Panel OKs lease for Tower

Jul. 4—Cumberland County is nearing a lease agreement for the historic Homesteads Tower with the Homesteads Tower Association, but commissioners on the building and grounds committee were frustrated that the issue of repairs to the building's roof have not been addressed.

"We say we both know the roof is bad, but neither one of us have to do anything about it. We're both documenting we know it's bad, and we're both going to ignore it," Joe Sherrill, 6th District commissioner, told the county's building and grounds committee. "Is that kosher?"

Cumberland County Attorney Philip Burnett said, "You have to make an assessment whether or not the roof is a safety issue. If it's a safety issue, than yeah, you need to address it in some way."

Jim Blalock, 8th District commissioner, said he had opposed the county taking ownership of the building, and still proposed selling the tower to the association for a $1.

"If you think it's that important to this county, let's put a new roof on it," Blalock said. "Let's fix the thing up so we can use it and have it, because you're going to let it run down ... If it's that big a thing, put your money where your mouth is and fix the thing. Or give it to them and get it out from under us because if you let if fall down and somebody gets hurt, they're going to sue the county.

"Either fix it or let it go."

It was the need for roof repairs that first brought the building's ownership into question.

The Homestead Tower was built in the 1930s as part of the New Deal-era resettlement project, the Cumberland Homesteads. It served as the administration building and the water tower served nearby homes and farms.

The property was turned over to the county in 1946 when the project ended. In 1952, the county turned the land over to the school system.

In the 1980s, the school system granted the tower association a 99-year lease to operate a museum.

However, in 1999, a quitclaim deed of the property named the county as the owner, possibly because the tower was no longer used for school purposes. But the deed didn't define which county entity — the county commissioner or the school system — owned the tower.

When the association approached the county for help with a new roof — estimated at upwards of $100,000 — in 2020, the commission decided to settle the ownership question.

In October 2020, the Cumberland County Board of Education voted to transfer ownership to the tower. That was completed in July 2021.

Sue York, 1st District commissioner, said, "We discussed this a couple of years ago. We kind of left it in limbo. I'm sure it's gotten a little bit worse."

Brenda King, president of the Tower Association, said the roof is leaking and that has caused some rot to the wood.

Access to the observation deck, at the top of the former water tower, is closed after bats were discovered nesting in the tower. Because bats are threatened species, the bats cannot be disturbed.

"Right now we have bats because of the rotten wood," King told the committee. "We had to close the tower down."

The museum is still open, but guests cannot climb to the observation deck.

King said, "This is not a Homesteads community problems. This is a Cumberland County problem when this structure starts deteriorating like it is."

King said historic sites are often a source of pride for communities.

"We need to remember what we have out there," she said. "Cumberland County has the largest historical district. Nobody else has that. We have a tower that is on the national registry. If we mess with that much, it will take us off the registry. We have unique homes. We have a lot to offer out there.

"We feel like Cumberland County should be so proud we have this."

Nancy Hyder, 2nd District commissioner, said, "It's an icon of the community."

King said, "We can't let that get to so bad of disrepair that we can't fix it."

Hyder said the building has not had a "new" roof since it was built. In the 1980s, when Homestead Elementary was being roofed, original roof tiles were salvaged and used to repair the tower roof.

York said, "This is one of our buildings. This is probably going to be a one-in-lifetime roof. I just think we need to help. Have somebody check into it, how much it's going to cost and come back to you all and maybe fix the roof."

Colleen Mall, 9th District commissioner, said the discussion was primarily about the lease agreement and what projects needed to come before the commission.

"I'm quite sure the floors are going to come back to this group and the roof," Mall said.

The lease proposal calls for a payment of $1 a year, though it did not specify a lease term. Jack Davis, 5th District commissioner, suggested a term of 5-10 years. The panel agreed to begin with a 5-year term.

The lease also allows the Homestead Tower Association to make changes to the facility, such as attaching fixtures or putting up signs, without the county's permission and hold the association responsible for maintenance of the building.

Initially, the association would be required to return to the commission for approval of any project with a cost of more than $2,000 and to handle maintenance needs up to $2,000.

Burnett said most commercial leases do not allow the renter to make changes to a facility. The provision was included at the association's request.

"It's your decision if you want to allow them to make changes without coming to you," Burnett said.

King said the association is dedicated to the preservation of the tower and the history of the area. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which limits structural changes to preserve historical integrity of a structure.

Burnett also said landlords are typically responsible for maintenance of items. Darrell Threet, 3rd District commissioner, previously served on the tower association board. He said the volunteers and association had provided for maintenance in the past.

"We took on a lot of projects," Threet said.

Burnett said, "I'm sure if they wanted to do that, the county would let them. But typically in a commercial lease, those big needs are taken care of by the owner."

The association has a project planned to replace some wood flooring that has been damaged by rot, estimated at $2,100. They've also taken care of heating and air repairs.

"We can do little jobs if we have a good Apple Festival," King said. "But we cannot do humongous projects because we don't have the money and we'd have to borrow or beg."

Threet said the association can come to the county if there are maintenance needs they cannot afford.

The panel approved the roof with their requested changes with Blalock opposed.

In other business, Foster said the county has been approached about purchasing land behind the courthouse, where many courthouse employees park.

He has not received a price yet, but Foster said, "We park on it."

Norris suggested the county reach out to the city of Crossville to see if they would be interested in a joint venture. Foster said he would ask, though he noted the county uses the site five days a week.

Foster will return to the building and grounds committee with more information.

The panel also asked Burnett to review if there would be any issues with allowing nonprofit organization Downtown Crossville Inc. to place a quilt square on the exterior of the Milo Lemert Building.

The committee also approved proceeding with a $13,000 repair of the clock tower of the Cumberland County Courthouse. The repairs will update the mechanical operation, with students from the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Crossville installing the equipment.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.