Collierville selects contractor for University of Memphis project

Nov. 26--Between now and next December, construction workers will be on a tight 12-month schedule to finish building a 27,000-square-foot University of Memphis satellite campus near downtown Collierville.

By a vote of 6-0 Monday night, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen selected Barnes & Brower Inc., which submitted the lowest bid among seven general contractors at $4,492,559.

As a part of the fast-track plan, the board also approved allowing the town administrator to sign off on any accumulation of change orders up to $250,000. Previously, the administrator had the ability to sign off on anything that is less than $10,000.

"It is with much excitement I bring you this project in the downtown area," said Derek Honeycutt, the town's general services director.

The Memphis-based contractor has been part of several local projects, including the St. Jude Patient Care Center, Millington Central High and the Memphis Animal Shelter.

The new U of M campus will be on the former Collierville Middle School site at the corners of Poplar, Walnut and College streets.

Haizlip Studio designed the project to fit in with the town's Historic District and the old Collierville High building, which is scheduled to be renovated as the municipal school district administrative offices as a separate project.

Town officials tweaked the project in response to neighbors' concerns about the potential of blocked residential driveways and neighborhood parking.

They eliminated two of three west campus entrances off College Street, created additional on-campus parking and eliminated security gates at the campus driveways.

The main entrance will be from Poplar at the intersection of Peterson Lake Road.

Once the project is substantially finished by early December 2014, U of M officials are scheduled to begin moving in classroom equipment to be ready to offer classes at the new facility by mid-January 2015.

This fall, 819 students are attending U of M classes at the Carrier Center in Collierville. University officials say they have outgrown the existing facility.

The university will lease the building for 20 years for $324,000 a year. After 20 years, both the town and U of M officials have an option to continue the rental agreement with annual payments dropping to $32,400.

The town will be paying for the project through general obligation bonds. Honeycutt said the sooner the university can move in, the sooner the town can begin collecting monthly lease payments that would pay for the cost of the bonds.

Other board action

The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a settlement agreement Monday for the creation of a municipal school district and voted to appeal a chancery judge's dismissal of a lawsuit centered on two billboards in town.

The board approved the school settlement in a unanimous 6-0 vote in which all eight of the public schools will be deeded over to the Collierville Board of Education.

The agreement is similar to what Arlington and Lakeland have already approved.

The agreement calls for 12 annual payments of $507,819 for retiree health and life insurance liabilities.

The board voted 4-2 to appeal the dismissal of the billboard lawsuit.

The town had sued its own Board of Zoning Appeals, Abbington Center and Stanley H. "Trip" Trezevant III.

Chancellor Walter Evans ruled on Nov. 5 that the decision by the Board of Zoning Appeals regarding billboards at 350 U.S. 72 and 561 W. Poplar was the town's position.

The board decided to take the measure to the state Court of Appeals.

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