Plans Submitted For Putnam Sports Complex Expansion

After two years of delays, the Putnam County Sports Complex took a firm step forward.

Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the county resolved the delays and issues when meeting with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Tuesday. Porter said the plans for the project have been submitted.

“Once those plans are approved, then that turns us loss to put it out to bid and be able to move forward,” Porter said. “So, the ball is back in their court on the plans. They are submitted. We will just have to wait and see if they have questions.”

The county first received a grant from TDEC to pay over half of the project in 2018. Multiple delays have occurred since then, but Porter said the most recent issue was TDEC missing a portion of the property survey.

“Back in 2003 or 2004 in that general area, there was another TDEC grant that was applied for and received on that project to actually build the soccer fields to start with,” Porter said. “So, we do not know how they were missing that, but they were.”

While the county fills the gaps, TDEC will review the plans for approval. The $666,700 project will provide an access road to the complex and add two full-size soccer fields. Porter said TDEC will provide the county details of what needs to be done next.

“We talked it out during the meeting,” Porter said. “But, I think they are going to provide that of anything else we need to do or know we need to do. The problem is as the project has went on is there has been things that would come up that we did not know about.”

Porter said this is the first time since receiving the grant that the plans have been submitted.