Dickson City Center Construction Moves Forward With Additional $800,000 in Architectural Services
Excavation is underway as Dickson advances one of its largest downtown redevelopment projects
Construction on Dickson’s new City Center is moving forward, with excavation now underway and the City Council approving an additional $800,411 in architectural and construction-administration services for the project.
During its Oct. 5 meeting, the Dickson City Council approved Resolution 2026-75, authorizing an addendum with Southern Architecture Workshop LLC.
The agreement covers permitting and construction-administration services and adjusts the architect’s fees to reflect the project’s guaranteed maximum price.
City Administrator David Travis told council members the additional services will cover approximately 18 months and will allow the architectural team to remain involved throughout construction, helping the city address questions, submissions and other issues that arise as the building process moves forward.
$800,411 Added for Construction Phase
The additional architectural cost is $800,411.
According to city officials, the amount is based on the state’s standard architectural fee structure and the City Center project’s guaranteed maximum price.
The agreement was approved pending final review by the city attorney.
Rather than representing a new construction phase by itself, the agreement is intended to extend the architect’s role into the permitting and construction process.
That means Southern Architecture Workshop will remain involved as contractors and city officials work through the details of building the project.
Excavation Now Underway
Later in the meeting, city officials confirmed that physical work at the City Center site is progressing.
Mayor Don Weiss said excavation is “really underway” and told council members that a more detailed update on the project would be presented at the city’s next Finance and Management Committee meeting.
The update comes after the city recently broke ground on the project and represents another sign that the long-planned downtown development has moved from design and financing into active construction.
Major Downtown Project
The City Center is one of the largest redevelopment projects currently underway in Dickson and is expected to significantly change the East Walnut Street area.
The project has gone through an extended planning, design and financing process before reaching construction.
With excavation now underway, attention will increasingly shift toward construction progress, final costs and the timeline for completing the development.
The newly approved architectural agreement is designed to keep the project’s design team involved through that next stage.
Bond Sale Also Being Watched
The City Center project is also tied into the city’s broader capital financing plans.
During the same meeting, officials reported that a planned city bond sale had been postponed after volatility in the financial markets reduced the number of expected bidders.
City officials said the sale was delayed on the advice of the city’s financial adviser rather than accepting potentially unfavorable bids.
The city planned to return to the bond market the following morning, with officials reporting that interest rates had improved by about 13 basis points.
They estimated that improvement could represent approximately $40,000 per year in debt-service savings.
More Details Expected Oct. 19
City officials said the next major public update on the City Center is expected during the Oct. 19 Finance and Management Committee meeting.
That update is expected to provide council members with a closer look at where construction stands now that excavation has begun.
For now, the Oct. 5 meeting marked another transition point for the project.
After months of planning, design and financing discussions, the City Center is now moving deeper into construction, with the city approving the professional services needed to help manage the project through the building phase.