City's portion is at the bottom of above photo. This past March, Cherokee County Council instructed its administrative staff to move forward with the sale of a portion of the former Milliken “Big Mill” site to the city.

Nearly a year later, the deal has yet to be closed.

City officials said this week they have decided to delay closing on the property until the county makes more progress on its administration building project. The facility should be completed by this fall.

According to the agreement with the property’s former owner, Milliken, the county must sell at least three acres to the city to be used for a park. The county paidMilliken $435,000— or about $25,500 an acre — for the 17-acre parcel.

The city’s price tag for its portion of the site is $80,134.05.

GaffneyMayor Henry Jolly has said he wanted an additional acre to accommodate the construction of an amphitheater, which would serve as a venue for the South Carolina Peach Festival.

However, county officials have said the current site design, complete with plans for two future buildings and a stormwater retention pond, makes it impossible to sell more land to the city.