MOSES LAKE - The Port of Moses Lake recently signed a two-year lease with Genie Industries for a 33,000 square-foot building off Randolph Road.

Port Executive Director Pat Jones said Genie is currently making improvements to Building 3303, which REC Silicon previously used as a warehouse. Genie is adding a fence around the building and the 3 acres surrounding it and cutting in new doors on the back of the building to move their equipment in and out, he said. Genie plans to occupy the building within the next six weeks, said Jones. The agreement also comes with two options to extend the lease by one year, he said.

Genie Director of Operations Glenn Gere announced the company was planning on leasing the building from the port during a Grant County Economic Development Council meeting last month.

He said the building will house Genie's product development team. The company plans to build a structure on site within the next few years and bring the development team back to that building, Gere said in May.

Genie is building the new structure to increase manufacturing space inside their current building, he said.

Jones said the port also recently signed two First Right of Refusal agreements with the company for parcels of land on Randolph Road.

The first agreement pertains to a 3-acre parcel, while the second agreement involves a 12.9-acre piece of land. Both parcels are adjacent to Genie's main manufacturing building, said Jones.

The agreements essentially give Genie the option to call first dibs on leasing the two parcels, said Jones.

"If anyone else wants to come and lease it, Genie has the first chance to say 'no, we want to lease it'," he said.

Jones said the agreement is an indication that Genie could expand its operations in the coming years.

"It represents another step in Genie's commitment to Moses Lake and their commitment to expanding their footprint here," he said.