News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Two committees will consider plans for the Putnam County Fairgrounds property as well as the South Jefferson Avenue property that currently houses the school bus garage and the highway department.
Putnam County Commissioners formed the two working groups Monday night to further explore the sale of the county property.
Commissioners Chair Mike Atwood said the committees will make decisions about the timeline and how to move that process forward. Among those decisions will be when and how to involve the Fair Board, the School Board, and leadership involved in each of the three facilities.
“A direction, vision, a timeline, more than anything a plan, exactly the steps that we want to proceed in order to accomplish both goals which is to see those properties developed,” Atwood said.
County Mayor Randy Porter named the committees Monday night saying there were more commissioners interested in serving than there was room on each roster.
“We didn’t want to get big committees,” Porter said.
The Bus Garage/Highway Department Committee will include Atwood, Grover Bennett, Kim Bradford, Jimmy Neal, Sam Sandlin and Terry Randolph. The Fairgrounds Committee will include Atwood, Chris Cassetty, Dale Moss, Ben Rodgers, Jonathan Williams and Darren Wilson.
Porter said he hoped to host the first committee meeting after Thanksgiving.
“These committees have a lot to do,” Atwood said.
Several commissioners expressed concerns about a timeline or other working functions of the committee. Atwood said he wanted the committees to govern their own work.
“It’s going be very important for us to stay focused on exactly what the purpose of the committees are,” Atwood said. “(We need) to move in a direction that addresses those one at a time, that clears that one and moves to the next one.”
Commissioners also voted to allow County Mayor Randy Porter to move forward on drawings and price estimates for a new Veterans Museum/Doll Museum history center. The Highway 70 facility would be built on the land that housed the Patton Doll Museum. That facility suffered damage in the March tornado and cannot be repaired.
FEMA will pay for the construction of the new facility. Porter said he hopes that the FEMA money will pay for the majority of the cost. He said the county does have funds for a veterans building in the bank that could be used for accessories.
