Abe Gaskins: I’ll Pay $10K for the Spirit of the Community

By Misty Green

The City Council of Lafayette, Tennessee gathered together on August 19 at City Hall for the Committee of the Whole meeting, and the first item on the agenda was to discuss the contract with Abe Gaskins, co-owner of Safari Enterprises, LLC.

On May 24, 2021, it was announced through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development that Safari Enterprises, LLC, a leading manufacturer of two-seater helicopter kits, was relocating its headquarters and manufacturing operations from Florida to Lafayette, TN.

The 2021 article said that the company will build a 16,000-square-foot facility at the Lafayette Municipal Airport, a promising sign for the city’s growth.

“There were multiple factors in our decision to move to Lafayette,” Abe Gaskins, co-owner, Safari Enterprises, said in the past news release. “I have to say, it was the incredible assistance from TNECD and the genuine welcome we received from the mayor and city council in Lafayette that clinched the deal.”

The company planned to bring 85 jobs with it’s relocation to the Lafayette Municipal Airport, but this never came to fruition.

Our story picks back up five years later when it became time for the City Council to negotiate Mr. Gaskins contract.

During the August 19th session, Lafayette City Councilman Mike Marshall explained that the City leases Mr. Gaskins the dirt that his beautiful “Taj Mahal” building sets on… “He built it and he paid for it, we didn’t, we just lease the dirt that it sets on.”

After much talk, Mr. Gaskins new lease was set at 35¢ per square feet, and this contract can be renegotiated in five years.

Also addressed during this meeting was an issue dating back five years, which occurred during the land work required to prepare for the helicopter company’s relocation. The contractor had pulled up around $20,000 worth of electric lines that had to be repaired.

“The electric lines that were dug up, that was a whammy,” Mr. Marshall said. “It is really the City’s issue on this, but since the contractor has since passed away, his insurance will no longer cover it because it was almost five years ago. Do I think some of the burden is still on him (Mr. Gaskins)? I told him that I do. But do I think that the entire bill is on him? I can’t agree with that either. But this was almost five years ago and that’s a long time.”

Abe Gaskins asked if he could speak, and Councilman Mike Marshall replied, “Sure.”

“I was aware when it happened, but I had forgotten completely about it, and at the time it happened, I wasn’t aware that it was my responsibility,” Mr. Gaskins began to say.

“I was told the contractor’s employee hit the electric box and I though he was just informing me that it was hit and I didn’t realize that it was my responsibility to repair it, Had I had’ve known it was my responsibility… I had to hire a general contractor when this began and he has to have a liability policy that takes care of these things. It would’ve been my position then to say, this is the contractor’s responsibility and go after his insurance because they have insurance for this. Had I been partnered and explained that, I could’ve addressed it, but five years later, I can’t do that. I wanted to be a part of this community… I may not ever live here. If my wife would move here, then I would be here, but nevertheless, I want to be a part of this community, and I would like to compromise that shows that I am a part of this community.”

Mayor Tony Day then spoke and said the bill could be split, with Mr. Gaskins paying half and the City of Lafayette paying the other half, “because we are just as responsible for not suing the contractor.”

“This is the first deal like this with someone building something on our land, and most sitting here probably didn’t know about it,” Mr. Marshall said.

“Well, pardon my… Let me be careful of how I say this, because I don’t want to come off as a smart a_ _, I have been in business a long time, but nevertheless, the City is out $20,000… I don’t like paying half, but again, I don’t like paying 37¢ if that’s the number you came up with, but it is a reasonable compromise. I don’t like it in one sense but the other side of this, is that this is an opportunity and if I am going to walk the walk, I am not going to complain about it, because it’s my contribution and my attempt to try to be a part of this community. When I came up here with Safari, I couldn’t believe the support I got, and now, I want to be allowed to pay half of the bill for the spirit of the community,” and the Council finally agreed.

In other business, the following was approved on second reading: Ordinance 870 (increase R-2 lot size to 9,000 sq. ft. and increases the minimum lot width at building line for residential uses from 60 to 80 feet); Ordinance 871 (amending court cost); Ordinance 872 (adopt E-Ticket regulations and fees). The Council approved to update Ordinance 873 (Bereavement Policy) and approved Resolution D for the annexation of the Donoho Property on Sneed Blvd.

The Council accepted the letter of retirement from Cheryl Lane Oldham, effective September 5, 2025.

The Council approved the purchase of a new pump for the river.

The Council discussed the purchase of the property on Cedar Street next to the fire hall and discussed the need for a turning lane on Sneed Blvd.

Reminders: Lafayette City Hall will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of Labor Day. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at 5 p.m.