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Supervisors defer Washington Park lease renewal decision; operator urges continued programming
Summary
The Greensville County Board deferred action on a notice-of-intent not to renew the Washington Park lease and agreed to a special meeting Sept. 24 to review the lease; Willie H. Gillis Jr. of Roswell Park Association described the programmatic activities at Washington Park and urged continuity for youth and community services.
The Greensville County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 2 voted to defer a decision on whether to notify the Washington Park operator that the county would not renew the lease when it automatically renews next spring. The board agreed to schedule a special meeting around the Sept. 24 budget meeting to review the lease and related documents.
County counsel told the board that the lease contains an automatic renewal clause and that giving notice of intent not to renew by Sept. 30 would prevent automatic renewal and create seven months for negotiations prior to the April 1 renewal date. "If you adopt a motion not to renew, it will not renew. But then you will have 7 months to review the lease, negotiate it, and you can enter right back into the same lease or a modified lease," the county attorney said. He emphasized that giving notice does not terminate current occupancy; it preserves negotiation time.
The nut graf: Rather than giving immediate notice, supervisors asked to review the lease and related grant/contract materials and to consult with the operator and staff; the board set a special meeting for Sept. 24 to ensure the lease review occurs before the renewal window closes.
Willie H. Gillis Jr., president and CEO of Roswell Park Association, told the board the association does not hold grants for Washington Park itself but partners with grant recipients and said the center hosts multiple youth and community programs, including Team Loaded basketball, after-school tutoring, CTE activities, college tours that he said helped students win scholarships, a partnership with Community In Schools, and plans to be one of four rural health-connect hubs in Virginia. "We have never had an incident of violence at the center," Gillis said, underlining the association’s role as a community hub.
Supervisors asked to receive a copy of the existing lease and indicated they wanted to consider possible lease improvements to better serve the community. The board voted to defer the item to a special call meeting on Sept. 24 and asked county staff to email the lease to board members and to coordinate the follow-up meeting.
