Civil Air Patrol kept on month-to-month at county property; volunteers cleared to seek modest repairs

Josephine County commissioners agreed to continue a month-to-month tenancy for the Civil Air Patrol at county-owned property at 210 Tacoma and told the group to provide a prioritized list of modest maintenance items the county must approve before work begins.

The county heard from Civil Air Patrol representatives who said the unit meets weekly and has maintained the building and grounds, including changing lights to LEDs and doing custodial work. Captain Meyer and other speakers said volunteer members want permission to make modest improvements — painting, caulking, replacing a leaking faucet and adding a backup toilet — if the county will not invest in major upgrades.

Commissioner Barnett said a month-to-month arrangement is reasonable while the county considers potential property transactions and lot-line adjustments. Facilities manager Ryan Johnson (referenced in the discussion) told the board that enhancements must be approved in advance by the county; commissioners asked the Civil Air Patrol to provide a written list of the proposed enhancements for staff review.

The board said it would not invest county funds in the building at this time but praised the volunteers’ work and accepted continuation of the tenancy on a month-to-month basis, with the requirement that the county approve any proposed enhancements in advance.

The county also discussed the possibility of Civil Air Patrol basing aircraft and building a hangar if the squadron can recruit additional pilots; county officials noted potential state facility-improvement funds for hangars were being discussed but made no commitment.

The board did not adopt a formal lease amendment at the meeting; it recorded no vote on a lease term change and instead directed staff to receive the CAP’s enhancement list and return recommendations to the board.