Prior to hearing a series of airport related matters at the BOCC meeting on June 13th, Commissioner Steve Champion asked, “Do we have legal go through every lease because to be honest, I just don’t trust any lease coming out of the airport without legal going through every one of them.”
Kevin Daugherty replied that every lease is reviewed and approved by their attorney before coming to the board.
Later on in the discussion County Administrator Len Sossamon explained that Paul Molle will now be reviewing all county leases including those at the airport, working under the purchasing and contracts manager Jim Wunderle. Veering off topic, he added that Molle is currently working on an RFP to select a real estate firm or firms to sell off the county’s surplus properties.
Daugherty added that they work from templates and anytime there is a deviation from the template it goes to the attorney’s office to be reviewed.
The issue of leases has been a sore subject for the county recently since two companies not chosen to lease a building and hangar space located at 15421 Technology Drive, have put the county on notice that they will be legally challenging the lease agreement. The county approved a lease agreement with Global Jet Care for the property in question at their meeting May 23, 2017. Jet Concepts contends that public comment should have been allowed at the May 23 meeting and their hearing should have been conducted before Global Jet Care’s since they submitted their bid first. Jet ICU, who had bids prepared, also contends that they were denied a hearing.
The first item that Daugherty presented was Accuform’s refinancing of improvements in the industrial park. “They are requesting to secure an interest in their leasehold in the unlikely event that Accuform would default on their loan,” explained Daugherty. According to the county Accuform has had a “ground lease within the Industrial Park since July 23, 2002 and is in good standing under their lease.”
Commissioners unanimously approved the consent to mortgage the leasehold interest.
The second item Daugherty presented to the commission was the supplemental joint participation agreement with FDOT to rehabilitate Taxiway B using existing grant money.
Daugherty explained that there is a little over $300,000 left in the grant which they will now allow to go towards construction costs.
“This is a very big win for us,” said Daugherty.
The item was unanimously approved.
Daugherty said that they just had the bid opening for the project June 7 and they are putting together the FAA grant for the board’s consideration for their next meeting. They would expect the grant offer to come through in August. The low bid Daugherty said was $1.5 million and the federal funding portion is about $1.3 to $1.4 million.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” said Daugherty.
The final item was a T-Hangar Lease agreement with Astro Communications LLC for Hangar 55, one of the new small hangars. Daugherty explained that they would be a new tenant and rent would be $4500 annually, which is “the going rent for the facility.”
He said it’s a 12 month agreement and he seems like a pretty nice guy. The president of Astro Communications is Alexander Tubonjic. He will be using the hangar for his 1974 Cessna, running the lease through his company.
Daugherty clarified that the 12 month lease goes to automatic month to month renewal after a year. There is a 2 – 3 % rental increase annually.
“Our costs are going up, but we also don’t want to escalate it to where we’re running people out,” said Daugherty.