Controversial runway expansion left out of airport presentation
A contentious runway expansion was not part of a Wednesday presentation given to the Chicago Executive Airport board of directors who saw the first phase of a potentially lengthy study to develop a master plan.
Leaders from Wheeling and Prospect Heights — joint municipal owners of the airport — have been critical of a potential runway extension at the airport, but presenters Wednesday said any talk of runway expansion is far off and instead focused on the need to thoroughly study all surrounding properties to maximize economic development and receive feedback from airport customers.
Jim Kirby, a member of the three-man study team for the first phase and property expert, said while the airport generates $128 million of economic activity and provides 500 jobs in the community, the surrounding areas near Industrial Drive and Palatine Road are lacking.
“In the course of phase one, we realized the aviation side doesn't need a lot of tweaking. We're not here to talk about expansion of the airport or changes to the runways,” he said. “The $30 million public-private investment in the last five years is not reflected in the area around the airport.”
Focus for the airport's future, he said, should start with looking at addressing any development issues such as floodplains, soil issues and required setbacks and then determining what customers demand — such as a maintenance facility, more hangars or fixed-base operators.
Brian Welker, aviation consultant with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, said those options could be presented before the end of the year to the board of directors, but generic models already showed a maintenance facility could generate an additional $24 million per year at the airport.
While the presentation was light on details, board members praised the consultants for a dense and thorough written report that will be made public and given to municipal leaders.
Board member David Kolssak said it would be important to convey the information in simple terms at the upcoming Wheeling and Prospect Heights presentations and convince the municipalities of the benefit of continuing a second phase of the study.
Some members such as Rodney Pace, Neal Katz and Ray Lang said they would like to see the process go faster than the yearlong first phase of the study and were eager to see more detail. Lang added it would be important to balance potential expansion with community concerns.
“We're chomping at the bit to get Wheeling developed,” Lang said of Wheeling officials and residents. “As we move forward … we need a better balance between more flights and better compatibility with the neighboring communities.”
Consultants said one of the first steps moving into the next phase would be establishing an advisory committee of people from the airport and community.
Board members approved presenting the plan to Wheeling and Prospect Heights at their next respective meetings in hopes of winning their support. Neither municipality has approved the airport's budget yet over concerns about CEO Charlie Priester's contract terms and a desire to see results from the first phase of the study before allowing a second phase to proceed.