Committee approves contingent ownership change at Hayward Aviation; extends FBO agreement

The Sawyer County Public Works Committee voted to forward to the full county board a resolution approving a change of ownership at Hayward Aviation and approved a companion resolution to extend the county's Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) agreement for an additional five-year option.

The committee approved the change-of-ownership resolution by voice vote after staff outlined four conditions that must be met before the county will release a personal guarantee: (1) the sale of Todd Van Nispen’s 50% share to Derek Leslie, (2) an executed sale agreement between those parties within Hayward Aviation, (3) the formal assignment of Van Nispen’s shares to Leslie, and (4) the bank closing and completion of financing. The resolution was carried on a voice vote; the record did not contain a roll-call tally.

Derek Leslie, who described his family’s long involvement with the Hayward airport, told the committee he had discussed the transaction with county staff and asked the committee to forward the resolution unanimously. “I was born in ’90, so I’ve been there my whole life,” Leslie said, describing the history of his family’s operation and the need to complete the buyout to continue airport operations.

Staff advised that several internal Hayward Aviation documents included in the packet must be signed and approved before the county would release any personal guarantee. Staff also recommended keeping the existing FBO agreement on its current terms rather than renegotiating, and instead adding a third five-year renewal option to the existing contract to give the bank time to complete repayment under its financing schedule.

The committee voted to extend the FBO agreement with the same contingencies on the ownership change. Brandy Newman moved the FBO-extension resolution, with Chuck Van Etten seconding; the motion carried by voice vote. Staff said the existing FBO contract was originally signed in February 2019 as a 10-year agreement with two five-year renewal options, and the extension would add a third five-year option without changes to terms.

Committee members and staff emphasized that the county would not release any personal guarantees until the required internal documents were executed and the bank closed financing. Staff also said the county would seek to ensure the bank closing and the internal assignments occurred in lockstep so the county’s contractual and financial protections remained intact.

The committee’s approvals send both resolutions to the full county board for final action.