News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Monterey Aldermen will look at purchasing five additional acres for Meadow Creek Lake Park.
The property under consideration includes a crag that people frequently use for rock climbing.
Alderman JJ Reels said Monterey should feel obligated to purchase the land.
“The major draw out there is going to be the rock climbing and right now it’s on private property,” Reels said. “If another private buyer comes in, then they could close it off and it would become useless to the town of Monterey.”
Aldermen Amy Martin also gave her support to purchasing the property.
“The rock climbing was a really big draw for our park development and I hate for us not to own the actual rock climbing crag,” Martin said. “I’m for us purchasing it.”
Plateau Properties has offered to sell the five acre property for $42,000 or $8,400 and acre. Monday night, the board of mayor and aldermen voted to let Mayor Bill Wiggins negotiate a deal.
“This is a starting point,” Wiggins said. “I’m not much on the art of the deal, but I don’t think they will be very flexible.”
Monterey has not yet identified how it will fund the expansion or where they money will come from.
The 300 plus acre park opened to the public in July and Monterey has spent the past several months developing a master plan for future developments.
