An Existing Facility Report on the Whitepath FabTech property, a property purchased by Fannin County last year, lists total estimated site work and building costs at $5,089,800.
The report lists total site work costs at $353,500, total estimated building renovation costs at $3,888,000, for a total estimated building and site costs figure of $5,089,800, which includes a 20% contingency.
“The following costs are preliminary estimates for budgeting purposes and will change with the final design and input from contractors,” the report states. “The estimate does not include Design, Testing, Permitting or FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment) costs. Possible Environmental issues are not included in the estimates.”
The Board of Commissioners voted to purchase the property for $1,350,000 in a meeting May 14, 2019. However, a letter was sent from County Attorney Lynn Doss to former owner Randy Durden January 30, 2019 stating, “The County desires to purchase the referenced property for the offered price of $1,350,000.00. It is the understanding of the County that the property is being offered “as is” and that the sales price would include all personal property located on the property or remaining in the building and specifically including the solar panels located on the roof of the building.”
While the board had gone into executive session to discuss a “real estate matter” during their Janaury 28, 2019 meeting, Chairman Stan Helton told those in attendance that no decision had been made regarding the real estate matter at that time.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Settlement Statement, the property was purchased for $1,309,349 June 21, 2019. This includes $9,349 in settlement charges, $2,500 of which were settlement fees paid to Doss & Associates Attorneys at Law, LLC.
Helton said in a Letter to the Editor in the February 12 edition of The News Observer that the county had purchased the building using SPLOST funds to satisfy a SPLOST referendum. The SPLOST referendum listed $3,150,000 as the estimated cost for their Capital Outlay-Admin Building/Parking Deck project.
“The 2016 SPLOST referendum MANDATED that the BOC acquire or construct a new Admin/Parking deck to alleviate the parking issues at the current downtown Blue Ridge Courthouse,” he said. “The expected SPLOST revenue for this project is $3,150,000 with approximately $1,850,000 remaining to ‘repurpose’ this bldg. We are also trying to move the library out of the BR Courthouse and use anticipated library grant funds.”