John Coffelt, Editor

The Capital Outlay Committee approved construction bids for the Coffee County Animal Shelter and the Health Department during the March 4 meeting in a move that calls to question rumors that the county was dragging its feet in an effort to block the building of a new animal shelter.

“I don’t think there is a committee in this county that’s more for an animal shelter than what this committee is right here,” said Chairman of Capital Outlay Terry Hershman. “So just bear with us we will get there.”

Nine bidders submitted proposals for the new facility to be located adjacent to the Coffee County Jail site on the Hillsboro Highway, south of Manchester. Romack Inc. was the lowest bidder with $1.79 million, with the highest at $2.8 million.

Coffee County Humane Society recently took to social media urging the public to attend the meetings related to the shelter bids.

“Please come and support the new shelter and hold this county commission accountable. Don’t let the shelter fall through the cracks if it comes in over budgeted funds,” read one humane society post. “Community support is essential to ensure that this shelter moves forward. If you care about the welfare of animals in Coffee County, now is the time to act.”

The bid approval was postponed until the March 4 special call meeting due to an issue with the sub-contractor listing.

According to Engineer Scot St. John, Romack initially listed one electrical subcontractor, Tieson Electric, but the license number included was for a different company.

Subcontractor changes are often allowed by written request after the bids are awarded. 

The County Attorney Mark Williams advised the matter of the mismatched license numbers is a “minute technicality.”

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt recommended approving the lowest bidder, Romack, for the project. The motion passed unanimously. 

Hunt said the budget for animal control is about one-and-a quarter of the budget for the project.

“We have enough reserve through the sales of surplus properties that there will not be a problem for Coffee County taxpayers to make up the difference,” he said.  “There was some fears that we might run out of money, but we have not.”

Coffee County Director of Budgets Marianna Edinger assured the committee and the public that COVID relief funds would not expire before the project was finished.

“…If you got $10 million or less, you can keep the money and do whatever you wanted with the money,” Edinger said. “It says it’s ARPA but there are no restrictions on that money. We have no responsibilities to refund any of that money.”

Edinger said the county has worked really hard to get the animal shelter project approved.

  Heath Department bid approved

Capital Outlay also approved the lowest bid for the Coffee County Health Department from Boyce Ballard Construction of Murfreesboro for $3.48 million.

The bid came in among some concerns related to two other bidders arriving late to the bid opening due to miscommunication about where the bid should be submitted.

“I appreciate everybody’s patience with it,” said Hershman. “From the county people to the people who use that facility to the people who work at (the Tullahoma) facility. We have worked very closely with them and appreciate everybody’s help with it.”

 St. John said the bids came in within close range of each other. 

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.