Mon, Dec 14, 2009
Budget Cuts Weighed Against Possible Lawsuits
The Lorain County Regional Airport (LPR) in OH is fighting
closure amidst shortfalls in the 2010 county budget. County
Administrator Jim Cordes says facility was put on notice to shut
down operations.
"The letters went out late last week to shut down the airport,"
Cordes said during the County Commission meeting. "It's starting to
get ugly with the budget." Cordes noted that several offices
inside the airport building could still use that facility without
the aircraft operations.
The county sent letters to the small businesses located at LPR
including an aviation insurance company and LifeFlight, the
helicopter rescue arm for MetroHealth Medical Center in
Cleveland. The letters talked about the pending closure and
asked if tenants would consider paying more to stay.
The loudest concerns have been raised over the $400,000 LPR
received over the last three years from the FAA. The money funded
construction of three taxiways in addition to other improvements.
"There's a lot of concern with what the FAA might have to say about
their investment," Commissioner Ted Kalo told the Ohio
Chronicle-Telegram.
"It's a fight they can't win," Douglas McConnell noted in the
paper. McConnell works for Johnson Aviation Co., which
manages the airport for the county. McConnell also cited a
recent study by the Ohio Department of Aviation that concluded LPR
has a $37 million economic impact on the county. Officials,
including Kalo, disagreed with the claim that the airport was
generating any substantial revenue.
According to the Ohio DOT, the state felt a $1.7 billion
economic impact in 2004 from its 164 public airports.
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