Council approves sale of former police building; EDTA reports lower turnout and losses at 2025 Bluegrass & Barbecue Festival

The Pryor Creek City Council voted to approve the sale of the former police department building at 214 South Mill to Navarre's Properties LLC for $450,000 and authorized the mayor to execute closing documents. The EDTA presented the offer, reported an estimated net to seller in the council packet and said $565 of sale proceeds will reimburse the EDTA for sale-related expenses.

Adam Anderson, EDTA chair, told the council the EDTA reviewed the contract, recommended approval and said the contract includes a standard financing contingency and a reasonable inspection timeline. He recommended the city consider waiving building-permit fees for buyer work in the first 12 months to help the buyer rehabilitate the property and encourage a local business expansion.

On the festival, Anderson reported the first Pryor Creek Bluegrass & Barbecue Festival in October had expenses of $99,431.74 against income of $37,007.26 (about 74% of sponsorship income), and Placer AI estimated roughly 3,000 unique visitors (3,300 visits). Weather across the festival weekend, a lost major sponsor and the absence of a grant the EDTA had received in 2024 contributed to the shortfall.

Anderson emphasized the event’s nonfinancial value—“it demonstrated Pryor’s ability to host a high quality, downtown festival,” he said—but recommended improvements for 2026 including consolidating vendors into the green space, reevaluating street closures and refining the vendor layout and fee structure. Council voted to approve the sale and thanked the EDTA for its work; no further council action on the festival budget was taken at this meeting.

Next steps: legal and closing paperwork for the property sale, and EDTA planning changes for the 2026 festival.