Columbus’ Board of Aviation Commissioners has approved allowing a makerspace group to lease its property, provided that certain conditions are met.
The board approved lease terms Tuesday for the makerspace subject to “an environmental review to ensure that the building is safe,” according to board attorney Mary Stroh. This condition was the result of a discussion regarding potential issues with asbestos.
Airport director Brian Payne said that the lease is for a property known as buildings 45 and 49, which are owned by the airport and currently leased to Cummins, Inc.
Cummins plans to leave at the end of its current lease, meaning that the buildings will be vacant as of July 1, he said.
Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce President Cindy Frey, who has been involved in makerspace discussions, said that a makerspace is “a collaborative space designed for making, exploring, building, using high tech to no tech tools.”
“Members would be able to access the space,” she said. “These members might be students. They might be hobbyists. They might be entrepreneurs.”
She said they’re calling the space “Propeller” as a nod to airport and to have it fit the description as a place for “making, innovating and accelerating.”
In discussing the lease, Commissioner Doug Van Klompenburg said that the subject of asbestos had been raised in a previous discussion.
Cummins plans to put the correct wallboard and “encapsulation” over any asbestos issues and noted that the company operates “to the highest standard,” Payne said.
However, Cummins’ lease agreement merely requires them to a return the building to the “like state” of which they received it. Payne added that the exact conditions from that time are likely unknown, given how long they’ve been using the property.
David Doup was present at one of the facility tours and spoke extensively about encapsulation, Frey said.
“Part of his function on that tour was to let us know if he saw anything out of line, and I certainly trust David and know that he would have alerted us if that was a problem,” she said.
The airport would likely be the party responsible for taking care of asbestos, unless Cummins’ documents state otherwise, Stroh said. If the company merely has to return the building to its “like state,” it’s likely that asbestos remediation would not require removal. She also stated that since the airport owns the building, they are likely responsible unless they designate someone else as responsible.
“I would tend to agree that if it was a huge liability, Cummins has that responsibility with anybody that is in that building. And so they would have been bearing that liability and exposing anyone, if it were a risk, for the last 50 years,” Stroh said.
The airport should “determine the appropriate steps to remediate asbestos,” Stroh said.
“Many buildings that have asbestos in them are occupied,” said Commissioner James Euler. “It’s just how you manage that risk while there are people that are in that building.”
The airport has scheduled someone to review the situation and can get an analysis regarding asbestos within 30 days, Payne said
Commission President Mark Pillar said that approving the lease terms on this condition is a good move because it gives the makerspace team a “nod” from the board to move ahead, particularly with fundraising, even if they can’t get into the building as early as hoped.
In addition to making environmental review as a condition of the lease, the board also amended the lease terms following some discussion between the commissioners and the makerspace representatives.
“It will be a three year initial lease that will go year to year after that,” said Stroh. “The board must give 12 months notice if they intend to terminate, and the earliest they can do that is at the end of year two.”
She said that the makerspace lessee will also be bound by the initial three year term and would need to give 120 days’ notice if they wish to terminate at the end of that period or if they later choose not to continue year to year.
The original lease presented at Tuesday’s meeting had an initial three-year term with two one year options to renew the lease before continuing on a year-to-year basis. The lessee’s required notice for terminating the lease was also at least 120 days prior to the term’s end in the original agreement.
Stroh said that the lease term changes mainly related to extension options and notice requirements.
The rent amounts, as included in the presented lease, were as follows:
- July to December of 2021: $0 per month
- January to December of 2022: $1,500 per month
- January to December of 2023: $3,000 per month (which will continue monthly until the lease ends).
Propeller Committee Chair Bryan Rushton also said that the makerspace has commitments from two of its first sponsors. Velocities, the chamber’s partnership with the Mill in Bloomington and Elevate Ventures, has approved a sponsorship for $25,000 in the first year.
“We’re seeking to use this (makerspace) as a bit of a business incubator, offering office hours by our entrepreneur-in residence, Cy Megnin,” Frey said. Megnin is the entrepreneur-in-residence for the Velocities partnership.
LHP Engineering Services has also stated support for the project.
“LHP has pledged sponsorship, either through the form of renting a space for part of their autonomous vehicle program or just generally as funds,” Rushton said. In addition to leading the makerspace team, Rushton is also the director of operations at LHP Data Analytics & IoT Solutions.
Organizers have also talked with higher education and K-12 partners about using the makerspace for a STEM lab to “take learning beyond the classroom,” Frey said.
Rushton said that the three academic institutions on the airpark campus have written letters of support for the makerspace.
“They have voiced that they really are searching for a place where they can go in and get their hands dirty,” he said.
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A group of stakeholders, including makers and representatives from colleges on Columbus’s Airpark campus, are looking to form a new makerspace in Columbus.
More information about the makerspace, including the full proposal and presentation shown to the aviation board in March, is available at columbusareachamber.com/fostering-innovation/.
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