County discusses 100-acre park offer and dam proposal; mitigation and costs remain uncertain
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Summary
Staff described a prospective donor's offer to donate 100 acres and build a dam to create a 12–20 acre lake for public fishing; TDEC has largely completed permitting, but mitigation handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and mitigation costs remain uncertain and likely substantial.
Williamson County Parks staff told the Parks & Recreation Committee on Jan. 6 that a private donor, referred to as Dr. York, has offered to donate about 100 acres and fund construction of a dam that would create a publicly accessible lake.
"He's gonna donate a 100 acres to the county. He's gonna build a dam that he hopes will create a body of water that's gonna be anywhere from 12 to 20 acres," the presenter said while outlining the donor's proposal and the county's role as a co-permittee. (Parks staff, speaker 10.)
Environmental permitting and mitigation: staff said the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has largely completed its review and that mitigation discussions will occur with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mitigation could involve on-site wetland creation or purchasing mitigation credits on the open market; staff expressed optimism that on-site mitigation may reduce costs but said mitigation remains "fairly expensive." (Commissioner Clifford and Parks staff.)
Costs and county commitment: staff said the county's financial exposure would be limited to reimbursing the donor for the cost of building the dam if the project is completed and accepted into county inventory; the donor would use funds he has set aside (described as the "friends of" account) to develop park infrastructure after the county reimburses dam construction costs. Staff estimated the property's land value could exceed $10 million and said geotechnical studies and Corps review mean construction and transfer are likely months or years away.
Park use and access: commissioners asked whether the lake would allow powerboats or only fishing and paddle craft; staff said paddle-craft allowances and certain use details are being left open pending Corps input and later planning and that the park is intended as a nature park, primarily for passive recreation and fishing.
Next steps: staff will continue geotechnical studies and Corps coordination, will not request county budget allocations until cost and technical feasibility are better known, and will return to the commission with a memorandum of understanding and final recommendations if project approvals proceed.
No formal vote was taken on accepting the donation or reimbursing construction at this meeting.
