Monroe Airport is Economic Engine
Industries seek to build facilities at transportation hubs for easy access to materials and markets. Monroe Regional Airport has developed as Union County's major transportation hub and stimulus for industrial expansion.
Monroe City Council and the Monroe Airport Commission are to be praised for their vision and foresight in making the airport a major reason that companies and individuals are attracted to Union County.
Effective March 1, the City of Monroe assumed management of the airport from Landmark Aviation of Winston-Salem. This was done to place a stronger focus on economic development and make the facility more cost competitive in the region.
The immediate impact was a 25 percent reduction in the cost of aviation fuel. When installation of self-fueling facilities is completed soon, costs will be lowered another 20 percent. With this transition, Monroe Regional will have reduced its costs from the highest to lowest among similar-sized airports in the Charlotte region.
Built in 1969, the airport has continually expanded its reach and capacity. Current projects include a $1.3 million undertaking to increase the runway's strength from 38,000 to 55,000 pound dual wheel capacity. Gulfstream Corp. is an industry indicator. This improvement will allow Gulfstream's G4 aircraft to use the facility. Currently, G3 aircraft is the maximum allowed.
Since 1996, many improvements have been made. Most notable among these are a 6,000-square-foot state of the art terminal, costing $660,000, and a $1 million MALSAR approach lighting system.
A $10 million dollar runway expansion should be complete by 2010. Lengthening from 5,500 to 7,000 feet will allow the facility to accommodate virtually all general aviation aircraft.
Reps. Robin Hayes and Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) have obtained a total of $4 million in federal funds for the project. Remaining funding must also come from the federal budget. All funds require a 10 percent local match.
In 1995, Monroe City Council connected the dots and maximized the airport's potential for nearby industrial expansion. Perhaps the airport's most significant benefit is the adjacent 500 acre Monroe Corporate Center. The park is home to seven industries with employment of approximately 1,000 and an annual payroll exceeding $25 million.
As Charlotte's growth and prosperity expand eastward, Monroe Regional Airport will serve as an even more important economic engine. Wealth and corporate executives are concentrating in the Weddington, Ballantyne, Piper Glen areas of western Union and southeastern Mecklenburg counties.
Monroe Regional is a designated reliever airport to Charlotte/Douglas International and is a more accessible destination for corporate and private jets. But Monroe Regional competes with facilities in Concord and Rock Hill that are near interstate highways.
Easy vehicular access is crucial for Monroe Regional to maintain its many advantages. Completion of the Rea Road extension from N.C. 16 to N.C. 84 is crucial for our airport to attract corporate clients and their jets from the nearby Interstate 485 corridor.
Recently, Weddington Town Council voted to withdraw support for this vital transportation link and to reverse an earlier decision to protect right of way in the proposed corridor. Council's major objection is that the convergence of the Rea Road extension and N.C. 84 is too close to the Weddington High-Middle-Elementary complex.
Mayor Nancy Anderson objected to council's action, seeing the need for the road as paramount for traffic flow and Union County's economic growth. Although she was compelled to sign a resolution from the Council to the Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) urging removal of the project from its thoroughfare plan, Anderson has let it be known that she does not support such a move.
Business leaders commend her vision in grasping the county's crucial need for the road for industrial development in the corporate center. These leaders share the mayor's concern regarding potential traffic gridlock at N.C. 16 and N.C. 84 if the road is not built. Quality of life in Weddington and corridors approaching the town could be diminished.
Only industrial and commercial properties pay enough property taxes to pay for services (most notably schools) demanded by our growing population. Until the Monroe Bypass/Connector freeway is finished, Union County's best opportunity for slowing the growth in tax rates is via industrial expansion at the Monroe Corporate Center.
Business leaders urge Weddington officials and the N.C. Department of Transportation to quickly resolve the issue of intersection of the Rea Road extension and N.C. 84.
Monroe Regional Airport and the Monroe Corporate Center are the community's lifeline for continued economic health and relief from property tax increases.
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