Save Our Airport

Hi again folks.

Just a note about the new runways…

Council voted unanimously for the improvements at the estimates committee
meeting. However, we still have to get through the budget process at
Council on the 21st, so we’re not out of the woods yet. But it’s looking
good! We just don’t want to count our chickens too early.

We’ll keep you posted,

We’ve gotten word from the chair of the Airport Commission, Lee Deimling.

We’ve finally been APPROVED for 1.9 million for TWO NEW RUNWAYS!!!

Runway 35/17 and 23/05 will be rebuilt in 2008!

I can’t begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has written letters,
made calls, sent emails, started blogs and websites, and showed up at
meetings to make this a possibility.

Airport could be in line for $3M in upgrades
Posted By Michael-Allan Marion
Posted 21 hours ago

http://www.theexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=788296&auth=Michael-Allan+Marion

After years of neglect, the Brantford Airport is waiting on the tarmac to receive about $3 million in upgrades from city’s coffers.

Thanks to lobbying by Coun. Greg Martin, council has approved recommendations from its finance committee to put two high-ticket items into consideration in the 2008 capital budget:

$1.8 million to fund the replacement of a primary runway and a secondary one;

$1.2 million to fund repairs of airside infrastructure (a stretch of runway where planes are stored).

The upgrades are part of a long-term business plan drawn up by the airport commission.

Martin said the repairs are sorely needed if the city wants to develop the airport as an economic tool of the future.

“We put the airport on hold while we’ve been going through a service review and still its finances have returned to break even,” he told council.

good tenants

“Also, because of the review, we have some good tenants that we’re at risk of losing if we can’t sign long-term leases.”

Martin also pointed out that the business plan calls for an attempt to get Brant and Oxford counties to help pay for the airport’s upgrades because they benefit from the facility’s presence in the area.

“If council doesn’t put money into the airport, it will be hard to convince the county to participate in funding it,” he said.

The requests will be considered when council shorty begins its 2008 capital budget process.