Cookeville Council To Vote On Adding Land To Cane Creek

Cookeville City Council will vote Thursday night on the purchase of some 5.6 acres to expand Cane Creek Park.

City Manager James Mills said the property off of C. C. Camp Road includes a single-family residence that the sellers currently live in. He said there are also two garages and a barn on the land.

“The barn, I believe, is in really good condition,” Mills said. “We’ll plan to continue to use. The barn has water and electricity to it, the garages have electricity to them, so I think this is a good deal for the city.”

He said the purchase price for the property is $750,000. Mills said the agreement includes a life estate on the 1.5 acres where the house is located, but the city will have immediate ownership of the other four acres.

“They would be responsible for the upkeep, property tax, utilities, and maintenance of their house until the death of both,” Mills said. “Once they both have passed away, the city would take ownership.”

This is the third time Cookeville has purchased land from Joel and Dorothy Cowan. Mills said that land now totals some 47 acres for $1.29 million. That comes out to some $27,000 per acre.

“I appreciate the Cowans for their commitment to Cane Creek Park,” Mills said. “They’ve lived there I guess 50 years and they’ve grown up around that park, and felt like it was the best use of their property.” ‘

Mills said he and Leisure Service Director Rick Woods have been to the house on the property several times and both believe that it is in excellent condition.