JDA investing in major upgrades to Heritage Industrial Complex

The Grady County Joint Development Authority is making a major investment in its Heritage Industrial Complex to repair a leaking roof and improve conditions for a major tenant at the former Roddenbery pickle plant.
Authority members voted unanimously for $322,852 in improvements, which include the roof repairs as well as improvement in the interior lighting as well as the installation of fans to help lower the temperature inside the section of the facility that is being leased by Big Bend Agri Service.
The authority also authorized Chairman Charles M. Stafford to execute a new five-year lease with Big Bend. Stafford negotiated the new lease with Monty Ferrell, owner of Big Bend.
Beginning in January 2018 the local firm will pay a monthly lease of $9,200.
Authority member Charles Goar spoke in favor of investing the money in the Heritage Complex. “They’ve been a good tenant and they shouldn’t have to move around product to try and keep it dry. We need to fix the roof,” Goar said Tuesday.
JDA Vice Chairman Robbie Burns concurred and noted that even if Big Bend left the authority would still have a leaky roof and would need to fix it before it could attempt to lease the space to another renter.
Burns also pointed out that Ferrell had invested his own money into improvements at the Heritage Industrial Complex. “I think he is planning on being there a long time,” Burns said.
GFA Design Build provided the lowest bid for the roof work at $235,946. Other bids ranged from $336,400 to $376,011.
The new roof has a 10-year warranty on labor and installation and a 15-year warranty on materials, according to Burns.
The project will be paid for with money from the authority’s general fund. Burns noted that other major expenses to be paid from the general fund shortly include $22,000 for the authority’s portion of the 20th Street project. The authority also paid $9,350 to Stacy Watkins of Watkins & Associates for engineering on the project and $8,000 in grant administration to Bob Roberson.
The authority is anticipating being able to announce details concerning a new development coming to the Milestone Industrial Park next month. Burns reported to the authority that the final details have been worked out and all that remains is for the transaction to close.