After fear that one of the Vineyard’s last remaining animal clinics might lose its lease at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, airport officials have confirmed that Animal Health Care Associates (AHCA) has no competition for its lease.
AHCA is the sole bidder for the lease of its current property on Airport Road, with the deadline for all replies for the lease having recently passed. The Martha’s Vineyard Airport commission plans to vote on whether to recommend awarding the lease during its next meeting, scheduled for this Thursday at 2 pm.
There had been concern in the community that the animal clinic would lose its lease during a public bidding process, which would be another blow to the already dwindling resources available for Island pet owners.
On February 19, Dr. Steve Atwood of AHCA announced to clients that his practice was attempting to extend its lease with the airport, asking residents to send letters of support in favor of renewing AHCA’s lease. The clinic’s initial lease is expiring after 40 years.
The announcement also concerned veterinarians, as a lack of access to animal health care has long been an issue for the Vineyard. This has been compounded in the last year by the closing of My Pet’s Vet in February 2023. And Dr. Constance Breese of Sea Breeze Veterinary Service plans to retire next month.
According to the airport commission, in order to award the lease, the airport must follow processes laid out in state and federal laws, including issuing a request for proposal for the lease and requiring a market-rate lease agreement. An independent assessment of the property found that the market rate for the lease is $12,000 per month. AHCA pays just under $900 monthly under its current 40-year lease.
Airport Director Geoffrey Freeman confirmed to the MV Times that ACHA’s bid satisfied the required $12,000-per-month minimum rent for the property, and that their bid was reviewed by the airport’s Land Use Subcommittee on April 4.
Animal Health Care Associates has told the MV Times that it prefers not to comment on the lease process until it has fully concluded.
