McCook airport sublease approved 4-1

McCOOK, Neb. — A McCook City councillor expressed concerns about a sublease that allows a company to act as the fixed base operator at the McCook airport.

Councillor Janet Hepp pulled from the consent agenda at Monday night’s regular council meeting the sublease agreement between Griff Malleck, d/b/a Red Willow Aviation and J & S Aviation Services LLC. Consent agenda items are usually approved together in one vote, unless pulled by a City Council member or a member of the public for a separate discussion and vote.

Red Willow Aviation is proposing to enter into a sublease agreement with J and S Aviation, who would assume the duties formerly performed by Red Willow Aviation. Red Willow Aviation will remain obligated under the terms of the lease but the sublease will allow J and S Aviation to operate as the fixed base operator.

Councillor Hepp said she did not feel comfortable with approving the sublease without additional information. There was no background information on J and S Services LLC, included in the city council packet and she wondered if they were property vetted.

“I’ve never met them and I don’t know who these people are,” she said, wondering why they were not present at the council meeting.

City Manager Nate Schneider said Jeffrey Williams, listed in the sublease as member of J & S Aviation Services LLC, has been a mechanic at the airport for some time. Under the one-year sublease, J and S would be responsible for the the day-to-day operations at the airport that Red Willow Aviation provided, such as repair services and re-fueling.

Hepp still wasn’t convinced. “I trust Griff (Malleck, owner of Red Willow Aviation), but I don’t feel comfortable with it,” she said. The sublease began Jan. 1 and Hepp wondered if that was prudent, without first having city council approval.

Schneider said the sublease would be retro-active with council approval Monday night. City staff took the sublease very seriously, he said, working on it the past several months ironing out the details and requirements.

The council voted on approving the sublease agreement, with Hepp casting the lone dissenting vote.

J and S Aviation can be found on Facebook at J & S Aviation and Avionics Services.

Consent agenda items that were approved in one motion Monday night included:

-- a property damage incident form from Virginia Spray that will be submitted to the city’s insurance carrier for review and appropriate action. A fence on West Seventh Street was allegedly damaged damaged by a trash container in the alley.

-- the application for a special designated liquor license submitted by Outlaws Saloon for a wedding reception at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building on April 6, 2019, from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.

-- approval to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission the application for manager submitted by Schmick’s Market, LLC, DBA "Schmick’s Market,” the applicant being Cody Schmick.

-- he application for a special designated liquor license submitted by JBN, Inc., dba Hi Times Liquor Mart 1, for a wedding reception at the McCook Municipal Auditorium on Aug. 10, 2019 from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.