Soil and Water Conservation District says Randall Street lease renewed; district has not seen the document

Ken Gonkel, vice chair of the Dearborn County Soil and Water Conservation District, told the Dearborn County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 that the lease for the Randall Street building was renewed in September and that, according to the district’s understanding, the renewal runs about three years with roughly a 5% annual increase.

Gonkel said the building is a federal-occupied property in which the Farm Service Administration (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Soil and Water Conservation District share space. He said FSA is the leaseholder. Gonkel told the board he had not yet seen the lease document.

Gonkel also told commissioners the building changed ownership earlier in the year and that the district compiled a list of roughly a dozen maintenance or repair items. He said about half of those items were addressed before the lease renewal but that the district remains concerned about outstanding issues and is keeping options open for other office locations if problems persist.

Gonkel said the district’s occupancy arrangement allows it to provide services to FSA and NRCS and that the rent arrangement (district occupying space rent-free in exchange for services) remains in effect pending final review of the lease. He asked the board to note the district’s continuing need to monitor the building condition and to confirm lease terms once the district receives the document from FSA.

The update was presented as a program update; no formal board action was recorded on the lease during the meeting.