County hears $1.5M offer for parcel near fairgrounds; museum and broadband updates provided

Sevier County officials told the Budget Committee on Jan. 23 that a landowner, Ron Ogle, offered to sell a parcel the county has used for fair parking for $1,500,000. The parcel sits between the Sevier County Jail (Annex) and the recently constructed Archives Building and the under-construction Sevier County Animal Shelter. The county had used the lot for parking during recent fairs, but the landowner’s agreement to allow that use was due to end after 2023 without a renewed arrangement or purchase.

Mayor Larry Waters said the County has hired Mike Smelcer to assess existing fairgrounds buildings and to present a long-term plan for the fairgrounds site. No purchase motion or vote was recorded at the meeting; the landowner’s offer was presented to the committee for consideration and potential future action.

Director Andrew Temple provided two additional updates. He said the Sevierville Commons Association has applied for multiple grants to renovate the Heritage Museum property and that he will report back at the next meeting on the status of those grant applications. Temple also said broadband providers Spectrum and Comcast are expanding service in the county, but the local electric utility board is not planning to add broadband or fiber at this time, which presents a difference compared with neighboring counties.

Next steps noted at the meeting: staff will continue the consultant’s fairgrounds assessment, Temple will update on Heritage Museum grant progress at a future meeting, and the county will continue to monitor broadband expansion by private providers.