Committee orders inventory and title search for vacated Gallatin Square courthouse

The Sumner County General Operations Committee on Feb. 3 unanimously approved motions to inventory removable furniture and fixtures at the vacated Gallatin Square Old Courthouse and to have the Law Director perform a title search on the deed before deciding the building’s future use.

Commissioner David Klein summarized his on-site assessment and recommended that staff first catalog items that can be repurposed through Sumner County’s surplus system or auctioned; he argued some pieces may be better suited for a specialty auction than a general online surplus sale. Projects and Grants Specialist Scott Shamrock was directed to begin the inventory and surplus process. Klein also moved, and the committee approved, a request that the Law Director perform a deed/title search.

Mayor John Isbell told the committee an inventory had already been taken and posted on the county website. Staff and Klein noted that the main courtroom appears original and should be preserved pending decisions about the building’s ultimate function; other interior nonpermanent structures and ceiling panels were recommended for removal to allow architectural assessment.

Klein’s follow‑up memo to the committee (included in the packet) recommended clearing ad‑hoc interior alterations, removing T‑bar ceilings and then hiring an architect to provide cost options and return‑on‑investment estimates for potential reuses. The committee instructed staff to report back with inventory results and legal findings from the title search.