The Town of Dover, TN Planning Commission needs to know how bad the Dover city hall’s foundation problems are before they sign off on the city selling its vacant lot adjacent to the taxpayer-owned structure. At the last Dover city council meeting members expected to put the vacant lot beside city hall up for sale, but the city attorney advised them such a move needed to go before the planning commission first. There was an interesting back and forth between the factions that want to sell the lot and those that don’t before it was decided since one of the members who voted the month prior to sell the lot was absent from the most recent meeting, the proposed sale needed to pass through the planning commission first. One council member said it would be a technicality going before the planning commission because the city council would ultimately decide to sell the lot and the sell-the-lot faction has three votes and the don’t-sell-the-lot faction has two votes. Cue the planning commission. The pitch to sell the lot comes before them in June. The Dover City council meets on the second Monday of the month and the planning commission meets just prior to the city council meeting. The sell-the-lot faction want to fast-walk the proposed sale and regardless of whether the planning commission votes to recommend the land be sold or recommends the land not be sold, the sell-the-lot faction figures they have the votes to ditch the property. However, it has come to light the Dover City Hall possibly has major foundation problems. Dover officials voted at the last meeting to hire an engineer and pay up to $4,000 (four thousand dollars) just to determine the extent of the damage. City officials say they have no idea how much it will cost to fix city hall. One official said it could cost $150,000 or more. Mayor Lesa Fitzhugh said the vacant lot does not need to be sold because it may be needed very soon to house some city offices and departments, if the extent of the damage to city hall warrants a move. If the planning commission votes to recommend to the city council in June the council can go ahead and sell the lot — and then they sell the lot — and then in the future the city winds up needing the land for a backup to the current flawed city hall, guess who gets blamed? The Dover Planning Commission. If the sale is recommended for approval and the city sells the lot and then winds up needing the lot, council members who voted to sell the lot could blame the planning commission for making the recommendation to sell. So, it is incumbent upon the Dover Planning Commission members to get all of the information on the foundation problems at Dover City hall and if the vacant lot fits into any long or medium range plans for city growth, expansion or city hall salvation. Planning Commission members DO NOT need to listen to the loud advocates for selling the lot. Many of the ones vocally saying the lot needs to be sold are NOT TAXPAYERS OF THE CITY OF DOVER. Also, one council member said “the movers and shakers” in Dover want the vacant lot sold. Well, the “movers and shakers” of Dover are the ones who built the current Dover City Hall in a hole. One longtime Dover resident who has family members that once owned the land where Dover city hall now sits confirmed the current Dover city hall was built in a very steep hole that once was a pond for animals and was also a “sinkhole.” He said there was “a whole lot of expensive dirt” that was brought in to fill up the big hole before the Dover City hall could be built where it is now. The vacant lot beside city hall that the city now owns but some want to sell is the only high, level lot in that area of town on U.S. 79. If the sell-the-lot faction wants to rid the city of this potentially valuable and potentially irreplaceable, the planning commission should put the onus on them and either vote to recommend the city NOT sell the land period Or wait until officials know the extent of the damage to Dover City Hall’s foundation and IF the vacant lot fits into any plans that will help taxpayers of Dover, which is the county seat of Stewart County. Do not listen to those who say it is a fine time to sell property. It is not. It is a fine time to buy property if you have cash money. If you are not liquid with cash, it is a rotten time to buy and sell property because credit is as tight as it has. been in decades. It does not matter how good your credit rating is, no one can buy any investment property on credit now, so that means all of the rich folks get first and last dibs on the valuable property being put up quickly on the cheap. Dover does not need the money. The recent budget figures show Dover has a solid fund balance and revenues and collections are solid. What is really behind the rushed sale of this lot? It appears to be, in part, a political feud between the sell-the-vacant lot faction and the don’t-sell-the-vacant-lot faction. The Dover Planning Commission needs to speak as a unified body and say it needs more information before being rushed into a vote — a vote that if it goes badly, THEY will get the blame and not the ‘movers and shakers” or “the land speculators” or those folks on the sidelines — especially those with loud megaphones who do not pay Dover city taxes — shouting down those who say slow walk this sale. Does Dover need the vacant lot? Right now it might. How bad is the foundation problems in Dover City Hall and how much will it cost to fix them? No one knows now, but an engineer is being paid four grand to tell US! Those wanting to sell the vacant lot where another new Dover City Hall may need to be built much sooner than some expected DID NOT even know the current flawed city hall was built in a hole that was roof level deep that was filled up with expensive dirt and apparently NOT compacted property. What else do they not know? — (This story is an LBLUS.com exclusive. You will only read about this issue on this local platform — “Public Voice & Vision of the Land Between the Lakes Area ~ LBLUS.com)
Your last photograph above shows clearly how much higher the vacant ground is above the City Hall lot. The cracks are severe and seem to encircle the Hall, high and low. Anyone rushing to sell adja to ent land has some nefarious reason that needs to be outted and cleared.
As you put it, ‘it is incumbent upon the Dover Planning Commission members to get all of the information on the foundation problems at Dover City hall and if the vacant lot fits into any long or medium range plans for city growth, expansion or city hall salvation. Planning Commission members DO NOT need to listen to the loud advocates for selling the lot. Many of the ones vocally saying the lot needs to be sold are NOT TAXPAYERS OF THE CITY OF DOVER. Also, one council member said “the movers and shakers” in Dover want the vacant lot sold. Well, the “movers and shakers” of Dover are the ones who built the current Dover City Hall in a hole. One longtime Dover resident who has family members that once owned the land where Dover city hall now sits confirmed the current Dover city hall was built in a very steep hole that once was a pond for animals and was also a “sinkhole.” ‘
Shouldn’t hiring someone to evaluate the building problem (up to $4000) be advertised for bid?
I am not absolutely certain, but I think a governmental entity does not have to advertise for professional services; but that is a great question and I will find out for sure. Thanks!
It may depend on the dollar amount. A budget line item, approved by Council, would almost certainly be bid out. Nashville had a previous mayor in trouble when he contracted his wife’s agency to conduct a study. A civic group I chaired called the city on it, and the issue was then put up for bid. Offering smaller jobs to contractors though is common. The $150,000 should be put for bid, certainly.