Coffee County approves $36,000 for Old Stone Fort Bridge preservation, awards $10,000 to courthouse museum; South Central grant tabled

Coffee County Budget and Finance Committee approved a $36,000 allocation from hotel/motel (occupancy) tax revenues to the Old Stone Fort Bridge Preservation Group and a separate $10,000 tourism grant to the Coffee County Historical Society on Sept. 25, 2025; a requested $3,500 donation to South Central Tennessee tourism was tabled until the October meeting for missing paperwork.

The $36,000 award, moved and seconded during the committee meeting, was presented as a one‑time tourism allocation to help cover legal and technical costs the preservation group is incurring while contesting state permitting and pursuing court review. Matthew Wise, of the Old Stone Fort Preservation Group, and Gary Kevin Nemey, the group's former president, told commissioners the group has raised private funds and incurred about $16,000 in legal and expert fees to date, with an additional $12,000–$20,000 expected.

The histo…