By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Grayson Tourism cabin could have a new tenant soon, if everything goes according to plan. Renee Parsons, a grant writer working with the county, is looking for new office space closer to home, and tourism might just be the folks to provide it.
Parsons isn’t the only one interested in the space, however. A tentative agreement for rent had been reached with another possible tenant, but due to health concerns the individual intending to rent the property would need to delay occupying it until 2025. Parsons was discussed as an alternative renter for the property, as she could occupy the property and pay the commission rent immediately.
Tourism president Mindy Click made the commission aware of Parsons’ interest in locating the offices for her nonprofit in the cabin. Parsons, who is also working as the grant writer for the Carter County fiscal court, currently has offices in Ashland, but her lease is due to expire at the end of September. The lease would be approximately $800 per month, with Parsons also being responsible for utilities. This would not only save the commission on the cost of utilities, which they are currently paying, but increase revenue through the rental. The commission voted to accept a rental lease from Parsons after the lease was reviewed.
Council also approved minutes from the August meeting, and the treasurer’s report was received by the commission. Typical expenses and income on the treasurer’s report include money collected from the transient tax on Grayson hotels and the restaurant tax, and typical expenses include any outstanding loans or utilities on commission buildings, marketing and events, etc. As a profit/loss snapshot, the commission took in (net) $13,022.38 against total expenses of $4,122. The numbers are adjustable based on when money was collected versus the month it actually was applied. The commission voted to accept the report as presented.
In other action the commission discussed the Blue Goose Project and considered beginning a bid process for the building. Sports Park manager Grant Harper said he had spoken with a contractor to get an idea of potential costs for concrete work, with the idea of projecting a potential cost before the bid process began. One option to reduce costs was to use a DPO (direct purchase order) for materials. If the commission were to purchase materials in this way, then they could potentially save a considerable amount of money due to the fact that the commission would not have to pay sales tax. Harper said that not all contractors are willing to bid a DPO contract due to the fact that contractors typically make money from the materials themselves.
The commission is looking for contractors for the Blue Goose Project, and if necessary, will begin the bid process. But if the construction project comes in under a cost of $30,000 then a bid process is not required. Harper told the commission he would recommend seeking three estimates for work even if no bidding process was required.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
