On Monday, the Sumner County Commission approved the transfer of the Comer Barn and its surrounding easement to Sumner County Schools. Rogers Group is proposing to gift Sumner County with an additional 42 acres to support this project. Sumner County Schools will receive 39 acres of this property, which will be deeded to and owned solely by Sumner County Schools. Sumner County government will retain the 3-acre parcel and Comer Mansion which currently houses the Sumner County Tourism offices.
The Sumner County Commission is also transferring $494,536 in state, county and private funds that were previously allocated to be used to repair the roof on the barn.
Tuesday, September 21, the Sumner County Board of Education voted unanimously to accept the transfer of the historic Comer Barn property to be developed as a future Agriculture and STEM Learning Center for our school district. This Agriculture and STEM Learning Center will include a large outdoor classroom pavilion used to accommodate school field trips and extended school projects, renovation of the historic Comer Barn for indoor classroom learning and project spaces, and green houses to support STEM, FFA and 4-H activities.
This is a conceptual drawing prepared by the Historic Commission. Our Board believes this project represents a tremendous opportunity to support and expand STEM and agricultural learning in our school district. It supports the rich history and future of our agricultural roots in Sumner County.
The Historic Commission estimates the preliminary cost of the initial project to be $3.5 million. The final improvement plan for the Agriculture and STEM Learning Center will be developed and competitively bid at a future date. The Sumner County Board of Education voted unanimously last night to fund any future improvements from the district’s general purpose reserves.