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Board authorizes administrator to sign revised Blackstone aviation agreement after tweaking reversion language
Summary
The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors reviewed proposed changes to a sale or lease of airport property to the town of Blackstone, discussed reversion and first‑refusal language and voted to authorize the county administrator to sign the contract once infrastructure/reversion language is clarified.
At the Aug. 14, 2017 work session the board discussed a proposed sale or lease of airport property to the town of Blackstone and recommended changes to reversion and right‑of‑first‑refusal language in the draft agreement.
Officials said the Virginia Department of Aviation will not participate in improvements on leased property; that steered some discussion toward an outright sale. County staff and legal counsel reviewed a proposed reversion clause that would allow the county to repurchase the property (fee simple title) if the town did not make specified aviation‑related improvements within five years. Under the draft, the county would pay the town the original purchase price plus 4% interest if the right of reversion were exercised. The board directed staff to refine the clause’s definition of “improvements” (examples discussed included permanent utility or stormwater infrastructure rather than temporary clearing) to reduce litigation risk.
Right of first refusal and recording
Board members asked that the right‑of‑first‑refusal provision be recorded in the deed and clarified that the usual approach would be for both parties to obtain appraisals and use the average to set a repurchase price in non‑aviation sale contexts. Counsel agreed that reversionary and right‑of‑first‑refusal encumbrances would be matters of public record and should appear on title searches.
Vote and direction
After discussion, a supervisor moved and another seconded a motion to authorize the county administrator (Winter Bowen) to sign the contract on behalf of the board once the infrastructure/reversion language is revised. The board voted in favor. No individual vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters
The board framed the reversion clause as protection against speculative resale of county property for non‑aviation uses and sought a clearer, narrower definition of what constitutes an actionable improvement for purposes of extinguishing the county’s reversion right. The county and town will also pursue state aviation grants to offset purchase or improvement costs if the deal proceeds.
