Restaurant lease, dumpster fees

LISA HOBBS - News Editor

A county Building and Grounds Committee meeting has been arranged for Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 4:30 p.m. On the agenda: an update on a restaurant lease and an update on dumpster fees.

Commissioners have been embroiled in a legal back-and-forth regarding a new five-year lease for J’s Restaurant, a mainstay at Three Star Mall. J.C. Petit Jr. has requested a sizeable drop in rent, from $3,441 per month to $1,050 (50 cents per square foot), to reflect a lack of revenue, a situation he blames on diminished foot traffic.

During last month’s committee meeting, members agreed to counteroffer $1.12 per foot, which amounts to $2,596 per month, with Finance Department Director Justin Cotten stating that the lease agreement has an exclusivity clause preventing other restaurants from moving into the mall and that warrants a higher rent amount. Cotten added that without that clause, he would have suggested 75 cents per square foot.

Warren County Way heard from a very reliable source that Petit was considering allowing that clause to be removed. When asked about it last month, he declined to comment.

“Not until we see what happens tonight or tomorrow night,” said Petit, when contacted this week and asked if he’s now willing to comment. “My attorney hasn’t heard a word from the county regarding last month’s committee meeting. Yet they are meeting tomorrow night to discuss an update.”

Petit also stated that he will not attend the committee meeting due to a family commitment.

The Building and Grounds Committee meeting will be held in the new conference room inside Warren County Administrative Building on Locust Street.