Two firms have been hired to perform appraisals before a permanent home can be acquired for the local Purdue Extension office.
A purchase agreement for the two buildings south of State Street at 785 S. Marr Road was ratified July 5 by the Bartholomew County commissioners.
The entire property, where Premier Ag Co-Op, Inc. is currently based, was recently appraised at $396,500, according to records in the county assessor’s office.
But under state law, the facility has to be evaluated by two different independent appraisers, and the price cannot exceed the average of the combined appraisals, said county attorney Grant Tucker.
Taxpayers will pay Don R. Scheidt and Co. $3,200 to perform one appraisal while First Appraisal Group of Bloomington will be paid $2,890 to do the other.
Premier Ag, a 93-year-old farmer-owned cooperative, announced its merger with Jackson-Jennings Co-op in February and will be moving operations to Seymour next summer. The extension office is expected to remain at its current location until at least July, 2017.
