen to determine what part of the system do we need to do a clearing project on,” Britt said,“anybody y’all said (for us to) meet with.”

He said the drawings and maps of the system will be needed to prepare a set of bidding documents to determine what to clear. He said the documents would specify whether work to clear the upper canopy, the lower growth, and everything that basically would need to done.

He said he knows there are documents at HSUD containing the previous clearing contract.

“We would then evaluate the bids,” Britt said. “TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) would need to be involved. I know the state has money. They may even have master contracts with people who do clearing.”

He said once bids are taken, an engineer will be needed to oversee and inspect the project. An employee at the electric department could do the inspections.

He would meet with the city attorney once the proposal is built to see if it looked like a good proposal for the city.

“We will work by the hour,” Britt said. “We will come up with an estimate based on other projects. That’s where we could be with the proposal. We want to help you if we can.”

Gipson expressed distinct displeasure that aldermen had asked Britt to bring a proposal.

“It’s getting more and more interesting,” Gipson said. “Every meeting it gets more and more interesting.”

She said she was unaware that Britt had been asked to do this. She said she has to recite scripture after scripture.

She said she has been working with IMS Engineers on the project and denied that she had any foreknowledge of Britt’s letter proposal, which was said by the city clerk to have been included in the aldermen’s board packets

“Even I was asked to get IMS,” she said.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with you, so I am really like very surprised at this,” Gipson said to Britt. This board talks about not being informed at (until) the last minute.”

Ward 3 alderman Colter Teel objected to the mayor’s tone, saying she is trying to make it look like Britt was doing something he was not asked to do.

”That’s not right,” Teel said. “He was contacted. But going after him is wrong.”

“I’m not going after him,” Gipson said.

Teel and Gipson then engaged in talking at the same time.

Merriweather said she also reached out to Britt, Mr. Drope and IMS as well.

She said she has sent emails to the mayor and gets no response.

“These are engineers,” she said. “What are you doing with the money the taxpayers are paying? What projects are you working on? That’s what I ask Mr. Drope (IMS Engineers).”

“We are going directly to the engineers,” Merriweather said. “I get no answer from the mayor. So we asked them to this board meeting tonight.”

She said the city had received a list of things that the city needed to do (from the Tennessee Valley Authority) eight months ago “so the taxpayers can see what’s happening with the taxpayers money. I am making it very clear. We’re not just meddling. We are trying to get clarity. We don’t know the answer. This board, we are looking bad because of things that are going unanswered. We’re trying to get some answers, just like with TVA, and TVPPA. So the citizens are asking us. The board, we are looking bad, because things are going not answered.

“It’s not in our job responsibility. It’s the mayor’s responsibility. If we are not getting responses, then we are going to do what we have to do to protect this city.”

The mayor talked while Merriweather was talking and the meeting broke down.

Gipson said the problem is that people (aldermen) are going outside their lane.

Jones tried to stop the confusion and people trying to talk over the other by calling several times for a point of order.

Britt apologized, saying he had the letter prepared for three weeks and was asked to come to the meeting late in the day.

“But you know I did not know when I was talking to you (the mayor) that I was coming (to the board meeting), Britt said.

Merriweather said citizens in the Hill Street/Cuba Street area want to know why a $600,000 grant has not been activated.

“The grass, the vegetation, the growth and yards eroding…” Merriweather said.

The arguments continued with Gipson talking over Jones and refusing to yield the floor to others. Then Gipson said the meeting could have been shortened to an hour except for the disturbance.

“Mr. Britt, I am deeply saddened by the fact that you are caught up in people outside their lane,” Gipson said. “What this is tonight is an attempt to distract and to not do the business at hand.”

Gipson tried to dismiss Britt and call up the IMS Engineer, Mr. Drope.

“I just want to make this clear, if it’s the consensus of this board, to hear from an individual it has every right to do. I did reach out to Mr. Britt because our utility department is in terrible shape,” Jones said.

Gipson interrupted by talking over Jones.

“Madam Mayor, I was quiet when you talked. It’s up to the consensus of this board. IMS is going to be considered. I just asked Mr. Britt for a simple proposal to take bids. If IMS is working on the same thing, we can look at both. We’ve received some funds from the state and we got to get moving on this project. It is just that simple.”

“I love this, I love this,” Gipson repeated sarcastically. “We have not received money for the right-of-way. You are outside your lane. Some people have not picked up their packets in months. They have to open the packs. Whether or not people like it or not, I am the mayor of this city of history and hospitality. And I expect the same respect given to people (prior mayors) before and it is not being given. It is not been given.”

Gipson continued to lecture the board as the clock kept ticking.

“You are getting way off subject,” Jones said as the mayor continued her lecture to the board.

Britt was asked to update the board on the cast-iron replacement project.

He said Rural Development has assured the loan. But the project has stalled at no fault of the city.

“We have the loan to do the work,” he said, “What has to happen is the loan has to be assured through interim financing.”

He said the project has to be guaranteed by the bank through interim financing.

“Getting the interim financing has been the problem,” he said. “The bank was hung up waiting on the audit, then the bank will sign off on interim financing and then Rural Development will get on board for a precon (preconstruction conference). We just need to get the bank off center to get interim financing. They (the bank) may do it without the audit.”

He added that the contractor had complained that prices have gone up since the project was put together.

“If you bid that thing today, it probably will be twice that,” he said. “We just need to get the bank off center to do the interim financing. Once that’s done we will be ready to go.”

Britt said that the Hill Street/Cuba Street project is with the Department of Transportation (MDOTTA) to do sidewalks. The project was downsized because of funding which left the Hill Street/Cuba Street out of the project.

The West Boundary Street portion of the project was retained by MDOTTA, he said.