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Home My WebLink About07-15-1990.Airport Board Suggests Approval of Bonds for ImprovementsAirport By Don Pritchard News Guatdian staff wrW The Cape Girardeau Airport Advisory Board recommended approval of $1.24 million in bonds for airport improvements and reviewed plans for the renovation of The airport terminal building during a two-hour meeting at city halt Wednesday. The board also heard an update on the "Fly Cape" advertising cam- paign and recommaided approval of the airport master plan and a driveway easement. Assistant City anagen At Stovcook told the the bonds would raise the city' share of the cost of airport imprbvem nt pro- jects, The Federal Aviation Admi- nisuation will pay for most of the cost of the projects. The bonds would go to market as early as next week if the city council approves the issuance on Monday. The actual cost of the improvements is $1.74 million. Smveriak said the bonds will be paid off by T -hangar rentals and a continuance of the $50,000 -a -year subsidy the airport receives from the city's general fund. The interest rate is expected to be 6.25 percent. The airport improvements will be spread over three years. Smverink said geriingthecash now will enable the city to do the work on its sche- dule. Stoverink said interest eamed by the city on the bond proceeds would go to the airpml The board also set specifications for the T -hangar, which will be built with some of the bond murrey. The building will be 52 feet wide and 225 feet long, with electricity Ina no gas or water hook-ups. It will have manual bi-fold ducts, with no partitions between individual ban- ger spaces. The unpainted galvatr- ixed metal building would be of steel truss design. Bidders will be asked to provide prices for asphalt and concrete Boors and for the addi- tion of insulation. The new hangar would be built west of the existing row of hangars that line the airport access road. Ati- port Manager Mark Seesing said he would like to open bids on the ban - gar in a month, with construction to be completed this year, but he said that might be mo optimistic. Also on Wednesday, the board reviewed three plans for renovating the airport terminal. The plans were drawn by Cape Girardeau archita t Tom Hotshouser. One of the plans added On space to the 12,000-squam-foot building, but reurangod the interior to be more efficient Holshouser said the other plans added 512 and 768 square feet The additional space would be used for a secure waiting room and a lounge. All three plans would give airport visitors a better view of arriving and departing Planes, "Right now, I think, I sec prob- kuns with the building because you really can't see out and see the planes easily from the lobby," Hol- shouser said. "People anticipating friends and relatives coming, They really can't hardly wait to see them, but at least they can see the plane coming (in the proposed plans.)" An awning extending from the turnd"I's front doors to The curb rs, includpd. The, designs also f6ea baggage carousel, s and"er- ame room. new roof, new metal panels on exterior walls and new beatino and mr rnnditinnfn" RARDEAU Sunday, July 15, Isvn 7A of bonds for improvements equipment Holshouser said the existing building is in good shape. He said there was no corrosion visible in the steel roof joist; and bawns. He said the renovation would include some 'x -bracing' and knee braces to pre- vent side -w -side nation and bring the building up to code for earth- quake protection. Board members had a variety of comments about the plans. Paul Brinkopf said it was important to design the terminal for business travelers, such m those from Daua Corp. and Procter and Gamble. "What I foresce isa place wherea large corporation can fly their com- pany jet in, meet their executives here, go in to a conference room and be able to have a meal catered," Brinkopf said. "We're seeing more and more of the companies that are moving in here do have corporate aircraft. We've got the corporate clientele and we've got all the pas- sengersand those are the two people we need to satisfy." tater Briakopf said the terminal also would need a place where visit- ing politicians could hold press conferences, Hoisiuwser is expected to come up withnew plans, incorporating the board's suggestions, and present those plans to the board later this month. Alan at Wednesday's meeting, Scesing asked the board if the "Fly Cape" program was worthwhile and should be continued. The $10,(700 campaign includes advertising in area newspapers and on radio and television stations. "We are ahead of last year as far as our boardiags are concerned.' Scesing said. "I don't knew if cwt's due to the Fly Cape or it's due to the new aircraft that they're (Trans World Express) flying or that's just due to the basic awareness of peo- ple. Maybe there are more people in the area (who) are able to fly. Mom businesses are doing better business and flying came or more people are taking vacations and realizing the value (of flying)," Scesing said the ---- 1-----.a..,hnt TWF. is using bags on it," Sealing said. "It was a comfortable ride. It's got the high- backed seats." Board chairman Jerry McClana- ban suggested the newspaper ads be changed to reflect the increased comfort of the new planes. Seesing said he feels the travel agents in the community are not promoting the air" enough. "We still run into brick walls with them. Their commiumm, is lack- ing," Seesing said. "They'll say they're helping but I've sat in agen- cies before and the fast thing out of their mouth is, 'The fare out of St. Louis is this.' Everything revolves =and St. Louis. I think the custom - et is the rate that originates the quer. tion of flying out of Cape. The more you tell them about it, the less you seem to get through to them." Board member Paul Brinkopf agreed that travel agents don't prommetheCape airport Hesse! he hasn't had a travel agent in years urge him to fly from Cape. Seesing said the travel agents say the airline is unreliable, But he said that also is changing. 'T think they only had rive or six cancellations last moth, which is better than eight the month before and 10 the month before, so that has helped," he said, Scesing said he also is trying to get another airlift to By into Cape. Theins one flying from St Louis to Memphis. "I've been talking to than about dropping the aircraft in here to pick up Memphis -bound passengers out of Cape Girardeau and dropping back in and picking up SL Latis- bound passengm,` Seesing said. "rt didn't meet with a knofemhusiasm, but I'm going tocontinue o work on that." Later in the meeting, the subject of airline reliability carne up again when chairman Jenny McClanahan read a letter tothe board from Vision 2000 retailing the results of a survey of business operators in the city. The survey indicated that a lack of "availability of air passenger ser - said the group should talk to the air- line, not to the airport board. Scesing said it may rat entirely be TWE's responsibility, but the air- line is not helping much. "They are indirectly responsible for it due to the fact their lack of ser- vice has not improved our btwrdings any," Scesing said. "A lot of the wr- lines that I contacted are very inter- ested in that boarding number. They want to know what you're doing. That really weighs heavy whever they go to requesting information." "Vision 2000hasnodame idea in the world that that's TWE's prob- lem," Bowman said. Board member J. T. Sensing said people have a misconception about the anpon. "The city of Cape Girardeau has furnished one of the fittest facilities there is in this pun of the country for the use of the traveling public," 1. T. Scesing said. "Glu prinwry program is net to go out, do the groundwork and the advertising and all of that for a private business, that's up to them to do that. That's what TWE is and this is what they're confusing and they don't mean to be confusing about it but I think we have taken that position that we're going to do all these things about promoting air navel." LT. Seesing said Ute city has a reason to promote an travel: the led. eral grant that the city receives only if it gets 10,000 boardings a year, "Wehave tolive with that system. Vision 2000 should be the ones to jumpon thatTWEand say,'Man we need bettor service town hem,' " J.T. Seesing said. "We got 1.55 out here, but you don't see the federal government or the state of Missouri or anybody coming down here and promoting a new track line or a new bus line to use that highway.- lumber ighway.-o'otter business Wednesday, the board gave a unanimous emlorse. ment to /he airport master plan. The plan now faces a public hearing h.er. rh" Planninv and Zoning