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Council directs staff to draft long-term Campbell House lease to support Arts Council fundraising; Weymouth loan vote delayed
Summary
Council gave staff drafting instructions for a long-term lease for the Arts Council at the Campbell House (tentative working term 25 years, a graduated repair deductible, and first right of refusal protections) and delayed action on a separate lease to loan three Wyeth paintings to the Weymouth Center until members can review the contract hard copy.
The Southern Pines Town Council directed staff to prepare a new long-term lease for the Arts Council’s use of the Campbell House and delayed action on a separate loan/lease for three Wyeth paintings to the Weymouth Center.
Town Manager Parsons told council members the lease in the packet dated from 2016 and had effectively expired in 2021. The Arts Council is fundraising for a $3.5 million expansion and has raised just over $900,000 so far, Parsons said; the council discussed ways a longer lease could help the Arts Council secure donor commitments.
Council members and Arts Council representatives discussed principal drafting points: increasing the existing $100 repair cap to a deductible structure that would graduate over time (suggested sequence heard in the meeting: $500, then $750, then $1,000), protecting donor-funded additions with a first right of refusal or payback mechanism similar to prior town leases, and clarifying access to second-floor offices and the Boy Scouts’ historical use of some spaces. Staff also described construction constraints tied to historic preservation, which led to a plan for two elevators (one to the basement and one to the second floor) rather than a single three-stop elevator.
Manager Parsons said the near-term purpose of a new lease is to provide fundraising assurances to donors; councilmembers generally expressed support for a long-term lease and the deductible approach and tentatively asked staff to draft a 25-year working version for review at a future meeting. The Arts Council said having a lease by July 1 would be helpful for donor outreach.
Separately, the council addressed an agenda item authorizing a loan of three Wyeth paintings to the Weymouth Center for an exhibition running June 2025 through January 2027. The town’s draft lease and security provisions were reviewed by town counsel and outside counsel, but several councilmembers said they had not received a printed copy of the lease and preferred to review it. The council agreed to delay action on the Weymouth loan until the May business meeting when members can examine a hard copy.
What’s next: staff will prepare a lease draft incorporating the council’s direction (graduated deductible, term, first right of refusal/payback language and other protections) and return it at a future work or business meeting; staff will also provide a printed copy of the Weymouth lease for review before council consideration.
