Drivers defy Norris sewer closures
As work on the first sewer-upgrade project in Norris moves into its second month, Utilities Superintendent Tony Wilkerson told the City Council Monday night that he has been frustrated by motorists and pedestrians ignoring “road closed” signs and entering the construction areas.
Parts of East Norris and Pine roads have been and will continue to be closed for brief periods as the work progresses, mainly to allow construction crews to work safely, he said.
He has asked the city’s Police Department for help in ensuring that drivers and walkers do not enter the active construction areas when they are blocked off.
Hurst Excavating LLC. of Knoxville began work July 14 on an $851,455 contract from the city for the first phase of sewer-line upgrades.
The project includes replacing older lines to help reduce the influx of stormwater runoff that overwhelms the city’s sewage-treatment plant following significant rainfall.
The contract, approved April 14 by the council, will cover about 25% of the sanitary-sewer system, and cover much of East Norris and Pine roads, City Manager Adam Ledford has said.
“These are the areas most in need of repair or replacement to reduce load levels at the sewer plant,” he said.
The city announced upfront that the work would cause some traffic disruptions, mainly on East Norris Road, as the lines are uncovered.
In other business Monday night, the City Council:
• Approved the 2025 Norris Watershed Master Plan as submitted by the Watershed Board. The vote in favor of the resolution was 5-0.
• Set a workshop meeting for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, to discuss needed upgrades to city facilities. The focus will be mostly on the Norris Community Building on Chestnut Drive, which houses city administrative offices, the City Council meeting room, and a gymnasium.
• Approved the extension of a contract, for an additional $3 million, with Cannon & Cannon engineers for Phase 3 of a study of the possible regionalization of the city’s sanitary sewage treatment facilities.
The money for the study is coming from a state grant through the American Rescue Plan Act.
• Appointed resident Lisa Campbell to serve on the Planning Commission, and accepted her resignation as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals.
• Approved extension of a contract with the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 796 for use of the soccer pitch in the Norris Commons for its regular matches for the next season.
