Dickson War Memorial Building Renovation Could Exceed $1 Million

Dickson, TN — Renovations to Dickson’s historic War Memorial Building could cost more than $1 million as the city prepares to address water infiltration, drainage, HVAC and other problems at the downtown property.

The Dickson City Council took an early step toward the project Sept. 1, approving an agreement to bring a construction manager onto the War Memorial Building revitalization project.

City Administrator Dave Travis told council members that the city does not yet have a guaranteed maximum price for the work.

“We've estimated that project at around a million dollars, but after we've got further into it, we feel like it could possibly exceed that,” Travis said.

The project was not specifically funded in the city's current budget. Travis said the administration will return to the council for approval before money is spent on the actual construction.

“It wasn't,” Travis said when asked whether the project was budgeted. “It will be before we spend the money.”

Travis said city officials did not have enough information about the potential cost when the budget was prepared to include an estimate.

“This was one of the projects, you know, we really didn't have an idea of what the cost was going to be, so we didn't want to just throw an arbitrary number in there to guess at it,” Travis said.

The War Memorial Building has experienced several problems that the city now hopes to address as major construction begins on the neighboring City Center project.

Travis said the city has dealt with moisture issues involving roof drains connected to public lines that became clogged and backed up. The building has also experienced water infiltration around its foundation.

The renovation is expected to include HVAC and mechanical improvements as well as excavation and ground-drainage work.

Some of the challenges are connected to the age and design of the building.

According to city officials, the War Memorial Building dates to approximately 1934 and was not originally designed to operate with modern air conditioning.

“When you start conditioning the inside of it, it makes places sweat that don't want to sweat,” Travis told the council.

Previous alterations to the building, including the addition of drywall, have further complicated moisture conditions, he said.

The council approved bringing the same construction manager involved with the neighboring City Center onto the War Memorial project.

City officials believe having the same company involved with both projects could create opportunities for cost savings because crews and resources will already be working in the immediate area.

“They provided some cost savings since they're already going to be right there in the area working and they can just bounce back and forth between the two projects,” Travis said.

Officials have also explored whether the two buildings could share some mechanical infrastructure.

Travis said the city examined several options during the design process, including the possibility of shared HVAC systems and installing a chiller.

The proximity of the two projects could also affect how the War Memorial renovation is ultimately financed.

When asked whether the work could potentially be included in the city's bond financing, Travis said it could.

“It absolutely could be,” Travis said.

The city is already moving forward with a major bond issue associated with construction of the new City Center. The council previously authorized the city's initial $40 million in general obligation bonds, with officials saying those proceeds would be directed toward the City Center.

Whether War Memorial work is ultimately incorporated into bond financing remains to be determined.

The Sept. 1 action did not establish the final cost of the renovation or authorize the city to spend $1 million on construction.

Instead, it puts a construction manager in place while the scope and cost of the project are further developed.

Once those numbers are established, the project will have to return to the City Council before the city commits the necessary funding.

That means the most important number — the final price of preserving and renovating the approximately 90-year-old War Memorial Building — is still to come.