Building projects underway in Trenton

By Crystal Burns

 

Dirt is moving in Trenton.

Three separate projects in the city limits are in similar phases as construction crews work on a retention basin at Gibson Electric Membership Corporation, the new Jack’s Family Restaurant, and an indoor sports facility at Peabody High School.

The retention basin at Gibson Electric is the first of a two-phase project of improvements to the Trenton campus, located on South College Street. The basin is being built to control water runoff into the city’s storm drainage system. A fence will be added for safety.

In 2021, the company plans to construct some operational buildings.

“In the future, we plan to construct an office building on the former hospital property, but the timing of the next phase has not yet been determined,” said Rita Alexander, vice president of Human Resources and Member Services for Gibson EMC.

Paragon Construction and Development is building Jack’s Family Restaurant at 2059 Hwy. 45 Bypass South at the former Milligan’s Landscape & Nursery location. Construction on the 4,139 sq. ft. building is expected to begin in mid-September, with a completion date at the end of November.

At a Trenton Planning Commission meeting in February, city leaders said they are hopeful the addition of Jack’s is the beginning of retail growth.

“It’s exciting, and I hope we’re in here meeting about a dozen of these,” said Alderman Tony Burriss, a member of the planning commission.

Construction crews just started earthwork for a multipurpose indoor facility on the Peabody campus. The facility will include a 50-yard, marked football field to allow the Band of Gold to center its field shows when practicing indoors, marked baseball and softball fields with batting cages, and a padded floor for a weight room.

Lashlee-Rich, the district’s construction manager, has advised the Trenton Special School District board of a $2,061,734 guaranteed maximum price. The project is included in the district’s $15M 2020-21 fiscal year budget.

In initial discussions about the facility in September 2019, Director of Schools Tim Haney said the complex would provide relief to basketball coaches who often have to share the gym with other sports and enhance high school and middle school athletic programs.

“It’s the only thing we lack,” Haney said then. “We’ve just had to adjust for a long time.”