Recommendations from a private sector ad hoc Airport Area Steering group are unequivocal.
The Prescott Municipal Earnest A. Love Airport and its surrounding expanse are a critical core for significant future economic growth and development in the Quad Cities area.
That is also the conclusion of the majority of those who studied results of a major long-term study from a 10-member Steering Group. The committee met 23 times during the past 11 months to research and form its strategic plan.
Those recommendations, presented during a special City Council meeting Nov. 10, aroused intense interest among the Prescott City Council and dozens of interested citizens.
But for the 66-year-old, 760-acre airport to truly become a player in economic growth, some major – and expensive – changes need to occur.
Foremost is the need to extend the main runway from its current 7,600 feet to perhaps as much as 9,600 feet. The current main runway is not capable of handling larger planes, according to John Cox, airport manager. An extension would be to the east. It would require the purchase of additional land immediately adjacent to airport property.
A longer runway at the 5,045 feet above sea level elevation is necessary to allow heavier regional and corporate jet aircraft to fly in and out of Prescott. It also would accommodate Forest Service slurry bombers, which use Love Field as an aerial base for fighting forest fires throughout the region.
Changes would not stop with just runway extensions.
Steering group recommendations also included replacing the existing 5,000-square-foot airport terminal and ancillary buildings with a modern facility. A new terminal likely would have to be in a new location because taxiway realignments need to be made to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements, Cox explains.
The air traffic control tower also would need to be relocated.
New access roads would be needed, too.
Preliminary cost estimates are $45 to $50 million, with the majority of that amount coming from federal grants, says Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall.
Kuykendall, other city officials and possibly some private citizens are planning to meet with FAA administrators in Los Angeles some time after Jan. 1 to initiate grant discussions.
Airport Area, Surrounding Properties Viewed as Major Regional Economic Asset
Steve Rutherford, president of the Greater Prescott Regional Economic Partnership (GPREP), says the airport is a tremendous regional asset and should be used as such. “Strengthening and lengthening the runway, along with other improvements, will allow the city to attract regional carriers. It also will provide opportunities to aviation industry employers for which Prescott is well suited,” he said. “Other aviation-related assets in proximity include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Yavapai College’s CTEC. Marketing all these regional assets to appropriate businesses and service providers will improve employment opportunities for citizens and increase the tax base.”
Prescott Chamber of Commerce CEO David Maurer echoed Rutherford’s thoughts.
“Most communities our size would give anything to have the aviation resources that Prescott has. The ad hoc committee did an excellent job in outlining steps to improve our airport and surrounding properties. It’s up to the City Council to set this plan in motion and find the resources to address the two most critical items – extending the main runway and building a new terminal.”
Maurer reinforced his statement when he sent a letter declaring Chamber board support for airport improvements to the Prescott City Council.
His letter said, in part, “The Chamber Board was very supportive of the ad hoc group’s recommendations and encourages you to make airport projects a high priority in the coming year. We stand ready to help as needed. We could put together a group of businessmen and women in the Quad Cities who support the airport plans….”
Steering committee member John Markham is a fellow engineer executive with Cobham Aerospace Communications in Prescott. (The Prescott facility is a major one in the international corporation that employs more than 12,000 people on five continents.)
Markham is adamant that the Quad Cities area can become an aerospace economic hub if airport expansion occurs. “Just think of the high-level jobs that can be created with prudent and careful expansion,” he said.
Prescott Valley Town Manager Larry Tarkowski says he is totally supportive of Steering Committee recommendations.
“Airport improvements will serve the Quad Cities area well as an economic engine, which will spur job creation in the region.”
Prescott Economic Development Director Jeff Burt was a key figure in working with the Steering Committee and is a strong advocate for airport expansion.
“The airport and the greater airport area are at the heart of Prescott’s future. That 8,000-acre area will greatly impact the region’s future economic health. It will expand the quality of life for residents and position the area for its role and contribution to the region’s economy. The net result for the airport area will be a live, work and play environment that will be attractive to businesses and residents, and be an area that complements the vitality of downtown Prescott.”
Kuykendall says he speaks for the City Council in saying “…the time is right to expand the airport. It won’t be an overnight project. We’re looking at a 15- to 20-year strategic plan. But the time is now to act positively and move forward.” QCBN
By Ray Newton
Quad Cities Business News
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