Cape May County Approves Contracts for Airport Improvements

Cape May County will spend more than $30 million to reimburse the Delaware River and Bay Authority for improvements at the Cape May County Airport, part of taking back operations after 25 years of DRBA control.

On Tuesday, the county governing body approved a contract with FlightLevel Cape May LLC to provide airside operator services at the airport in Lower Township, and another to use a competitive contracting process for engineering and planning services there.

The county government also approved an agreement with Aviation Sports Complex LLC, which has a long-term deal with the DRBA to build a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports facility at the airport, which company officials say will mean hundreds of local jobs and a $1 billion impact on the local economy over the life of the project.

The posted agenda did not include financial details for the approved contracts, and there was no immediate response late Tuesday to requests for copies of the contracts under the state’s Open Public Records Act.

It’s been more than a year since Cape May County told the authority it would not automatically renew its 30-year lease to operate the airport, with the cost set at $1 a year.

Before the county entered the agreement, it had tried for years to reinvigorate the airport, at that time the site of long-vacant industrial structures. The DRBA, which operates the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, invested in new infrastructure, oversaw new construction and negotiated leases with businesses to locate at the airport.

A new terminal opened last year, at a stated construction cost of $7.4 million.

At the close of the June meeting of the board, Commissioner Andy Bulakowski read a message from Commission Director Len Desiderio, who was not at that meeting.

Tempers flare at Cape commissioners meeting over library vote, airport

The Cape May County Board of Commissioners saw a rare instance of dissent Tuesday, with Commissioner Will Morey questioning a previous vote related to a proposed study of the main branch of the county library system.

“After careful consideration, the county commissioners have decided to move forward with reclaiming control of the county airport to better align this vital public asset with the interests and priorities of our residents,” he read.

It was clear at the meeting that Commissioner Will Morey had no advanced notice of the statement, read after public comment. Morey has been a critic of the county’s plans to retake the airport, repeatedly questioning the purpose and expense and calling for further negotiations.

On Tuesday, Morey said county counsel Jeffrey Lindsay had advised him to recuse himself from airport discussions, citing a conflict of interest because Morey rents a hangar at the site. Morey is an avid pilot and has cited his involvement at the airport as a qualification rather than a weakness.

The statement from Desiderio indicates that the county made several attempts to negotiate with the DRBA, stating that the authority refused to provide the county with land at the airport. In previous comments, county officials have floated the potential for housing at the site, possibly to include affordable housing, but few details have been made public.

“At appropriate time, when all negotiations are complete, we look forward to sharing with the public our vision for the airport,” said Commissioner Bob Barr, citing the plan to hire a professional planner as a step toward solidifying that vision. “Today, we really don’t know what we don’t know.”

DRBA spokesman James Salmon said the county and the authority have met several times to seek common ground on terms for a lease renewal.

“Unfortunately, those conversations did not bear fruit through no fault of either party,” he wrote in an emailed response to questions Tuesday. “To suggest, however, there were not good faith efforts by the DRBA in this regard is simply wrong and misleading to the public.

“That said, we are committed to working with the county on an orderly transfer of the airport back to the county and its FAA approved sponsor, along with the return of millions of dollars of funds representing DRBA’s prior capital investment at the Airport as required by the lease."

Cape officials question DRBA lease for sports complex at airport

Cape May County officials traveled to Delaware this week to attend a meeting of the Delaware River and Bay Authority with questions about a proposed lease for a domed sports complex at the airport and to talk more about the DRBA’s lease of the airport. They did not leave happy.

The total county reimbursement will be at least $32 million, he said, and that could increase depending on when the transfer takes place.

The current lease expires in June 2029.

Salmon added the transfer will require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Desiderio did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the $32 million figure after the meeting.

The airport dates to World War II, when Naval Air Station Wildwood was built and served as a training facility for dive bomber squadrons who would fight in the Pacific. After the war, the close to 1,000 acres of the site on Breakwater Road were transferred to the county.

The airport at one time included commercial flights as well as light manufacturing. Early last year, the DRBA and the county celebrated the announcement of a new $5.5 million commercial building on Ranger Road, the third for the airport as part of an effort to draw tech businesses to the county. The area is home to Lower Township’s public safety building, the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, Cape May Brewing Company and other commercial uses.

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