St. Louis Regional Airport has full plate
Jan. 23--BETHALTO -- Officials are looking to land several economic development projects at St. Louis Regional Airport.
The St. Louis Regional Airport Authority voted Thursday on several motions, including the purchase of property and entering into an agreement with a developer to bring commercial/light industrial businesses to the airport. The board discussed its call for a request for proposal to reopen the airport restaurant.
Airport manager David Miller said the board approved purchasing 11.2 acres on the northeast quadrant of the airport for its fair market value appraisal of $180,000. He said the property, which adjoins the airport, has drainage issues and that by purchasing it they would be able to rectify the problem.
"There are storm water runoff problems, and in order to fix them the airport needs to own the property," Miller said.
Miller said the problems were not just on the airport's land, but vice versa. The drainage issue has caused the area to become a breeding ground for wildlife.
"There are cattails growing on the property, which makes it the perfect habitat for some birds and other wildlife," he said.
Miller said the airport authority was purchasing the property from Babak Noorian and it would receive federal reimbursement for the costs to buy it as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's Wildlife Hazard Management program.
"The cattails growing where they are pose a problem," Miller said. "Birds and aviation don't mix."
Miller said once the drainage problem is fixed, the ground would likely be turned into farmland again and could be leased to generate additional revenue for the airport.
Miller said the board also discussed the development of Wayside Estates subdivision. He said the property is near Illinois Routes 111 and 140, behind Walgreens.
He said in years prior, the airport relocated housing from the site and had envisioned redeveloping it. The board is planning to enter into an agreement with J.G Grewe, a commercial real estate company, that would market the land for development.
The project would take at least a year, pending it met FAA guidelines and requirements before it could get off the ground, Miller said.
"We didn't know if they would still be interested since the timeline was like it was, but they surprised us and said they understood and are still interested in getting the site developed," he said.
Miller said the last of the economic issues the board discussed was taking requests for proposal to reopen the airport's restaurant. He said so far there have been nine interested parties.
He said requests for proposal would be accepted in person until Feb. 29. The restaurant, Airport ALN Restaurant, closed in early 2010.
At the time of its closing the restaurant owed approximately $24,000 in back rent. The owner spent two years remodeling the facility before opening in September 2008.
Miller said the restaurant was left in outstanding shape and he hopes they can bring in a new tenant who will make a go of it.
In other action, the board:
* Entered into executive session to discuss possible litigation;
* Announced airport operations director Steve Bell's retirement, effective July 2.
"I commend Mr. Bell for his outstanding service," Miller said. "We congratulate him and wish him well with his future endeavors."
Miller said the airport would conduct a nationwide search to find Bell's replacement.
Copyright 2012 - The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.