HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Carroll County is one step closer to having a publicly-available commercial kitchen.
The Carroll County Purchasing Committee voted unanimously to award a bid to Zline Kitchen for a complete commercial kitchen addition at the Carroll County Civic Center at their meeting on Thursday, March 26.
The project is funded largely through a $100,000 state agriculture grant.
Zline’s bid, submitted by partner Mike Zuro, came in at $101,743.71, just over the grant amount. Committee members noted that the figures represent a high-end estimate.
“The amounts should not exceed this,” Zuro wrote in his proposal letter.
“I’m excited to transform that [area] into a space that’s multi-functional and durable,” Zuro said later to Carroll County Observer. “That the community can use for many years.”
“It was a unique project,” Mayor Joseph Butler explained, “because you’re sort of asking somebody to supply kitchen equipment, do some labor, and new walls and doors, and then also to supply commercial kitchen equipment, install it, cabinets.”
Butler and county grant coordinator Amber Parham had toured Zline’s showroom before the meeting.
“They build out kitchens similar at the showroom,” Butler said.
Zline Kitchen operates nationwide, and sells a wide array of commercial and residential kitchen equipment. They operate a warehouse at the former H.I.S. property in Bruceton.
“That’s a company that’s here in the county,” Committee Chair Barry Mac Murphy noted. “I have had the opportunity to go over and look at the old Siegel place where they’ve opened up business.”
What’s Being Built
The proposal calls for transforming the Civic Center’s approximately 500 square foot kitchen space into a state-of-the-art multi-use commercial kitchen facility.
The project includes major appliances such as two 36-inch built-in fridge-freezer combos, two 36-inch gas ranges with electric ovens, a double wall oven, commercial vent hoods, gourmet ice makers, a commercial high-temp dishwasher, and a heated holding cabinet. After a 15% discount, appliances total $46,221.96.
Construction costs cover framing, ceiling, lighting, electrical work that includes 3-phase 240-volt runs for the dishwasher, new plumbing for sinks, counter-height roll-up doors, SPC or ceramic wood-grained flooring, ultra-durable PVC cabinets with a lifetime guarantee, stainless and quartz countertops, and two new entry doors.
The grant, Butler said, flows from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and targets specific programming needs.
“The goal of the Department of Ag, obviously, would be our local 4-H could do student classes. The Office on Aging does a lot of cooking, and so they could use the space,” he said. “But I think you’ll see classes launched out of this for different population demographics.”
Micro-Business Potential
“A private person could rent it for a day or two and make their salsa or whatever it is that they want to distribute,” Committee member Lana Suite said. “And that way they can say that it was made in a commercial grade kitchen.”
She pointed to examples from across the region.
“I know there are several in East Tennessee,” she said. “Cosby has one, Irwin has one, and they have their price structures online. There are a lot of communities that have a commercial kitchen in an event space.”
Butler agreed the possibilities were wide open.
Positive Change for the County
Murphy said that he is excited to see improvements taking place at the Civic Center.
He called the project “a full blessing,” adding that he expected the county commission as a whole to weigh in on ways to utilize the space.
He also praised Civic Center director Natalie McMasters.
“We’ve got a lady out there that’s doing a marvelous job on managing that,” he said.
“The Civic Center is one of the largest assets that our county has,” he added. “I like to see it being taken care of.”
The committee approved the bid without opposition.
The project must be completed and all grant funds spent by December 31, 2027, giving Zline Kitchen just under two years to finish the work.
