News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A lease agreement between the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport (UCRA) and country singer Aaron Tippin is temporarily on hold.
UCRA Board Member and Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton motioned to have UCRA’s attorney look over the lease for any potential issues.
“I definitely want to have some type of business-use though, not just storage if we do that. Maybe [the attorney] can figure out how to word out the intent of it,” Shelton said. “I make a motion to take this lease to the attorney to look over and to check all covenants, and then also to get wording on a business-use within it.”
The 10-year lease would allow Tippin to construct a new hangar to house a Warbird restoration business at the airport.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said the business will be a great addition to the airport.
“I think it’s a very unique opportunity,” Selby said. “There’s only a couple places in the country that do this kind of work. So I think it’ll be something that will increase our traffic, obviously with more aircraft coming and going, but unique stuff that will be kind of interesting for the locals.”
Selby said the new business will also have a positive economic impact on the area as well.
“It’ll contribute a lot to the local economy as well,” Selby said. “There’s a lot of money that is spent on parts for this equipment so it’s a lot of sales tax dollars coming into this area. That’s the gain for the people in these communities is the sales tax dollars that will be coming in.”
The airport will receive $790,000 in state economic development grant funding to help build the new hangar. The facility will become airport property after the lease expires under the current agreement.
The UCRA Board could officially finalize the lease during their next meeting in March.
