Fentress Will Refurbish Old Ag Building

The Fentress County Commission approved a resolution to pay for the refurbishment of the old ag building to house the county’s workforce development and adult education programs.

County Executive Jimmy Johnson said Monday the project is necessary because there is not enough space in the Board of Education building where the programs currently exist. Finance Director Tyler Arms said the resolution is structured so that the county borrows from itself to pay for the project.

“Course, this has to be approved by the state still,” Arms said. “This is the first step of it if you all decide to take this route and do this. You would take the money from the general fund, put it into a capital projects fund to perform the project, and then you would repay it out of the debt service fund.”

Johnson said they are out of extra buildings and have no other options for where to put these programs. The resolution declares that the cost of the project is not to exceed $200,000.

Johnson said the two programs will pay a combined $1,000 per month to offset electricity and water costs.

“It’s not a lot, but it’s more than what we’s getting before when we had it with the other folks that were in there,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the programs also currently use space in a county building near Jamestown’s Union Bank, but that space is needed for other uses as well.

“This is the same building we’ve been talking about for a year or so,” Johnson said. “Get it done.”

Arms said they have plenty of money to pay for this project as there is some $2.7 million in their debt services fund.

“We’re hoping to, in the next couple months, hopefully be able to pay off one note that’s being paid out of there, so that’ll assist to build that,” Arms said.

Commissioner Kim Davidson asked if part of the old ag building could be saved for other uses because it is larger than the spaces both programs are in now. Johnson said they would not be able to know for certain until they are moved into the new space.

“Both will be in there,” Johnson said. “They take up a pretty good bunch. As they get in and get settled, it possibly could be. I know highway patrol was asking about a place that, this here building up here, it keeps on leaking around the base of it, whatever, and so they was actually asking if there was any place else other than that over there if there’s some more room left.’