Chase Aviation Company, LLC is seeking to rent space at the Chautauqua County Airport-Jamestown. P-J file photo

The Chautauqua County Airport-Jamestown may not have a commercial airline, but that doesn’t mean the airport isn’t of value.

During the County Legislature’s Public Facilities Committee meeting, lawmakers took the first steps to rent out office space there.

According to Ron Almeter, the county’s manager of airports and parks, Chase Aviation Company, LLC is seeking to rent the Terminal Building Office No. 46.

“They are in the business of brokering aircraft sales and managing business aircraft for business owners. They are relocating their business to New York state and need a business office,” he said during this week’s committee meeting.

Almeter said the owners of Chase Aviation have already relocated from North Carolina to Jamestown and are working virtually out of their home. They want a professional office and eventually want to lease hanger space when it becomes available in two years.

Almeter said the company chose Jamestown because they wanted a central location from metropolitan areas like New York City, Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago. Also, he noted that New York state exempts sales tax on aircrafts, so that helps as well.

According to the proposed lease agreement, the county would rent the office space for $500 a month for two years, beginning Oct. 1.

The Public Facilities Committee approved a resolution for a public hearing to be held in September. The full county legislature must agree for the public hearing at its August meeting before the hearing can take place in September.

Brad Bentley, the county’s director of Public Facilities, applauded Almeter for his hard work in getting this lease moving forward. “He keeps getting these small wins for these airports and they keep adding up one by one,” he said.