Fred Horn, owner of Shelbyville Self Storage in Shelbyville, Tenn., has requested the city assist in repairing a culvert and water/sewer line he believes have contributed to flooding along Fairground Heights, which borders his property at 321 Bethany Lane. The issue caused a potential sale of the facility to fall through earlier this year, Horn told the city council on Tuesday during a work-study session.

During the meeting, Horn met privately with City Manager Jay Johnson and verbally agreed to make a one-time payment of $12,000 toward fixing the water issues, the source reported. Johnson blamed the problem on drainage not flooding.

Horn, who is 77 and lives in a retirement community in Florida, told the council he needed to sell the property and has already spent $100,000 on renovations. The former city engineer said material estimates for the repair work totaled $7,800 in addition to labor and equipment, according to the source.

Though Horn offered to supervise the proposed improvements, city officials voiced concerns about liability issues and a potential conflict of interest. Councilmembers discussed having city engineer Will Owen and Eric Pierce, director of the public works department, manage the project.

Pierce warned the project could impact properties upstream and downstream from the self-storage facility. He also urged the council to consider addressing drainage issues along nearby Rockwood Drive if it moved forward with Horn’s proposal.

The council could discuss the item formally during its Dec. 8 meeting, the source reported.

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