Farm Service Agency to remain in Agri-Center for up to ten years

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency will remain a tenant of the Grady County Agri-Center for at least another 10 years after county officials were successful in negotiating a new lease with the federal agency.
Grady County Administrator Carlos Tobar briefed commissioners on the details of the new lease Tuesday.
FSA has been paying the county $1,256.04 per month to lease office space in the Agri-Center, but under the terms of the new 10-year lease the monthly rent will increase to $2,688.50.
The lease also calls for a three percent increase annually.
Based on requirements for improvements by FSA, $9,232 annually has been amortized over the life of the lease to cover the cost of renovations to the FSA suite of offices.
Tobar says the county will pay for the renovations out of the county’s contingency fund this year and the FSA will pay the county back for the improvements over the course of the lease.
The county administrator said the projected cost of the renovations is $79,671. This will cover the construction of two new Americans with Disabilities Act accessible restrooms, creation of additional storage, new lighting, new flooring and new paint in addition to other improvements.
According to Tobar, the county will hire a contractor to do the bulk of the work.
The FSA’s lease with the county expired March 1 and an extension is good through July. Tobar said this week another extension will be necessary with work not expected to begin until early to mid-October.
The county’s contingency fund, according to Tobar, was $142,000 as of Tuesday and after the FSA renovation project is completed just over $62,000 will remain.
“We will have 90 days to get the work done once we have the notice to proceed. This work shouldn’t take that long. We’re hoping to get it done quickly,” Tobar said.