Explaining that the needs of the county have changed, Commission Chairman Jamie Hensley announced a lease/purchase agreement has been secured for the former Whitepath Fabtech building owned by Fannin County.
The agreement will add $600,000 a year to the county’s finances over the next three years, a total of $1.8 million.
The building on East First Street/Old Highway 76 in Blue Ridge was purchased in June 2019 by the former administration. It has remained idle since then except for necessary maintenance.
Hensley said at the regular commission meeting Tuesday, July 26, the county had asked the Fannin County Development Authority (FCDA) to market the building.
He said FCDA Executive Director Sheree Ralston has secured a three year lease/purchase agreement with Mineral Springs Industrial, (MSI) LLC. Although the owner of the LLC was not announced at the meeting, he was referred to as a once local resident wanting to relocate his facility to Fannin County.
Under the terms of the agreement, MSI took possession of the building Monday, August 1. Hensley said the new owner intended to begin making immediate improvements to the building.
The FCDA will act as the landlord for the property.
A lease payment of $600,000 is due in January 2023 with similar payments to be made in January 2024 and 2025. At the end of the three years, MCI has the option to buy the building for $1.
The $1.8 million total represents an increase of $500,000 over the original $1.3 million the county paid for the building.
Both Fannin County Post commissioners agreed with the plan.
Post 2 Commissioner Glenn Patterson said he sees the move as a way to “get some people some jobs,” and Post 1 Commissioner Johnny Scearce said, “We made some money on it.”
The county’s purchase of the building had met with mixed reviews from the beginning as various options were discussed for its use. Those including moving the Fannin County Public Library into the structure as well as relocating several offices from the courthouse, mainly due to parking challenges.
Now, when a new library is complete and the current facility moves out of the courthouse, that additional square footage in the courthouse will be freed up for county use. The current commission has also purchased land behind the courthouse to develop as employee parking.