Approves Sale Of Land In 5-3 Vote

The fate of the Festus Memorial Airport has been decided by the Festus, MO City Council. The council voted 5-3 last week to sell the airport.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Citizens for Airport Economic Expansion -- a group that manages the airport and includes many pilots -- attempted to convince the city to expand its runway, rather than sell the airport outright. The group believes the city is moving too fast... and hasn't yet explored all available options.

An 18-month study showed that expanding the 2,200-foot runway to 5,000 feet could cost as much as $6 million over 20 years. The airport group suggests securing federal grants and seeking cooperation from the county.

Furthermore, the group notes the land is in an unincorporated area, and is owned by the city of Festus. Any sales tax generated from the property does not benefit the city. The airport group says that the economic benefits of the county's only airport are difficult to ascertain, but insist those benefits exist.

The most recent appraisal indicates the land is worth about $1.9 million.

City leaders say they want to use money from the sale of the airport to help improve the town's public works.

FMI: www.festusairport.com