NEW CUMBERLAND — The Hancock County Commission convened into a special session Friday morning to make adjustments to the concessionaire agreement for Kennedy Marina, with a few terms dictated by the federal government.

In April, commissioners approved an agreement with Century Energy Management Co. Inc., also known as CEMCO, to serve as concessionaire for the Newell marina and campground. An updated agreement — establishing a development plan for the property — was agreed to in May.

Additional language was added Friday, with terms required by the National Park Service. As the property was conveyed to the Hancock County Commission in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Interior, federal officials must sign off an any management agreement.

Mike Lucas, the commission’s legal counsel, advised the language provided by the NPS has to be part of the document.

“There’s really no getting around it,” Lucas said. “It has to be there.”

There were two additions as part of Friday’s amendment.

The first included a clause stipulating no ownership in the site will be conveyed through the concessionaire agreement, noting “The county does hereby affirm that this agreement creates only a revocable, non-exclusive license and conveys no interest in real property to the concessionaire.”

The other new language is focused on the inclusion of a non-discrimination policy, stating the commission and the concessionaire, “agree to comply with all federal laws relating to nondiscrimination in connection with any use, operation, program, or activity on or related to the previously described property.”

These include non-discrimination regulations from the Department of the Interior, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

“It’s not from the city. It’s not from the successful bidder,” Lucas reiterated.

As part of its bid, CEMCO proposed payment of $4,000 per month to the county, along with a development plan for improvements to the marina property. Among those plans is the establishment of a restaurant.

Located along state Route 2 in Newell, Kennedy Marina offers a campground and marina, with recreational vehicle sites, sewer hook ups, tent sites, seasonal boat dockage, and daily dock space, along with a concession stand, vending machines, laundry facilities, bath house camping and more.

Commissioners began searching for a new concessionaire after terminating the county’s agreement with the former concessionaire in January, citing issues with maintenance of the property and issues of non-payment.