CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery County Budget Committee has approved additional funding for the construction costs of the new animal control center and library branch to be built at 435 Jordan Road.

The amount, which cannot exceed $600,000, is needed because the county encountered soil conditions it did not anticipate, said Mayor Wes Golden. “That drove up the cost of preparing the foundation for the two buildings and the parking lots. This is to cover those costs,” he said.

Preliminary photo from the Animal Control Center. (Montgomery County, contributed)

Preliminary rendering of the North Clarksville Library branch. (Contribution by HBM Architecture via Montgomery County)

County spokeswoman Valerie Linares later told Clarksville Now that engineering director Nick Powell explained poor soil conditions and a wet spring created a situation that forced the county to remove disturbed soil throughout the construction site.

“The contractor has excavated between 60 and 150 centimeters of soil on the site to either find solid ground to build on or to bridge the poor soils with stone or clay soil fill,” Linares said. “This has put so much strain on the project that there is no longer enough money to continue without additional funding.”

The heavy rain that fell on the site in the spring and early summer made it difficult to excavate and replace the damaged soil with something other than rock to properly compact it. So far, the project has been delayed by about two months due to soil and weather conditions.

The new Animal Control Center and library branch are still scheduled to open in fall 2025 as originally planned. The County Commission will consider the use of the additional funds at its next meeting on Monday, September 2.

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