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What to do with the deteriorating Southern Middle Tennessee Pavilion has led to questions about whether to sell the facility on Joyce Lane or upgrade it through a potential property tax increase.

The Franklin County Pavilion Board received input from about 10 residents on May 8 who said they don’t want the county to sell the pavilion.

Pavilion Director William Anderson, who is also a county commissioner, said the county government’s budget is tight to where a tax increase will probably be needed just to fund normal county operational expenditures. He added that the immediate goal is to determine what the pavilion is worth, which will prompt a decision by the County Commission on whether to sell or keep it.

Anderson said the Pavilion Board has forwarded the issue on to the Finance Committee which will consider in June whether to partner with a realtor to showcase the pavilion to determine its marketable value.

He said the country received a $1 million offer from a financial group to purchase the facility. However, he added that the pavilion would have to be sold through a competitive bid process to comply with state law.

Anderson said the pavilion could be worth as much as $4 million, but it might cost $1 million to $2 million to upgrade it.

“We need to find out what it’s worth before we decide what to do with it,” he said, adding that the final decision will be in the County Commission’s hands.

“If it is sold, that money is projected to be used to purchase land for future business (restaurants, clothing outlets) and job-producing industry that could be potential income partners to our county and relieve some of the burden on the landowners who pay property taxes,” he said.

Anderson is encouraging public input about the pavilion.

“I welcome your thoughts, but understand that keeping the building will come with a tax increase with the intent to fix it back up the way it should be for many years to come,” he said in a post on his Facebook page. “The county is broke, and we have huge financial burdens already going into this fiscal year to tackle.”

Anderson highlighted the pavilion’s history and how it came into Franklin County’s hands.

He said that the pavilion was built in the early 1990s using grant money and donations from local farmers.

The pavilion had been managed as a 501(c)3 nonprofit facility by a group that went bankrupt around 2010, and the county had to take back control of the facility, Anderson said.

“At this time, it was in terrible shape,” he said, referring to the pavilion’s condition.

He added that the building “limped by” for the next five years until finally some funds were spent to improve the facility.

Anderson said new siding was put around the inside, the kitchen area was redone, and some work was also done to improve the roof.

“It appeared that the facility might finally see some life again,” he said. “As with any facility, maintenance is key. Money is needed to do regular maintenance.”

Anderson said the facility has an antiquated sprinkler system that needs to be repaired, and the roof has started leaking again in more places than not. He added that most of the electrical wiring and infrastructure needs repairs and updates after 35 years.

Anderson said the pavilion’s parking area needs to be resurfaced, and insulation on the building’s inside needs to be patched or replaced.

“For the last five years, I have begged the County Commission for funding, but because of much more needed priorities, the funding never came,” he said.

Anderson said that during the Pavilion Board’s May 8 meeting, it was explained to the audience what it would take to upgrade the facility.

It was also explained that the pavilion has a $40,000 annual operational cost to the county.

Anderson said that if the pavilion were sold, some of the money could be used to fill the deficit for a pet shelter that the county can’t afford.