Haworth Getting a ‘Pretty Good Deal’ in Grandfathered Hangar Lease at Airport

Fayette County Commissioners Court approved transferring a land lease for two hangars at Fayette Regional Air Center with one commissioner voting against it at their regular meeting last Thursday, Feb. 22.

Local businessman John Haworth requested the lease transfer for the hangars that were previously owned by Smithville businessman Benny Lueders, who died last year. Lueders held a 40-year lease on the land from Fayette County that was signed in 2000. Lueders sold the hangars to Haworth on Jan. 24, 2020.After Lueders died last year, the lease went to his wife Mary Lueders.

The County has restructured the way it leases the land under hangars at the Airport over the last two decades. Airport Manager Debra Maddox said the lease would be about $330 annually under the current rates.

Commissioners met in closed session on Thursday to privately discuss the lease. They returned to open session about 30 minutes later.

Under the lease transfer agreement with the County, Haworth will pay the same rate Lueders had been paying since the time he signed the lease in 2000: $32.84 per hangar per year, with a slight increase every five years based on the consumer price index.

“And we’re still paying for electricity,” said Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom. “That’s a pretty good deal.”

Mary Lueders has sold two hangars to other parties after her husband died. Assistant County Attorney Blake Watson said those new owners will have to sign new leases with the County and pay the new rates. But in Haworth’s case, Watson said the County must honor the terms in the lease that Leuders had signed since he sold the hangars to Haworth before he died.

“We’re stuck with it,” said Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff. “It’s unfortunate.”

“Those 40-year leases are a thing of the past,” said Watson. “When you sign contracts with people on long-term things, you get bound by those longterm deals. That’s unfortunately the place we’re in right now.”

McBroom said the lease transfer ultimately requires Commissioners Court approval. If the Court denied the transfer, the two parties would have to negotiate a new lease.

For this one, we’re still recommending that you go ahead and approve that just for this one lease,” Watson said.

Berckenhoff moved to approve the transfer, saying he based his decision on the recommendation from the County Attorney’s office. Pct. 4 Commissioner Drew Brossmann seconded the motion. It passed with one dissenting vote from McBroom.