Putnam County commission votes to deny free extension on Old Fairgrounds option as VA picks alternate site

Putnam County commissioners voted on record to refuse a request to give a developer a free 90‑day extension on the option for the county'owned Old Fairgrounds property, a decision tied to the Veterans Administration''s recent choice of another site for a planned clinic.

County Mayor (name not specified) told commissioners the VA awarded the clinic contract for a site on Neal Street rather than the fairgrounds, which nullified multiple developer options on parts of the property and left one remaining option held by E2L Realty. The mayor said E2L asked the county on Oct. 17 for an extension so the company could regroup and secure financing after the VA decision.

The extension request prompted questions from commissioners about the option's terms, costs and whether the commission needed to act. Commissioners were told the option on the property would expire Oct. 31 unless the developer either exercised the purchase option or paid an extension fee. The mayor said the option documentation described a purchase price under the option and an amount the developer could pay to extend the option for another period; meeting comments referenced a purchase price in the approximate range stated in the meeting (transcript references $12,450,000 and variants) and an extension fee the transcript identifies as about $30,000 to…