Seeks Approval From FAA To Close The Facility

A small town in Missouri has begun the process of learning how it can close its local airport, saying the move is part of the town's long-term development vision.

St. Clair Regional Airport (K39) is just north of the town of St. Clair, about 50 miles west of St. Louis, MO.  The city administration has asked the Board of Aldermen to choose and work with a panel with the purpose of closing the GA facility.

City officials say the land is "blighted," according to the newspaper The Missourian. While it is not clear if the land was purchased using federal funds, the paper reports that the city received federal grants totalling $600,000 in 2003 and 2004 for the airport. That means that the airport cannot simply be shuttered by the city, and any closure must carry an aviation-related benefit. Retail growth, which is what the city plans for the tract, would not necessarily be in compliance.

The city plans to hire an attorney who specializes in aviation law to find a way to close the airport. Officials say that they have data showing that a majority of the residents of St. Clair favor closing K39.

FAA regulations state that any airport which is on land acquired with federal assistance or conveyed as surplus or non-surplus property is federally obligated in perpetuity. And, since the airport took the grants, that requires that the airport stay open until it is no longer usable with ordinary maintenance. If the airport is closed arbitrarily, the city could be subject to a $10,000 per day fine for every day it is closed.

Closing the airport would be a lengthy process, but the city administration says it can no longer afford to "subsidize" the field. The current mayor of St. Clair, Ron Blum, ran with closing the airport as part of his platform. "We have funded this airport's deficits every year. Washington and Sullivan (MO) both have updated airfields - there is no way we can compete," Blum said during the campaign. "The question is are we better off without it rather than to continue to subsidize it?"

FMI: www.stclairmo.com/stclairmo/cityhall.htm