Lebanon axes two developments

“The applicant has requested deferral indefinitely for all four items,” Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell said. “The language they used required us to keep it on the agenda and have (the council) make that decision.”

Bell referred to development at 6505 Hickory Ridge Road, but he said roughly the same for the other project, an unaddressed parcel on Murfreesboro Road. In both instances, the original request was to alter the city’s future land use plan, adopt a service plan, and annex the property. The property owners requested an indefinite deferral, to which the city council acquiesced.

Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell explained that the procedural reasoning behind the request’s deferral.

The city council agreed to defer projects indefinitely in both cases.

Parks and recreation master plan

The city council also voted on moving forward with a professional services agreement for a parks and recreation master plan.

Lebanon city councilor Jeni Lind Brinkman cast a lone dissenting vote to approve a professional services agreement with Lose Design for a comprehensive parks and recreation master plan.

“I have strong concerns about awarding this to Lose associates based on our prior experience,” Brinkman said. “They were our design services for a previous park that we were going to build in ward 6. It largely did not go through due to their underestimation of the construction of that park. They gave us the original amount to budget for it. Then, the resulting bids came in excessively over (their estimates), causing the council to not pursue building that park.”

Given a large amount of capital planning involved with a parks and recreation master plan, Brinkman indicated that she had “strong reservations” about using the company.

“We have already spent about $350,000 with Lose and Associates before,” Brinkman said. “Please consider that when awarding this. I will not be on the council when you go through this master plan process. I expect you to hold them accountable.”

According to the mayor, a committee involving Parks and Recreation Director William Porter, Lebanon Commissioner of Public Works Jeff Baines and Labraunya Horton — who chairs the sidewalk, bike and trails committee — held a hearing on the master plan.

“There were eight or 10 people who presented,” Bell said. “(The committee) voted and gave points in different areas, but Lose was the pick of that committee.”