June 20--DECATUR -- The Decatur Park District Board of Commissioners took steps Wednesday to solidify its relationship with the aviation mechanic providing services at Decatur Airport.
Commissioners voted unanimously to sell the buildings and fuel trucks operated by Gaitros Aviation to Will Gaitros and his wife, Jessica. Gaitros Aviation became the airport's fixed-base operator in 2010.
The fixed-base operator (FBO) provides services such as refueling planes and assisting pilots. Airport staff performed refueling duties from 2005 to 2010, but airport Director Joe Attwood said they couldn't provide mechanical services.
"It's really a good thing for us. Most small airports in communities this size have a terrible time even having an FBO, let alone holding onto one," Attwood said.
The district sold the buildings to Gaitros for $475,000, and sold two fuel trucks for $105,000. The district will lease the ground under the buildings for $962.50 per month in a 25-year agreement.
Park district board President Chris Riley called the agreement "fantastic."
"They want to be here, and this locks them in to stay," Riley said. "From an airport perspective, airports sometimes can thrive on a solid FBO."
Craig Coil, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, said the move was good for the long-term economic development of the area.
He said employers, their suppliers and their customers frequently ask the EDC about the airport's capacity to service and fuel private planes.
"Having an operator with a vested interest in the facility who plans to be operational for the long term gives us one more thing to sell as we market the metro Decatur region as a logistics and transportation hub," he said.
In other business, the board agreed to allow a Mr. Softee ice cream truck to sell soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes and slushies in neighborhood parks.
Owner Terri Chance appealed to the board, saying she'd bought into the franchise and purchased a new truck recently. She plans to operate it as a family business with her 27-year-old daughter.
Chance agreed to pay the park district $50 a week. She would not be allowed to sell ice cream in Nelson Park, where CherryBerry is scheduled to open in the fall, or at events where the park district had agreements with other vendors.
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Copyright 2013 - Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill.
