Sports authority approves termination of recorded memorandum of lease tied to stadium tenant

The Sports Authority of Chattanooga voted to terminate a recorded memorandum of lease tied to a prior baseball tenant so that the temporary agreement with River City Company will not create overlapping obligations.

Harold Bryce, assistant city attorney, explained that the 2014 memorandum of lease had been recorded in the register of deeds to put the public on notice of the existing lease; with the execution of the new temporary use agreement the authority should terminate that recorded memorandum. "Back in 2014, the sports authority board ... entered into and have recorded a memorandum of lease so that it was recorded in the register of the office and put the public on notice of the existing lease," Bryce said.

Board discussion clarified that the termination will supersede the prior tenant's lease and allow River City Company to assume responsibility for maintenance and insurance under the new arrangement. The chair described the termination document as brief and co-executed by the authority and the tenant. The transcript contains inconsistent spellings for the tenant name (examples: "Teningham Baseball," "Tedding of baseball," "Tanninger Baseball"), which the board did not resolve during the meeting; that inconsistency should be verified against official records.

A committee member moved to approve the termination and the board approved the motion by voice vote; the transcript records ayes and no opposition but does not show a roll‑call tally. The board said the termination timing will align with dates in the temporary use agreement to avoid duplicate responsibilities.

The authority also reminded members of the June 10 annual meeting and completed other routine business before adjourning.