News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Fentress County Commissioners accepted the low bids on the new Agriculture Pavilion and the Clarkrange Solid Waste Center.
The agriculture pavilion’s projected costs have risen, with the bid being awarded for $1.6 million. Finance Director Tyler Arms said the county will have to either do a bond issuance or capital outlay note to finance the pavilion.
“Do I think in a year we’re going to get this done any cheaper? No, it’s potentially going to cost more,” Arms said. “Lumber is still on the rise, materials are still on the rise, labors on the rise and everyone’s seen that. So I don’t think it will get done cheaper but this project has doubled what we originally started at.”
Arms said the bid is contingent on the winner being able to hold the price in a fast changing economy. Arms said that in total, this has become a $2 million project and the county will have to vote on the best method to pay for the pavilion.
County Executive Jimmy Johnson said if the pavilion can become a reality, it will boost two of Fentress County’s biggest assets. Johnson said that is tourism and agriculture.
“We have $37 million in market products that are sold in agriculture per year, total farm production expenses is $34 million,” Johnson said. “We’re number three or four in the background in cattle in agriculture in the state of Tennessee.”
The Clarkrange Solid Waste Center bid was awarded at at roughly $167,000. County Executive Jimmy Johnson said this is a project that has to happen with Highway 127 improvements removing the old site.
“This stuff since its started to come up, it has doubled in prices so that’s kindly where we’re at,” Johnson said. “It will come out of the solid waste budget and that’s something that more or less has to be done. Because they’re surveying and I got a call this week about when are we going to be started and when are we hopefully going to have it finished.”
Arms said the county’s debt fund is currently at $2.5 million. Commissioners discussed the possibility of donations towards the ag pavilion, but that it is unlikely any money will come in unless the county continues to move forward on the project.
