LAWTON – Lawton will offer School House Slough tenants a one-year extension on their leases, giving city officials more time to find someone to manage the concession area on the east shore of Lake Lawtonka.
The Lawton City Council voted unanimously Dec. 13 to approve the extension, which does not apply to the School House Slough general store. City officials originally proposed extending tenants’ leases for four months, but the Lakes and Land Commission recommended a yearlong extension instead, said Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk.
“In light of the fact that our consultant is still working on the lakes master plan, and that’s probably not going to be projected to be completed until March, we felt like it’s in the best interests of all the parties involved to go ahead and do a one-year extension without any change,” he said.
Burk said the city will not extend the leases past one year.
Concessionaire Kent Waller currently holds the lease for School House Slough, which is set to expire Dec. 31. Waller has notified the city that he does not plan to renew his lease for another year, and city officials are looking for someone to take over the lease.
More than 200 tenants hold leases with School House Slough Inc. for items such as docks, campers and wet stalls. The tenants pay rent to School House Slough Inc., but their leases will expire at the same time as Waller’s.
Extending tenants’ leases for a year sounds like a good idea, said Councilman Sean Fortenbaugh.
“It’s going to take a lot of pressure off the staff and off the campers and the people out there on a lease,” he said. “I move to approve this.”
Burk said he would like to offer tenants who make quarterly rent payments an opportunity to make semi-annual payments.
But Mayor Stan Booker said he would leave that decision to city staff.
“I would say that’s administrative,” he said.