JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Members of the Board of Education have officially accepted the proposed lease agreement between the Board and the county’s Food Bank during this month’s public meeting, under legal review by City Attorney Mark Raines Jr.
The lease agreement between the Board and the county’s food bank was first discussed and approved during May’s public meeting, when Dr. Mark Griffith explained how the Food Bank came forward with a lease agreement seeking new housing for its operations. However, full approval of the lease agreement was not to be made until legal overview by Attorney Raines Jr. was conducted.
Griffith, whilst in attendance of this month’s meeting, expressed how the agreement was recently sent to him by the Food Bank for full review, which was then turned over to Raines Jr. for legal overview. He also noted how several minor changes were needed to be made to the agreement, with Griffith requesting the Board allow Raines Jr. to make said changes.
When asked how long the lease agreement would be, Raines Jr. noted it to be a 99 year lease for $1 per year, with the lease beginning last month on June 1. The Marion County Food Bank will be responsible for all upkeep and utilities upon agreeing to the lease with the Board, while the Board will retain full ownership of the property in which the Food Bank will be located at. However, upon expiration, the lease will be placed into a year-to-year rental rather than continue to be leased through a given amount of time.
“If something happened in the future to where the Board decided to declare that surplus property or sell it, of course it’ll be subject to that lease,” expressed Raines Jr.
He acknowledged how everything under the agreement was in full order, with himself and Attorney William Gouger looking to make a few minor changes to the overall typo, first mentioned by Dr. Griffith. The lease agreement was ultimately approved by all members of the Board alongside Attorney Raines Jr.’s approval, with the agreement now currently in effect between both associated parties.
