Ad hoc effort to restore Brown House stalls as county waits on TDEC; committee votes to move related agenda items to mayor’s report

Michael Clark, a Hendersonville resident, urged Sumner County officials to finish restoring the historic “Brown House” and to remove barriers that have stalled work on the site. "He left $500,000 to maintain the house and to be used to maintain the house, protect it, and build a park," Clark told the General Operations Committee during public comment.

The committee heard updates that the $500,000 bequest for the Brown House had been commingled with another estate fund and only separated last year, and that an ad hoc volunteer committee has been pursuing repairs and an architect’s review. Committee members said an initial contractor inspection produced an estimate in the tens of thousands of dollars — committee discussion named an approximately $80,000 repair estimate — and that an RFP process for architects and contractors was in motion before the latest hold.

Committee members said work is paused while the county awaits clarification from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on whether a mapped riparian/riparian-buffer designation affects access and permissible work at the site. Committee members described conflicting guidance from different TDEC staff and said county staff scheduled a meeting with TDEC to resolve whether the buffer designation bars vehicle access or construction activity around the house.

Officials and volunteers described practical access problems: the committee heard that a mapped buffer zone appears to surround the house, effectively preventing contractor access; that the county cleared junk and mowed the yard only once; and that vegetation near the house was sprayed with herbicide in the past, which contributors said has caused erosion gullies. Committee members said the house predates Tennessee statehood and that the group’s goal is restorative preservation with limited changes to the original footprint.

Committee discussion touched on ownership and responsibility. Members said the will that established the $500,000 placed responsibility for maintenance with the county; legal staff said the county would remain the party responsible should any disputes arise. Committee members proposed different next steps, including keeping the current ad hoc group active, creating a new joint committee with the school system, or dissolving the ad hoc and forming a joint committee to coordinate with other owners or stakeholders. A motion to dissolve the ad hoc and form a joint committee with school system representation was discussed but not adopted; instead, the committee voted to roll the Brown House item to the next month while staff seeks legal and TDEC clarifications.

The meeting also produced a separate formal action about agenda management that affects the Brown House item’s reporting line. The General Operations Committee voted 4–3 to move several discussion items (including the archive-building cleanup, Millersville stormwater updates and related items identified as items a–c on the committee agenda) into the county mayor’s report section of future agendas while retaining the items on the agenda for continued oversight. Committee members debating that motion split on whether moving the items would reduce local oversight or simply streamline reporting; supporters said the mayor is managing those projects day to day, while opponents said keeping the items in the committee’s section creates a necessary check.

What’s next: county staff were directed to seek TDEC clarification on the buffer designation and to provide an update at the committee’s next meeting. The Brown House restoration effort remains active but on hold pending regulatory confirmation and, if needed, further legal review of ownership or access questions.