LAWTON — Lawton is looking for someone to take over the concessionaire lease at School House Slough.
The Lawton City Council unanimously approved on June 27 the draft of a request for proposals for operating and managing the concession area located on the east shore of Lake Lawtonka.
As a precondition for granting the lease, the new leaseholder will be required to purchase all buildings and improvements from the previous lessee. The purchase will be based on the items’ structural value, as determined by three independent appraisers.
The language about the appraisals was drawn from the Lawton Water Authority’s previous lease for School House Slough, said Acting City Attorney Tim Wilson.
“We extracted that language and then put it in the RFP, and so that lets the potential new bidders know exactly what their obligations are,” he said.
Councilman George Gill said the people who have already expressed interest in taking over the lease did not know that the new leaseholder will have to satisfy the appraisal requirement, which would be expensive.
“I imagine once they’re aware of that, they’re going to run,” he said. “We need to let these people know right up front what we’re talking about.”
Former concessionaire Kent Waller’s lease for School House Slough expired Dec. 31, 2022, leaving the city searching for someone to manage the concession area. The city offered tenants a one-year extension on their leases in December, giving the city more time to find a new concessionaire.
Bids for taking over the concessionaire lease must be submitted to the city clerk’s office by 2 p.m. Aug. 15.