CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Citing significant public safety deficiencies, the City of Clarksville has turned down an initial request for a temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the Downtown Commons project, which involves an ice skating rink in downtown Clarksville.
Montgomery County government, which is building the commons, announced Nov. 1 it planned to open a public skating rink on the property on Nov. 24.
According to a press release from city officials, the construction company and designers, operating on behalf of Montgomery County, submitted the temporary occupancy request to the Clarksville Building & Codes Department on Monday, along with sketches of a temporary fencing plan and a proposal to divide the construction project into two phases.
The request came after a meeting Friday at the site with Building & Codes and representatives of contractor B.R. Miller and Co. and designers Hodgson Douglas.
In a letter to B.R. Miller delivered on Tuesday, Mike Baker, director of Clarksville Building & Codes, said “there is not enough protection provided for segregation of the work site from the skating area and other areas to be used by the public prior to final completion of the work.”
“This is an active construction zone and an incomplete work site, which has the potential for increased injury and safety issues to the general public, including children, skaters and passersby,” the letter said. “Public safety is the only concern of the Building & Codes Department.”
ClarksvilleNow.com reached out to Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett for comment.
“This is just another typical example of the current city mayor working against anything positive for our great community,” Durrett said. “Montgomery County would never knowingly put the safety of our citizens at risk. We are prepared to open and look forward to seeing you November 24th!”
Baker also wrote that his office would not consider the phasing request because “construction has already begun on the total project with ongoing inspections which have not been completed … for areas proposed for early occupancy.”
The letter also explains that the project was permitted under one construction permit, but original drawings submitted to Clarksville Building and Codes do not include the skating rink. This additional temporary structure has not been reviewed for code compliance.
The letter invites the builder “to submit manufacturer’s specifications regarding occupancy load calculations, code compliant egress as well as structural integrity of the skating rink and all its components.”
The Clarksville City Council voted in 2015 to give nearly $1 million to Montgomery County government for the Civic Plaza project, estimated at the time to cost $4.2 million. It was later renamed Downtown Commons.
Richard Stevens, City Communications Director, said the city has not been involved in the planning, design, construction or management of the project.
“The major concern that Building & Codes has is that there is not enough protection provided for the segregation of the work site from the skating area and other areas that would be used by the public,” Stevens said. “This is an active construction zone and an incomplete work site. Building & Codes has determined there is potential for increased injuries and safety issues to the general public if it were to open under the plan that was submitted by the architect this week.”