Sumner County ad hoc committee advances Brown House restoration, approves up to $5,000 for site security

Acting chair of the Sumner County Ad Hoc Committee presided Dec. 1 as the committee received a formal report on plans to restore the historic Latimer-Brown House and approved funds for temporary site security.

The committee submitted a written report from Jeremy Mansfield, chairman of the ad hoc group, summarizing work to date. The report states the house sits inside William and Martha Brown Park and that the county formally accepted a $500,000 bequest from William Brown to preserve the property and place it in public use. Mansfield’s report says the ad hoc committee followed the county’s construction and renovation policy and recommends that a local “Friends” nonprofit — modeled on the Friends of the Bridal House in Cotttontown — be considered to operate and steward the site after restoration.

“The ad hoc committee has followed every step of the process outlined in the construction and renovation policy and stands ready to move forward,” the report states. The written submission (recorded at the meeting) said two firms applied to the RFQ; one submitted a complete and compliant proposal. The finance department recommended awarding the project to Daniels Chandler, pending formal acceptance.

Committee members asked for details on next steps. Staff said the selected architect will develop formal plans and that the planning phase, including multiple site visits and review by the ad hoc committee, could take about four to six months before construction bidding begins. The report includes initial budgeting estimates compiled with local preservation experts and a basic floor sketch; formal architectural drawings would follow.

Public commenters urged that the property retain the Brown name and requested interpretive recognition of the house’s history. One public commenter told the committee, “I’d like to thank everybody that’s taking part in preserving this house,” and asked only for “a small plaque or something somewhere” to recognize who built the house.

Following the report, the committee considered a motion to spend up to $5,000 on temporary security fencing for the Brown House and discussed whether to use some of that amount for trail cameras. Supporters said fencing would protect on-site tools and materials and that trail cameras could help document vandalism; others raised practical questions about who would manage camera footage and maintain equipment. The acting chair also said he would ask Sheriff Craddock to increase patrols near the site.

The motion to spend up to $5,000 for security fencing (with the option to include trail cameras if it fit inside that amount) was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote at the meeting. The transcript records committee members saying “aye” and the acting chair noting no opposition.

Next steps described at the meeting: staff will finalize the contract with the recommended architect or firm, schedule an initial meeting with stakeholders, and proceed with plan development and bidding steps. The ad hoc committee recommended the county consider a nonprofit custodian for day-to-day operations after restoration.

Authorities and rules cited in the ad hoc report include references to county construction and renovation policy and to Tennessee statutory procurement provisions (noted at the meeting as TCA §§62-2-107 and 12-4-107).