Negotiating and compromising are part of business, but recently, lease negotiations between High Bridge's historic Solitude House in New Jersey, and the non-profit Union Forge Heritage Association, have come to an impasse.

The contract dispute dates back to 2002 when the all-volunteer UFHA formed to run a museum on the first floor of the Solitude House. The lease agreement was for 10 years and is set to expire in October of this year. The UFHA wants at least a 15-year commitment from the landlord so that they can continue to receive county, state and foundation grants for operations and building restoration.

After approximately five years of negotiations, building management offered the UFHA three five-year contracts, but the UFHA is claiming that they need a lease that is for 15 consecutive years in order to continue to receive the funding they need to run the museum.

Both sides are frustrated at the amount of work that has gone into this with no clear resolution. Building management feels that the proposed contract should work and UFHA officials feel that they may need to gain approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection because original funding came from the Green Acres funds, which has several restrictions including lease agreements for outside organizations.

As a result of these negotiations, the city and the building management have realized that the lease extension in 2002 should not have been allowed.

This case highlights how critical it is to have an experienced attorney working with you in your business matters. They understand how issues can arise and that they may require immediate attention. An attorney specializing in business law can help prepare and file all necessary documents and they understand the complexities involved with running a business and potential challenges that can come up.

It looks like in this situation that more negotiation and investigation will need to take place before a lease agreement can be reached.

Source: Hunterdon Review, "Solitude House lease debate in High Bridge grows deeper," Camilla Somers, Feb. 9, 2012