Published: December 24, 2008 08:46 am      

City work session looks at dam projects and health insurance

The Crossville City Council held a work session to hear updates from ECE Services on several projects including the status of their work on the Meadow Park Lake Dam upgrade along with a report on a possible way to save additional money on the city's health insurance expense.

Scott Christian with ECE Services reported on several projects his firm has been working on for the city in addition to the Meadow Park Dam, including improvements to the Holiday Lake Dam, improvements to Livingston Road, and utility relocation as part of the Lantana Road widening project.

Christian advised the council that the Holiday Hills Lake dam project is going very well. The project was 45 percent complete at the end of November and should be completed by late April or early May with the reopening of the bridge and road across the dam. The project is also expected to cost $80,000 to $100,000 less then the original estimates.

Some concerned residents had called concerning whether the new wider weir on the dam was higher then the old one. Christian told the council that the new weir was the same height as the old one.

Councilman Boyd Wyatt, who also lives on Lake Holiday, said that the new weir will be several times as wide as the old one, allowing better control of the lake level. Wyatt added that residents “don't need to be concerned.”

The Livingston Road project has been a problem for the city council as the Tennessee Department of Transportation had made a mistake on right of way needs and cost the city some $38,000. Christian told the council that the good news was it close to being finished.

Crossville Mayor J. H. Graham III complained, “The mistake was by TDOT and city taxpayers should not have to pay.”

Graham asked Christian to report on the status of additional funding for the project at the council's January meeting.

Plans for the Lantana Road utility relocation project are moving forward even though Christian told the council his office was continuing to get minor changes in the plans from TDOT.

The big project ECE is working on for the city is the improvements and raising of the Meadow Park Lake dam. According to Christian's report, the biological assessment has been completed and no endangered species have been located that will be affected by the project. An archaeological and cultural assessment has also been completed with no such locations noted.

Christian went over a detailed explanation for the council of the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA process required in order to permit the dam improvements. The city's project will need either an environmental impact statement or and environmental assessment. The type of the NEPA is expected to be based on type of the project and the level of public concern.

The lead federal agency on the project could be one of several depending on the type of federal funding used if any in the project. Mayor Graham said that under current plans the majority of the project's funding would come from the Tennessee Municipal Leagues bond fund.

Because the NEPA process will look at the different options studied in the report and Christian suggested that the number of options to be compared be reduced in order to simplify the process.

Earlier in the work session, the council discussed a possible way to save money on health insurance with insurance agent Tonya Hinch. Because the city currently has seven people on their health insurance that are over 65 years old, they could be be transferred to Medicare and even with additional services to bring Medicare up to the standards of the current city insurance the city could save money.

Because these older participants would come off the city's regular health insurance, it would reduce the average age of the pool by over one year and since the cost is based on that average age, the city could save between 5 and 10 percent.

Hinch explained to the council there still several issues to consider including that some spouses currently covered would not be eligible for Medicare and some doctors and hospitals can also opt to refuse taking Medicare patients.

Several of the seven health insurance participants that would be affected by this change are council members.

Councilman Boyd Wyatt said, “We need to take a long look at this.”