City scales back project

By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Construction will begin soon on a scaled-back version of the downtown renovation plan.
Bowing to higher-than-expected bid prices due to increased steel costs, Hartselle is opting to cut phase one of the project. The first phase will now encompass work from Railroad Street to Sparkman Street with the second phase from Sparkman Street to Hickory Street.
The city council approved a bid of $486,165 from Rick Hall Construction last week.
The project includes greenspaces, planters and new canopies along the downtown walkway. The city is already using some state grant money to fund the initial work.
The project scale-back means some money will be left over from that grant. Tankersley said he’s hoping to receive the state’s approval to roll that money over and use for phase two.
The city initially budgeted some $520,000 for the first phase of the project. The first bid came in some $200,000 over that amount.