Final costs on new concrete water channel for spring, exterior work on water treatment plant forthcoming

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Cedartown’s Big Spring Park is due for an update, and now that a state Department of Natural Resources grant has come through along with all the necessary permits, work can soon get underway.

City manager Bill Fann said that work is set to start this month on pouring a new slab that carries water away from the Water Treament plant on site down toward the natural portions past the bridge. All the old concrete currently in place will have to be removed, and a whole new section will be poured in one continuous section.

However, Fann said the city is still waiting to see how much the work will cost.

“As soon as the contractor gets a final price on that, we’ll be able to get started on that project,” Fann said.

Even though the concrete will have to be poured, Fann said the contractor will be using a process he couldn’t quite explain while water keeps flowing toward Cedar Creek from the spring.

“We will be shutting down the park when work begins through the time it takes to finish, and notices will be made ahead of time before the park shuts down,” Fann said.

Along with repairs to the water channel in the park, the city will also look to change the landscaping and build a trail between Big Spring Park, Goodyear Park and the Silver Comet Trail to provide more direct access into the downtown area, and to allow for a proposed future connector between Cave Spring and Cedartown’s trail systems.

Home Depot of Cedartown will be involved in helping with the landscaping remodel and clean-up of Big Spring Park.

The city is also waiting on a final price for how much it will cost to repair mortar and paint the water treatment plant at the park. The historic structure requires exterior work that can’t be handled by just any painter or brick workers, and thus it has taken more than a year to find someone qualified.

Fann said that a contractor is interested in the work, but that no final deal has been worked out yet. He expected to have a cost estimate to present during June meetings of the city commission.