Selling Industrial Park

By Katelin Carroll,

Staff Reporter and

Clint Confehr,

Contributing Writer

Summertown Metals, Hohenwald and Lewis County officials have been sorting through regulations so the business may settle in the county-owned Industrial Park which is in the City of Hohenwald.

Economic development leaders in South Central Tennessee have long advocated mutual assistance for their common goal. As for Summertown Metals' appeal, "I support that 100 percent," Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner said recently with Lewis County Commissioner Doug Jobbit.

Jobbit is an experienced businessman and says "The Industrial Park is in my front yard." He knows that's not literally true. His house is across the street from the park that's been empty for nearly a quarter of a century.

At last week's County Commission meeting, several business owners were set to go before the Commissioners in order to purchase land. One was Commissioner Jobbitt himself with his son Daniel who wished to purchase Parcel Eight. Another potential buyer was Chris Trull who wished to purchase Parcels Three, Ten and Eleven. Lewis County Junior Pro Football requested to buy Parcel 6.5 to build their permanent field, and Summertown Metals requested to purchase Parcels One, Two, Seven and Twelve.

The land is priced at $7,000 an acre, Jobbit and Keltner said, noting a total at "somewhere north of $210,000." The county leaders said the same thing Stoll said about the sale. It puts the land on the property tax rolls that will grow with a taxable factory.

Lewis County's mayor asked Property Assessor Travis Hinson to appraise what Summertown Metals' development would be worth if completed. Keltner said Hinson's first comparable property is worth $300,000.

Tennessee leaders applaud business growth as described by Summertown Metals co-owner Matt Stoll. "In 2022, I imagine we'll hire another 65-75 people." Applications could be accepted at 3864 Summertown Highway. Stoll employs 160 people. A video showing off the business is at http://www.facebook.com/Summertownmetals.

Summertown Metals is a 10 minute, 7.6-mile drive northwest from the Summertown Utility District office. Stoll and his partner, Derek Stoll, want to buy four parcels of land in Lewis County's Industrial Park nine miles west of their plant. A great deal of their deliveries are within 250-300 miles, and to satellite locations in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Hayden, Alabama. near Cullman.

Sales taxes from the business would be split 50-50 with Lewis County schools. Developed property increases city and county property tax revenue. As publicly-owned land, no taxes have been paid on the Industrial Park land for 24 years.

Jobbit said, "I think Hohenwald is receptive" to accepting plans from Summertown Metals.

Summertown Metals

Once the Commissioners got to Summertown Metals' resolution, Highway Commissioner Joyce Holt voiced her concerns over the buyers of Industrial Park being able to make their own exits and entries onto Swiss Colony Road for commercial purposes. "I have a concern and a safety issue with heavy or large truck traffic possibly coming off of Swiss Colony Road," said Holt. "I wonder if language could be put in [to restrict commercial traffic.]."

She continued by telling the commissioners why she was concerned for the road. Swiss Colony, she said, was 18-19 feet wide, 45 mph and lots of residential traffic, and she feared the commercial traffic of heavy trucks could damage the road.

Commissioner Wendell Kelley suggested adding a Section 6 to the resolution which stated, "Commercial entrance and exit must be through Commerce, Progress or Summertown Highway."

The commissioners debated amongst themselves when City Vice Mayor Don Barber said, "I'm certainly not an attorney but instead of doing all these legal descriptors or adding paragraphs to all these deeds, it looks like to me the County could do what they did on Napier Road which was to restrict commercial vehicles... and not worry about all the rest because some of these people may need a rear gate to bring a pickup or a car in off Swiss Colony. [That] wouldn't be any harm to Swiss Colony, but commercial traffic is a different story."

Commissioner Kelley said it would be difficult to enforce and it would be good to have the language in the deeds. County Mayor Jonah Keltner announced that Commissioner Kelley had made a motion to add the new Section 6 to the resolution and Commissioner Allison Tanner seconded. The amendment was put to a roll call vote where Commissioners Jerry Ashmore, Larry Pigg, Kelley, Austin Carroll, T.J. Hinson, Tanner and Jobbitt voted in favor; and Commissioners Ronnie Brewer, Brian Peery, Larry Hensley, Timmie Hinson, Kyle Bobo, Patrick Halfacre, Aren Ragsdale, Bill Dyer, Robert Brewer and Caleb Feichtinger voted no. The amendment failed with seven commissioners in favor and ten not in favor.

The Commission then moved on to Summertown Metals' resolution. It was put to a roll call vote where it passed unanimously.

Summertown Metals Attorney, Caleb Thomas, spoke during the alloted time for public input where he announced that Summertown Metals would be building a concrete plant and a truss-building plant. Thomas said, "This is going to provide massive opportunities for Lewis County. It's going to provide massive revenue for the City of Hohenwald. It's going to provide our community with a good, strong and stable business that is going to employ probably 150 new employees in the future."

Chris Trull

The resolution stated Trull was hoping to buy Parcels Three, Ten and Eleven in Industrial Park in order to "build a building or two and expand his business." The parcels consist of approximately 22 acres.

Commissioners Jobbitt and Kelley sponsored the resolution, and it passed in a unanimous roll call vote.

Doug and Daniel Jobbitt

The resolution stated that Doug and Daniel wished to purchase Parcel Eight in order to build a building and open a business. Parcel Eight consists of 6.5 acres and the exact number will be determined by a new survey.

The resolution passed unanimously in a roll call vote. Commissioner Jobbitt abstained from the vote.

Junior Pro Football

Lewis County Junior Pro Football requested to purchase Parcel 6.5 of Industrial Park to have a permanent home for their youth football and cheerleading programs. The parcel consists of approximately 7 acres.

"We have this [land] zoned for Industrial [use]... how can they buy it?" asked Commissioner Pigg when it was time to vote on their resolution.

Mayor Keltner looked to Barber who is also on the City's Planning Commission. "I don't know that I have a good answer for that question. I certainly support Jr. Pro Football. Obviously I'd love for them to be in another location so we could use that for industrial use, but I don't have a good answer for that," said Barber.

Mayor Keltner asked if they would also have to go before the Planning Commission to make sure they meet all requirements. Barber responded, "I don't have a good answer for that either. I've never had a particular case come up like this."

Commissioner Jobbitt then made an argument for the Junior Pro Football to be able to buy the land.

"Before I came here, the commission gave soccer 10 acres for free on the other side of Industrial Park on Commerce Drive. Well, Junior Pro offered to pay for this," said Commissioner Jobbitt.

Commissioner Feichtinger also spoke in favor of the Junior Pro Football program by saying they would bring in a good amount of money.

Then Commissioner Halfacre voiced his concern for the safety of the kids, "since Summertown Metals is wanting to put in a cement plant back there at the very back, and it's next to this; how hazardous would it be to breathe in particles from the cement?"

After a short period of debate among the commissioners, the resolution was put to a roll call vote where the resolution passed unanimously.