Fairgrounds Property Likely To Go Up For Sale Next Year

The current Putnam County Fairgrounds property likely won’t go on the market until next year.

County Mayor Randy Porter said property purchased for a new fairgrounds must first undergo some studies.

“We ordered the environmental study today for the Sheridan property and we’ve already done the environmental on the Medley-Nash property,” Porter said. “We also ordered the deed researches today for the properties and we have to do the surveys. That’s probably going to be a 60 day process to get that done and then set up a closing date.”

Porter said county commissioners may consider a resolution to sell the current fairgrounds by January or February.

“State law is very specific as to how county property has to be sold. The first thing the commission would have to do is to vote for it to become surplus property,” Porter said. “Once that has happened, then there’s three ways that the commission can sell it. It has to be sealed bid, a public auction, or an internet auction. My guess is that it would probably be a public auction or an internet auction.”

The Putnam County Commission purchased 187 acres off Tennessee Avenue during Monday night’s meeting. That property will eventually house a new fairgrounds, expo center, and possibly a new county bus garage and highway department.

Commissioners might be asked to consider selling the property that currently houses the bus garage and highway department. Porter said the county would use proceeds from selling all three parcels for purchasing the new land.

“Each one of those parcels would have to be surplussed,” Porter said. “We would probably need a legal opinion because you might could put all three of them together. My guess is that they would probably want to sell them separately. I think that would increase the price and you may not have somebody who wants to buy all three, but you may have multiple people wanting to buy single parcels.”

Porter said the appraised value of the current fairgrounds is $10.1 million. He estimated a $3 million value for the school bus garage and highway department property.