FAIRMONT – The Martin County Economic Development Authority (EDA) gave its recommendation to the Martin County Commissioners regarding the Cress refrigeration new building project tax abatement request at Tuesday’s special meeting.

In the request presented to the board, Cress Refrigeration Owners Nick and Sam Cress said the abatement will allow them to expand the business, increase their service area and provide faster service by increasing employee count.

The project’s current expected cost is $1,074,975 for a 6,400 square foot commercial building, used for 1,300 square feet of office and showroom space, 1,900 square feet of garage space and 3,200 square feet of shop space.

Nick Cress said the building will be placed on some farmland on Bixby Road out by the Martin County Fairgrounds. He said the city of Fairmont has approved it, and the school district will be having consideration of it very soon, with a public hearing on July 15.

Board Member Richard Koons asked if it is correct that they are looking to hire two employees over the five-year abatement period.

“Our goal is to find another technician,” Nick Cress said. “With that, we’re probably gonna need an office person. That’s our goal: to within that five-year time window add that much more staff.”

Right now, Nick Cress said they have just two technicians, him and Sam Cress, while their mother Carol Cress does bookkeeping, which is what the new office person would be doing.

“You’re not really adding one; you’re just replacing mom,” Board Member Billeye Rabbe said.

“We’re replacing a less-than-part-time with a full-time,” Nick Cress replied.

Board Member James Kloeckner said he knows Cress Refrigeration has been very busy, and he asked if they had been limited growth-wise by their current situation. Nick Cress said they would not be turning down as much work as they do if they had this new building.

“We just had one guy retire who’s been with us for 19 years,” he said. “We brought him an apprentice to kind of fill in his place, so a five-year run to get this apprentice up to a full technician.”

Rabbe motioned and Kloeckner seconded the motion to recommend the tax abatement to the Martin County Board of Commissioners. The recommendation was passed unanimously. The Board of Commissioners will have its public hearing at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7 for the tax abatement request.

In other news:

— The 2027 preliminary budget was also approved unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting. It is a slight increase from $150,250 to $152,300. The biggest increase was $6,200 more toward professional and technical services, while $5,000 was cut from the promotional budget.