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Hangar owners fight airport lease switch By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Jackson County claims its new policy on lease agreements at the Medford airport is good business - and, more importantly, fair. But some tenants leasing property at the county-owned airport say it's a case of government greed. "They've got us in the horrible situation," said Rick Hamilton, owner of Logan and Reavis Aviation. "It's robbery. There's no other word for it. You look robbery up in the dictionary ... that's what they've done." Pilots lease land from the county and construct offices and hangars on it. Until last year, a variety of rules covered ownership of the buildings when leases expired. Then, in April 2000, county commissioners adopted a policy that eventually gives ownership of the buildings to the county. That, Hamilton and other pilots say, is unfair. According to Airport Director Bern Case, the new policy was adopted to comply with FAA standards requiring airports to treat tenants equally. The policy gives owners the option of extending existing leases by 30 years if they improve buildings on the land. Tenants who don't make improvements are given shorter lease options. When the renewed leases expire, ownership of buildings goes to the county and tenants are given the option of renting the space. The county already owns 75 of the 100 hangars or service stations at the airport and rents those structures to businesses. "We're a business. We're expected to make money and charge money," Case said. Logan and Reavis Aviation has operated at the airport for more than 40 years, providing flight instruction and aircraft rentals. Hamilton said he was able to renew the lease for only 10 years in July 2000 because he didn't have the money to invest in improvements. "(The county) could have raised our ground rate. But they got greedy and said, 'You know, we really want to own those buildings,' " Hamilton said. "I'm supposed to like that? I'm supposed to say OK? This is my retirement. This is my son's future. It's worth nothing if the county's going to own it." Diane Davidson, spokeswoman for the county's pilots association, said the policy violates property rights. "We believe the most appropriate way is to eliminate reversion," Davidson said. "Give us a chance to rethink this and look at it." Davidson has written letters to the county commissioners and suggested a joint study into the policy. She proposed that the county and pilots association each contribute $20,000 to the study. Commissioner Jack Walker said he doesn't see the point. "I have no interest in doing that," Walker said. "We have already set the policy towards the reversion." Tenants have approached the Federal Aviation Administration with their complaints, but were told they must try to resolve the issue with the county first, Davidson said. Walker said the commissioners have no plans to change the policy. However, tenants can request an independent review of their contracts. So far, Walker said nobody has taken him up on that offer. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.