Livingston County OKs 8-month conditional lease for old airport terminal; commissioners seek stronger lease protections

The Livingston County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 27 to concur with the Aeronautical Facilities Board and enter a temporary conditional lease agreement with SE Metro Properties LLC for the old airport terminal building, approving the measure by a voice vote of 8–1.

Airport staff reported the lessee intends to rehab the old Art Deco terminal over the winter and build at least a 10,000-square-foot hangar next spring, though final hangar location and size remain under development. The short term lease allows the lessee to begin rehabilitation while the parties finalize a longer-term hangar lease.

Commissioners probed the draft lease for missing protections. “There’s no late charge for late rent, no attorney fees if we have to chase them for any breach of the lease, no indemnification, hold harmless, or defend clause,” one commissioner said, asking staff to “buff up” the protections. Staff said they would follow up with counsel and the airport’s lawyer (Tim Perrone, with Peter Poo’s office) to revise the language.

Members also questioned building condition, particularly the basement’s history of water infiltration; airport staff confirmed the basement “leaks like a sieve” and that permits and inspections would be required for any work the lessee performs. Commissioners emphasized the lease’s structure: renovations during the short-term period are optional for the lessee and any work completed would become county property if the parties do not proceed to a long-term lease.

The board approved the conditional lease by voice vote (8–1). Commissioners requested the airport director to return with updated lease language that adds clearer obligations, late-fee and attorney-fee remedies, indemnity and venue clauses before any final long-term lease is executed.

Action and follow-up: Airport staff to revise lease language with county counsel, add explicit protections (late fees, attorney fees, indemnity, venue), and present redlined language to the commissioners before a final long-term agreement.