County to buy Nave Funeral home site - Home to cost $440k

The county's Public Works and Financial Management committees approved purchasing the former Nave Funeral Home property on East Main Street.
Both committees approved spending $440,000 for the property the county intends to use as records storage.
The full Commission will vote whether to purchase the property at its Aug. 28 meeting.
The agreement with Ligon & Bobo, current owners of the property, calls for the county to evenly split any fees associated with the transaction between the county and funeral home.
The county will pay for a survey and an environmental study on the property.
Finance Committee Chair Rusty Thompson said the county will use the 10,000-square-foot facility for records storage.
"The county has an urgent need for additional space for records," Thompson said. "They all need to be housed in a location where they can be retrieved in a timely manner and with adequate security."
Thompson said the county has records scattered across many locations, some of which are in rented storage locations. Nave Funeral Home is adjacent to the Wilson County Courthouse and within a minute or two walking distance.
During the Public Works meeting, Dr. Ross Averitt expressed concern about the empty space of the building.
Thompson said most of the facility would be taken up with records, and the rest may be used for other types of storage.
Averitt also warned the committee the building's basement may need to be remodeled.
"The basement is going to need some repair work. There's some mold down there," he said.
If the Commission approves the purchase, the county will pay cash for the property. The appraised value of the property is $475,000.
After discussion of purchasing a property, the Public Works committee went on to discuss the selling of another piece of land.
Thompson told the committee the county had received a $2.4 million bid for the old Mt. Juliet Elementary School site, but Wilson County Attorney Mike Jennings was writing the bidder a letter asking for a simpler bid instead of the 16-page contract submitted.
Thompson suggested the letter say, "You bring the money, we'll bring the deed."
The former elementary school is being demolished and land cleared to make the site more desirable to potential buyers.
In other business, the finance committee approved, for the second time, a pay raise for commissioners, increasing their monthly compensation from $200 to $400 per month.
The County Commission had voted down the pay raise previously, but on Thursday the rules committee passed the pay raise again. The resolution went on to the finance committee which also approved it.
Wilson County Mayor Robert Dedman, who sits on the finance committee, also serves as the chair of the Road Commission.
Road commissioners, by law, receive three times the pay of county commissioners, Thompson said.
Dedman said he didn't vote for the pay raise to benefit himself.
"I thought the commissioners needed more money," he said.
Wilson Emergency Management Agency Director Jerry McFarland appeared before the board to get approval for four purchases made without purchase orders, but the committee only saw fit to OK one.
Thompson suggested McFarland return a $59.95 Physicians's Desk Reference. The company WEMA purchased the book from last year shipped WEMA a new edition this year along with a bill.
"We were unaware that they were going to auto ship us one," McFarland said.
"I hope they don't ship us a fire truck," Thompson responded.
A motion to approve the purchase failed.
The committee refused to entertain a motion approving $110 for air conditioning repair at Station 6. McFarland explained the air conditioning failed during the weekend, and the invoice was not received in time to do an emergency purchase order.
Thompson said he could have obtained a purchase order without an invoice.
A purchase order for $5 for gasoline and $3.28 for batteries also went unapproved by the committee. Thompson called for a motion approving the purchase, but no committee member came forth with a motion.
The committee approved a $10 urinalysis not covered by worker's compensation.
Staff writer Nick Fowler can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 15 or by e-mail at nick.fowler@lebanondemocrat.com.