Subcommittee approves lease to elevate Cherokee Removal Memorial Park to state park; designer selections and consent items pass

The Executive Subcommittee of the State Building Commission approved the acquisition of a lease from the Tennessee Valley Authority for property known as Cherokee Removal Memorial Park in Meigs County and agreed to move the site toward state park status, members said Friday.

Chris Padgett, chief of staff for the Bureau of Conservation and administrator of Tennessee State Parks, told the subcommittee the acquisition “falls right in line with the mission of Tennessee State Parks” and is part of an effort to reach 70 state parks by 2026. Padgett said the item before the subcommittee was the acquisition of a lease from TVA for the property.

The action came as part of a short meeting in which the subcommittee also approved a consent agenda (items 1–8), ratified minutes from the Aug. 25, 2025, executive subcommittee meeting and accepted a report of several items handled under delegated authority by the state architect.

Padgett described the lease term as 30 years and said TVA has moved in recent years to 30-year leases for federal lands it manages. “We’ve got several properties that we manage at state parks that are federal lands that are managed by TVA that are under a 99 year lease. But in the last, I don’t know, less than a decade, they transitioned to these 30 year leases with the ability to extend that on a 30 year basis,” Padgett said. When asked whether extensions were at the state’s option, Padgett answered, “That isn’t our option, yes, sir,” indicating extension terms are determined by TVA.

The subcommittee voted on each item by voice. The motion to approve the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park lease passed with no recorded opposition. Earlier, the group approved the consent agenda without discussion and approved minutes from the Aug. 25, 2025, meeting.

The subcommittee also acknowledged a report from the state architect listing one capital project with a total project cost between $100,000 and $1,000,000, one alternative delivery method, one land acquisition or easement and two designer selections, and it noted a change in acreage for transaction number 24-10-012 (a Department of Environment and Conservation acquisition in Fentress County).

The subcommittee approved three designer selections recommended by the secretary: Gilbert McLaughlin Cassella Architects for renovations to Floyd Stadium at Mill City State University; GHP Inc. for exterior and interior renovations to the Moss Building and associated structures at the Ellington Agricultural Center; and M architects for a visitor center, maintenance facility and campground work at Devil’s Backbone State Park.

With no further business, members moved to adjourn. The meeting opened at 11:00 a.m., and no requests for public comment had been received, the chair said.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (items 1–8): approved (voice vote). Motion moved and seconded; no opposition recorded. - Lease acquisition — Cherokee Removal Memorial Park (Meigs County): approved (voice vote). Motion moved and seconded; no opposition recorded. Lease term described as 30 years; extension mechanism controlled by TVA, not solely at the state’s option. - Minutes — Executive Subcommittee meeting, Aug. 25, 2025: approved (voice vote). - State architect report acknowledged (capital projects, alternative delivery method, land acquisition/easement, designer selections): acknowledged (voice vote). - Designer selections (three projects listed by the secretary): approved (voice vote).