STEPS, Inc., the Prince Edward County Department of Social Services and prospective businesses are set to benefit from a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors voted for during a special called meeting Tuesday.

The MOU indicated that the department of social services will move into the STEPS facility at 100 Industrial Park Road, renovate the former Craddock Terry Shoe Factory, repair the roof of the factory and provide additional space that is ready for businesses to move into — all while allowing the current STEPS operation to remain at the facility.

“This collaboration will also allow expansion of services provided by STEPS and allow the departments remaining in the Prince Edward County Courthouse the additional room they so badly need,” said Prince Edward County Administrator Wade Bartlett in a statement released following the meeting. “Finally, the collaboration will provide approximately 50,000 square feet of space that can be marketed to companies looking to expand and create jobs in our community.”

Bartlett said the county has been researching the need to upgrade the security of the Prince Edward County Courthouse.

“During the planning phase of this project, it became clear that in addition to the security upgrades, several departments have an overwhelming need for additional space to properly serve our citizens,” Bartlett said. “The board of supervisors worked diligently with an architectural firm to develop a plan to increase the amount of space available within the confines of the existing courthouse footprint.”

He said the resulting plan did not provide enough additional space, and the cost of the additions was very high, and the disruption to operations would have been extreme.

“At the same time the county was grappling with the courthouse project, we hosted visits from several businesses looking for a community in which to locate an expansion,” Bartlett said. “Most commented on their favorable impression of Prince Edward/Farmville. But we were not able to land any of these businesses because we did not have any available space that was ready to occupy.”

He said during the same period, STEPS was contemplating the logistics of expanding their program offerings.

“They own the STEPS CENTRE, which has tens of thousands of square feet, but the cost to repair a leaking roof and the buildout of the empty space was beyond STEPS’ current financial capacity,” Bartlett said. “The board of supervisors realized to solve the space needs of our departments we would need to relocate some departments, to create additional room for the remaining departments.”

According to Bartlett, in a meeting of the Prince Edward County property committee, Jim Ennis, the county attorney, asked about the possibility of using the STEPS CENTRE.

“The county contacted the STEPS Board to ascertain their interest in working together to mutually solve our needs,” Bartlett said. “The result was creation of the MOU.This alliance is a win-win not only for the board of supervisors and the STEPS Board but a win for the citizens of Prince Edward County.”

Bartlett said the facility will be completely renovated and shell space will be added to the existing space for existing or new businesses to move into.

“STEPS will continue to operate its Secure Document Shredding business in its current footprint within the building with the hopes of expanding that operation to provide more jobs to citizens with and without disabilities,” Bartlett said. “Architectural work will begin immediately with the goal of being ready to provide services no later than Jan. 1, 2019.”