Updated 11/22/19

The Maury County Commission has given unanimous approval to State Representative Scott Cepicky to continue his pursuit of funding for a new agriculture center in Maury County.

Cepicky recently told commissioners that he expects it will cost the county $1 million for engineering and design plans to be drafted. Those plans would give the county a guaranteed maximum price for the project’s construction.

The commission’s unanimous approval of the pursuit also gives the local representative an added boost when bringing the proposal to state leaders, including Governor Bill Lee, who could grant state funding toward the proposed project.

The project may also be eligible for federal funding.

Cepicky is currently in the process of presenting the plan to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and the governor and now, he is doing it with full support of the county commission.

The state representative told commissioners that there are two potential sites for the center. One plan, shared earlier this year, proposes the new center sit on 471 acres of TWRA land off of Highway 50 toward Lewisburg, about 6 miles west of the Interstate 65 interchange .

A second proposal shared Monday night would place the center north of Columbia at an undisclosed location near Bear Creek Pike.