Courthouse annex hits major snag

After months of planning to use land on the Loudon riverfront for a new courthouse annex, Loudon County Commission may be forced to look elsewhere.

Knoxville engineering firm GeoServices gave Loudon County Mayor Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw a detailed report Sept. 25 recommending the property not be disturbed.

“We kind of knew what was there,” Bradshaw said. “We didn’t expect it would be anything too bad. GeoServices told us that there was a host of metals as well as petroleum there, and so we weren’t expecting any of that to be there and I don’t think the city of Loudon was either. So that’s kind of made us take a step back. Certainly still, extremely grateful to the city of Loudon. We’re talking about some other sites at this time.

“I don’t know if ultimately the riverside will be it. So I talked to Mayor (Jeff) Harris this afternoon and he’s talking about they may look at doing the actual core drilling to see what’s there,” he added. “Depending on what comes back with it, maybe it’s addressed again by commission, it may not.”

For now, Bradshaw is leaning toward looking elsewhere.

“The report was done years ago,” Van Shaver, county commissioner, said. “Apparently (former city) manager Lynn Mills had the report done, they had the survey done on all that riverfront property and it came back with serious contamination problems, but nobody apparently knew of this report until our GeoServices went and did the historical research on it and found a copy of it with (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation) as I understand.”

Shaver now considers the property “completely off the table.”

“With that report hanging over that property, it’s almost dead in the water for all of its life,” he said.

GeoServices found that several industrial facilities have been on the property or nearby, including paint mills, saw mills, planing mills and other manufacturers.

“A former chair manufacturer on site utilized a gasoline (underground storage tank), oil house, transformers, coal pile and more,” according to the report. “Several solvents and paints were used on site, as well as dip tanks, petroleum-related products and coal combustion residues. The facility was demolished in 2001 after the removal of several drums and chemical containers. The property came to the attention of TDEC’s Division of Remediation in 2009.”

City and county officials targeted the land for a new courthouse annex after the historic Loudon County Courthouse burned in April.

“We’ve got a concept. I don’t know if we’re back to square one,” Bradshaw said. “I know there is some interest about expanding the current courthouse. I don’t know what the commission would feel with that. I certainly am in favor of the idea of a new site. I hope we can find one (because) 2,000 square feet to operate in was simply not enough. This gives us an opportunity to expand those services and get us more court dates, and hopefully alleviate some of the folks that are in the jail. If it doesn’t happen it’ll certainly be disappointing to me, but I’m not giving up on the idea as a whole yet.”

The plans is to gather more information for discussion at a Oct. 21 commission workshop, he said.

“Hopefully maybe we’ll have something to talk about potential new sites for it,” Bradshaw said. “If not, we better be prepared for plan B because I think either way we go, whether it’s a new site or expansion, then we have to be prepared to bring ourselves up and create some more space, some more courtrooms where our criminal court, chancery court, circuit court can operate in a more efficient and more frequent manner.”

Adam Waller, county commissioner, plans to reach out to Jack Qualls, Loudon County Economic Development Agency executive director, to attend the workshop and present other possible locations.

“I’m going to talk to Jack next week and say, ‘Jack, come in with five or six options and let us all talk about them and mull it over and hopefully vote in November for a place to go’,” Waller said.

The old Bacon Creamery property is a possibility, Bradshaw said.

“The one we’ve talked about a little bit is the old Bacon Creamery right there just adjacent to the bridge, one block off from the bridge, but that’s just talk,” he said. “We’ve not made any serious negotiations yet or anything as far as acquisitions. It’s just something we’re just talking about.”

Waller is hesitant about that land.

“One thing Commissioner (Van) Shaver said, which makes sense, is back behind the justice center,” Waller said. “... Because then all your courtrooms are right next to the jail so transporting prisoners would be minimal. That’s an option. I don’t know how viable it is if the city of Loudon would want to annex that or not. That’s one convenient place for it, but I don’t know. It’s got to be in the county seat.

“... If it saves our butt long term and delays it a couple of months, I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he added.

David Meers, county commissioner, requested during Monday’s commission meeting for GeoServices to attend the upcoming workshop. He expects the building to be inside Loudon.

“Look at the economic impact it would have if you were to move with the redevelopment of the riverfront property,” Meers said. “I think that would be very important for us to continue in a positive manner with the city.”

Henry Cullen, commission chairman, believes the county should walk away from the property based on what has been presented.

“The next big issue is going to be what do we do? Do we add onto the old courthouse? Possibility,” Cullen said. “Do we look for another spot? Is some of the areas that they’re cleaning up in Loudon good to use? I don’t know.”