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7/9/26, 2:57 PM City Council Regular Meeting - Dec 09 2025 - Midtown Community Center (570 McLawhorne Dr, Newport News, VA 23601) - Minute…
Moved by Councilman Robert Coleman, seconded by Vice Mayor Curtis D.
Bethany III, adoption of the ordinance.
Carried by the following votes:
Ayes: Councilman Cleon M. Long, P.E., Vice Mayor Curtis D. Bethany III,
Councilman Robert Coleman, Councilman Marcellus L. Harris III, D.
Div., and Mayor Phillip Jones
10. Ordinance Authorizing a Lease with the Hugh S. Watson, Jr. Genealogical
Society of Tidewater Virginia for the Warwick County Courthouses
AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO
EXECUTE AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, THAT CERTAIN LEASE DATED THE 1ST DAY OF
JANUARY, 2026, BY AND BETWEEN CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA AND
THE HUGH S. WATSON, JR. GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
FOR THE WARWICK COUNTY COURTHOUSES.
The lease would allow the organization to continue using office space on the
first floor of the 1884 Warwick Courthouse (the larger building on the south
side of the complex) to store archival records and conduct activities related to
local genealogy research. The Hugh S. Watson, Jr. Genealogical Society of
Tidewater Virginia, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1969, provides
genealogy services to residents at no cost.
The current five-year lease agreement expires on December 31, 2025. The
proposed lease agreement would extend the Hugh S. Watson, Jr. Genealogical
Society of Tidewater Virginia's use of the 1884 Warwick County Courthouse
through December 31, 2030.
While no rent was required, the agreement requires TGS to assume
responsibility for electrical, phone, and internet services as appropriate. They
are also required to maintain a $1 million liability insurance policy at all times
during the lease.
General terms of this five-year lease included:
Exclusive use of the offices on the first floor of the 1884 Courthouse
building;
Non-exclusive use of the meeting room area on the second floor of the
Courthouse (when coordinated through the City);
A requirement that TGS indemnifies the City and maintains a $1 million
liability insurance policy during the lease period;
Discontinuation of the lease if TGS fails to use the facility for a period of
sixty (60) days or if they default on the conditions of the Lease;
Restriction of activities to TGS business and related activities unless
prior written consent is granted by the City; and,
A provision that allows the City Council to modify the terms of the lease
with ninety (90) days written notice.
The City Manager recommends approval.
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