ROCKINGHAM — One of the items discussed during last week’s special meeting of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners was a proposed ground lease for a private hangar, something County Manager Bryan Land said has occurred only once in the past 20 years.
“We wouldn’t be constructing the hangar,” explained Land. “All we would be doing was leasing the ground that the hangar would be built on.”
Land further explained to the board that the owner of the plane would hire the contractor and engineer and pay for the construction.
“It’s typically a 20-year deal with escalators built in annually based on CPI [Consumer Price Index]. The way it’s looking now, it’s around $500 a month… just for the ground lease,” Land said.
Land said the agreement would include stipulations that attorneys would work out, including requiring the plane to be based in Richmond County and requiring fuel to be purchased from the Richmond County Airport.
According to Land, the plane is a $10 million to $12 million asset with a tax value equivalent to the Weatherstone subdivision or about half of Pine Lakes.
Land said nothing has been finalized, but the discussion could return to the board in August.
Commissioner Jamie Gathings said he learned about the potential lease from a resident rather than through the board. He then asked Land why commissioners had not been informed about the proposal before the special meeting and how long Land had been aware of it.
“We’ve been talking about this probably, I don’t know, probably two months or so, I think,” Land said.
Gathings responded, “Is there a reason why you didn’t inform the board on this one?”
“I don’t know how citizens would know about this,” Land said.
Gathings then asked Land whether he had been on the plane being discussed within the past 12 months. Land responded that he had been on the plane “a couple of weeks ago” and confirmed to Gathings that he had flown on it during a trip to the Turks and Caicos.
“Now how does that look for our citizens?” Gathings asked the board, receiving no response.
Chairman Jeff Smart then asked Land to provide an update on a project involving J&M Aviation, a Vermont-based company planning to locate at the airport.
According to Land, the project is expected to go out for bids within the next 60 days.
Last year, the county was awarded a $1.135 million NCDOT aviation grant for the construction of a 55,000-square-foot hangar that will house J&M Aviation. The business, which specializes in aircraft painting, is expected to provide nine new jobs with an average salary of $46,800 and has plans to expand operations in the future, according to Public Works Director Jerry Austin.
Commissioner Jason Gainey then asked Land if the owner of the plane would retain ownership of the hangar at the end of the lease, or if it would revert to the county.
“Rock Hill has done a majority of these. I think they’ve got quite a few of these agreements and they come in and give the opportunity for the owner to essentially “re-up” the rent one more time, whether it’s a 10-year term or 15-year term at current market rates,” Land said. “So then it would revert to, like, we rent the other corporate hangar.”
The board then discussed the possibility of adding additional hangars and extending the airport runway.
“We’re really in need for 250 to 300 feet— and that changes the whole ballgame,” Gainey said.
Gainey continued, “You’re basically 300 feet from competing with Moore County and Scotland County.”
According to Gainey, Scotland County is working toward offering commuter jet service to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro.
“You’re only 300 feet away from us being able to do the same thing,” Gainey said. “And we have a reason for people to come here, and they don’t— we’ve got Amazon and the race track. So, I think it’s 300 feet you should consider.”