Institute of Marine Mammal Studies offers to pay for new appraisal as it seeks fee-simple title to leased Harrison County land

Bill Williams, representing the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies, told the Harrison County Board of Supervisors on March 24, 2025, that the organization is asking the board to consider converting a 99-year ground lease on roughly 20 acres in the county's industrial seaway area to a fee-simple (ownership) interest and that IMMS will pay for a current appraisal of the property.

The request matters because IMMS said converting the lease would ease future investments and grant relationships tied to property ownership. Williams told the board IMMS has invested in site infrastructure and has federal grants and partnerships that make clear title preferable for expansion plans such as dormitories for students and visiting researchers.

Williams summarized the proposal and history in a presentation to the board. He said the lease dates to about February 2005 and that IMMS has spent about $3.5 million on on-site infrastructure (roadway, utilities, wetland mitigation and site work) plus more than $50 million in improvements funded through grants and contracts. He said the development commission previously used an appraisal that reflected 2005 conditions — approximately $2,000 per acre in that earlier valuation — and that a current appraisal would better reflect today’s value and improvements. "We are proposing to commission on our dime an appraisal of the property as it sits now subject to the 99-year lease so that the board can make a more informed decision," Williams said.

Board members asked questions about comparables used in the earlier appraisal, how the development commission had handled sales of adjacent parcels, and who holds authority to approve any change in title. A board member noted earlier parcel sales in the area that were not subject to the 99-year lease and said those sales created precedent concerns; another asked which entity must sign off on a settlement if the board chooses to accept a price. Williams named Everett Ladner, an MAI appraiser, as someone IMMS has consulted.

County officials and board members discussed next steps rather than taking a formal vote. Several supervisors said the county should receive the new appraisal and then determine the appropriate approval path. One supervisor said the development commission has asserted the property is in the development commission's name and would need to act on any sale or settlement. The board recorded a direction to obtain the appraisal from IMMS and to coordinate with the Harrison County Development Commission before taking further formal action.

No formal vote to convert the lease or to sell the property was taken at the March 24 meeting; the item remains pending further appraisal documentation and consultation between the board and the development commission.

The presentation and follow-up questions occurred during the meeting's public presentation portion before the board moved to the consent agenda. The board asked IMMS to provide the appraisal, which Williams estimated would cost about $5,000 and which IMMS said it would pay for, and to return the matter for formal consideration after coordination with the development commission.