News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County will meet with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Tuesday to continue work on the sports complex expansion.
The county received a TDEC grant in 2018 for the expansion. Since then, requirements for the grant have changed three times Mayor Randy Porter said he has contacted Representative Paul Bailey to help speed up the process.
“It has just been time consuming,” Porter said. “And, I know in the last few months with COVID it has definitely been tough on them and we understand that. But, there was a year and a half before the COVID hit that we have been working on this, and we just have not seem to make much progress.”
Porter said the plans for the project have not been approved yet. Porter said he wants a specific list from TDEC of what needs to be accomplished to move forward.
“We have the plans,” Porter said. “They have been sitting there waiting for approval, and so, we just need them to move the project along, and let us get to moving dirt out there. So, we can try and get that done before winter time.”
The sports complex expansion involves construction of a new soccer field and create a second multi-use field. The grant is worth $333,500 and will pay for half of the project. The funds can not be spent until the official contract is received.
“We have a lot of people playing soccer and lacrosse in our area,” Porter said. “It is a great place for our young people to go and exercise and play the sports.”
