Trousdale County to consider purchase to extend Ward School grounds; rezoning, opioid funds and hazard plan also set for next meeting

Trousdale County officials said during a work session that they will place on next week’s agenda a proposal to buy a 4.8-acre parcel from Eric Wallace for $70,000 to extend the Ward School property toward Front Street and Broadway and to support a walking trail. County staff said Budget and Finance reviewed the purchase and recommended taking it to the commission, and that money for the purchase was proposed to come from remaining ARPA funds if the commission approves it.

The purchase, combined with an 8.2-acre donation of Ward School land, would create about 13 acres the county could use for a walking trail and to contribute to the Greenway project, County Mayor said. He told commissioners that combining the donated and purchased acreage “would give an average cost per acre on that 13 acres of $5,300.” The mayor said he spoke with Chris Helson, a realtor and developer from Gallatin, who advised that the price is reasonable because about half the tract is outside the flood plain and therefore more developable; the mayor relayed Helson’s assessment that “that’s a reasonable price for the property.”

Why it matters: County leaders said the combined property would let the public use more of the Ward School parcel and could serve as a match for future grant applications to develop a walking trail or extend the county greenway from Ward School to downtown. Budget and Finance recommended approval of the purchase and identified ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds as the proposed source.

In addition to the proposed purchase, officials previewed several items scheduled for action at the commission’s next meeting. Those include: a fiscal year 2026 resolution listing nonprofit contributions; an opioid abatement agreement with Purdue (listed in the packet as the current-year opioid abatement agreement); adoption of a county hazard mitigation plan updated by the local emergency planning board; multiple rezoning ordinances for parcels on East Main and Halltown Road (requests to rezone R-1 to R-3 and R-2 to R-3); and several budget amendments that include grant funding (Enbridge/State Fire Marshal/GNRC) and insurance-recovery entries for solid waste and ambulance services.

Planning and Budget and Finance context: Planning staff told the court that the rezoning request on East Main (the former Critter Cuts site) received a favorable recommendation from the planning commission and that, if rezoned, the parcel could potentially accommodate up to six townhome units depending on final site plan and grade. For two separate parcels on Halltown Road, staff said the planning commission also recommended rezoning to R-3; one of those parcels lacks direct sewer access and would require access through an adjoining parcel. Budget and Finance reviewed the budget amendments and also recommended forwarding the ARPA-funded purchase to the commission.

What did not happen: This meeting was a work session; the commission did not take final votes on the purchase, ordinances, resolutions or budget amendments. Several items were described as “on the packet” with page references for the formal meeting next week. No public commenters had signed up for this session, and no final commission actions were recorded in the transcript.

Looking ahead: County staff and external presenters are scheduled to appear at the next regular meeting to present the listed resolutions, ordinances and budget items for formal consideration. The Charlesville County Health Council requested time to thank the commission for mental-health-related efforts; Brenda Harper and Cathy Atwood were scheduled to address the commission at the next meeting, according to the work-session preview.