County Wants To Improve Jere Whitson Park Through Grant
Putnam County seeking grant funding to renovate Jere Whitson Park. Mayor Randy Porter said the $750,000 grant would be used to install new playground equipment. “We put new playground equipment out there back four or five years ago, but anytime the equipment is outside it can go down,” Porter said. “We’ve had some vandalism out […]
Putnam Seeking Grant To Establish Emergency Generators At County Buildings
Putnam County applying for grant funding to install emergency generators at several county buildings. Mayor Randy Porter said the idea is to install the gear at community centers, libraries and the county courthouse for emergency shelter purposes. “Especially the Cookeville and Monterey Community Centers,” Porter said. “They are large to where you could have several […]
Porter: Tax Increase For New School Could Not Happen Until Next Year
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said county commissioners could decide to issue a bond for the $15 million to build the upper grade wing of Park View School. But the money would have to come out of the county’s general fund in the short term. Porter said the county cannot raise taxes inside a new […]
Option On Fairgrounds Expires, Putnam Searching For New Developer
Putnam County’s option to sell the fairgrounds property has expired. Mayor Randy Porter said the Nashville-based developer decided to not extend the option once this month’s deadline approached. According to the agreement signed by the county commission, the developer had to have a firm commitment from a retailer by July. Porter said the developer was […]
Putnam Sees Lowest Solid Waste Write-Offs In Several Years
The Putnam County Solid Waste Department ended the fiscal year with the lowest amount of write-offs in recent years. That means companies that use the county landfill have paid the majority of dues. Mayor Randy Porter said a single factor resulted in just $806 of debt. “More construction waste,” Porter said. “I think all of […]
Putnam Closes Fiscal Year With A New Record For Building Permits
Putnam County set an all-time building permit record for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The county had 436 permits for $89.4 million. 245 of those permits were for new single family homes. The 2020-2021 Fiscal Year had 382 permits for $61 million with 243 of those being new homes. Mayor Randy Porter released the numbers Tuesday […]
Putnam Finds Area Not Covered By An Utility District
While surveying residential interest for public water, Putnam County found a small area that does not fall under a utility district. Mayor Randy Porter said several residents want water service on Blaylock Mountain Road between Algood and Monterey. “That’s kind of odd,” Porter said. “I would have thought back when those utility districts were created […]
Porter Meeting With King On How To Handle School Bid
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter will meet with Director of Schools Corby King Thursday to look at the one bid received for Park View School and discuss options. The bid came in some $20 million above expectations. Porter said they will discuss alternatives to fit the project within the $45 million bond. “They put a […]
Commission Approves Business Park Property Purchase With Cookeville
The Highlands Business Park will expand by an additional 16 acres. That after Putnam County Commissioners approved a joint deal with Cookeville to purchase the land. County Mayor Randy Porter said the plan is to combine the property with another to make some 30 acres of buildable land. “That was developed as a technology development […]
Additional Money For Dirt Work At Tennessee Ave Fairgrounds Approved
The Putnam County Commission voted Monday to allow Mayor Randy Porter to move forward with dirt work at the Tennessee Avenue fairgrounds site. Commissioners gave Porter a $6.5 million limit to proceed with the lowest bidder, an additional $4 million from the original allocation. Porter said bids for the project came in several million dollars […]
