County hears plan for TWRA-funded boat ramp, promoters seek light poles and land from TDOT
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Summary
County commissioners heard a presentation on a TWRA-led boat-ramp and tournament site near Highway 30, where phase 1 was largely paid by TWRA and officials are negotiating with TDOT for additional land and seeking support for lights and poles to host larger events.
Speaker 2 described a multi-phase project with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) to build a new boat ramp and tournament site near Highway 30, saying TWRA paid most of phase 1 work including graveling, bank clearing and a new 30-foot-wide ramp. "So all that's done, every bit of it has been paid for except the part that Rick and I have done," the speaker said, and added TWRA will install a concrete pier at the river's edge to stabilize the site.
The speaker estimated phase 1 costs in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars and said negotiations are under way with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) about obtaining two additional acres if the agency abandons old Highway 30. That extra acreage would allow the site to expand to handle larger tournaments: "We're trying to build it up to where it'll handle 3 to 400 boats in a tournament," the speaker said.
County leaders discussed how to handle associated site infrastructure. The speaker requested that the commission consider placing on the budget an item for Highway 34 wiring and poles for LED flood lighting; he said the lights are necessary to stage early-morning boat launches for tournaments. The speaker also noted security cameras would be installed and that the local sheriff had offered to help with camera installation and monitoring.
Commissioners and staff agreed to place related items on a future agenda and to route the equipment purchase through budget review. Miss Alex, the county official who coordinates events, also requested a joint workshop with neighboring municipalities to coordinate tournament planning and hotel-motel revenue strategies.
The presentation concluded with no formal vote; commissioners instructed staff to put the proposed light-pole and related budget items on a future agenda and to continue negotiations with TDOT and TWRA.