GARTH BUYS FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES!
Spends $3M to build cop shop next to his Nashville honky-tonk
SAFETY-MINDED Garth Brooks is ensuring his newly opened Nashville bar is clean as a whistle in all ways that matter — he just dropped $3 million on his very own police station right next door to ensure 24/7 security! The 62-year-old country kingpin’s move to personally finance a Metro Nashville Police substation bordering his Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk didn’t cost taxpayers a dime — and hardly made a dent in the music icon’s $400 million wallet.
“Garth already paid nearly $50 million for the property he’s built his nightclub on,” swills a source. “He figured, what’s another few million to help keep his patrons safe, and also help out all the other bars in the downtown area of Nashville?”
The Grammy-winning singer’s 54,000-square-foot club, which officially opened March 7, is the largest in all of Nashville — and sources say with his reputation on the line, Garth has already imposed an early curfew on live performances so that artists don’t have to return to their cars in the wee hours when danger lurks.
“Garth knows it’s his name that will be front and center if something bad happens to one of his customers coming to and from his bar,” chugs an insider. “He’s rich enough he didn’t think anything of doling out the dough to put a cop shop smack dab at his location!”
Former Nashville Mayor John Cooper lauded the civicminded singer by saying “I commend Garth Brooks for stepping up to help make Lower Broadway safer and more enjoyable for everyone.” And a bartender tells The National ENQUIRER local cops got fringe benefits on opening night!
“It’s really cool that Garth is taking care of the police,” burbles a blabber. “He’s a sweet guy and I know the officers are really grateful — they can come in, rest, eat and charge up!”