Committee orders inventory, title search for vacant Gallatin Square courthouse and asks historical society to research time capsule

Sumner County’s General Operations Committee on Feb. 3 directed staff to inventory fixtures at the vacant Old Courthouse on Public Square, to list surplus items on the county surplus system, and to commission a title search to clarify property boundaries and ownership rights.

Commissioner Klein reported a site visit with maintenance staff, including head of maintenance Robert Gann, and said the building measures roughly 64 by 84 feet per floor and contains desks, benches and fixtures—some attached to floors, some removable. Klein recommended moving nonessential items to the county surplus system so departments that can reuse them may claim them. He also advised preserving one intact historical courtroom while cleaning and assessing the rest of the building.

The committee voted to direct county staff to inventory moveable items and post them to Sumner County surplus per established procedures. Members also voted to instruct the county’s legal director to perform a title search so the commission can determine the precise metes and bounds of county-owned property around the courthouse, including sidewalks and on-street parking that may be county-owned. Committee members noted prior surveys described the deed in older units of measurement (poles) and asked the legal office for a clear, modern deed interpretation to guide future decisions.

Separately, commissioners asked the Gallatin Historical Society to research the location and status of a long-discussed time capsule in the old courthouse and asked that the society report its findings to the committee at the next meeting.

The committee also discussed public-square parking and whether City of Gallatin parking operations use parking spaces on county-owned land; the legal and title search work was intended to clarify that issue. Commissioner Klein additionally proposed clearing t-bar ceilings and nonoriginal partitions once departments have reclaimed needed fixtures, and authorized staff to pursue an architect’s analysis later if the county decides a reuse plan requires one.

The committee also agreed to proceed with an inventory of the building’s contents and to post reusable items to the county surplus system, and it will receive the title-search findings, the surplus inventory status and any historical-society report at its next meeting.