It looks like Jefferson County’s only airport may close in the coming weeks to make way for a proposed large-scale industrial project known around the county as “Redbird.”
In an Aug. 3 letter, airport management notified those who rent hangar space and have planes at the airport that they must vacate the premises within the next few weeks.
“The owners of the property want the airport closed on or before Oct. 1,” the notice said. “Please plan to have your planes and any equipment off airport property by Sept. 15.”
The 61-acre airport at 900 Airport Road in Crystal City was purchased in 2011 by developer Jim Kennedy and has been operated since then by a group called Citizens for Airport Economic Expansion (CAEE). Kennedy purportedly is in the process of selling the airport and surrounding property to the developer of the proposed Redbird project.
“We’ve heard (the airport sale) is getting close to an agreement, but we just don’t know. We haven’t gotten any concrete information,” CAEE board member Bob Borman said. “We’ve had some text messages from the owner, but we haven’t gotten anything official in writing (about the closure).
“We’ve never actually had a lease or written agreement with Mr. Kennedy, so we have been month-to-month for 10 years. We just wanted to let the owners know ahead of time what it’s looking like.”
Borman said about 20 planes are still in hangars on the property.
“Some planes are in parts, and they’re not even flyable,” he said. “Some (owners) are a little slower to respond than others, and we just wanted to let them know what’s anticipated.”
The imminent closure of the airport brings a sense of urgency to the group’s efforts to find a replacement location.
“As soon as I heard what is happening, I thought we definitely need to start thinking about a new airport,” Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon said on Aug. 5. “We need to figure out how to get a new general aviation airport to serve Jefferson County, as opposed to what has basically been a hobbyist airport. This will be something we will be focusing on.”
The current airport’s runway is 2,200 feet long, which does not allow for the safe takeoff and landing of anything larger than single-engine aircraft, gliders and helicopters. A runway at least 5,000 feet long is needed to accommodate twin-engine and triple-prop airplanes or even small corporate jets, officials have said.
Why not air?
County government critics have said air transportation has been left out of long-term planning in favor of a Mississippi River port development project in Herculaneum.
Alex Bischoff, who moderates a Facebook page called airport4Jeffco, asked on the page this week, “When will someone in authority start a formal initiative to identify and develop a replacement airport?”
John Shadduck of De Soto said on the page that “Festus is IDEALLY suited in the air corridors just outside St. Louis airspace, near to I-55 and the river. Just look at the wealth and breadth of businesses and support companies Spirit airport in St. Charles has developed into. Look at how businesses have expanded and thrived at successful airports in ideal locations like Sebring in Florida, Cape Girardeau in Missouri, Meridian in Mississippi, etc.
“The port is the most long-term project I’ve ever seen (county government) undertake in the 38 years I’ve been living here. Why on earth wasn’t regional air transportation considered in that initiative?”
Borman said his group has explored both expanding the current site and seeking a new site, but has had little success with either.
“There have been plenty of opportunities for the city to expand, when they had it, then for the county to do something,” he said. “We have approached the county about supporting a new location, but we’ve not had any luck. I hate to see the county lose its only airport, with all that means to the citizens, to the businesses. It’s a real sad scenario that the idea of a viable airport has never been successfully approached.”
Borman pointed out that the Festus Memorial Airport is not eligible for tax-supported funding because it is technically privately owned.
“We’re self-sufficient when it comes to costs,” he said. “We have enough to pay our bills just through fuel sales and hangar rentals. But we’ve put at least $50,000 into upgrades and maintenance issues to keep it viable. It’s not a profitable situation.”
In addition to renting out hangar space, the airport sells fuel for planes; rents out aircrafts; repairs and maintains planes; offers ground school and flight school; provides aerial tours and sightseeing; and holds special events there.
Borman said the airport closure would affect several groups that use it as a base.
“There’s a power line-trimming company that comes in a few times a year,” he said. “There’s a parachutist group that comes in a couple of times a week, and we provide fuel for the Air Evac and Survival Flight helicopters almost every evening.”
It sometimes draws out-of-town business operations to the area for extended periods of time, such as in 2014, when an aerial surveying company based a three-week project here, Borman said.
“I would hope the county would see the need, recognize the importance of keeping a facility for aircraft within the county’s borders,” he said. “We don’t want to see it go away; Jefferson County deserves an airport that is safe for community use.”
Timeline
1960s – The Lucas family donates the 61-acre property in unincorporated Jefferson County to the city of Festus.
2003 – Festus Mayor Gene Doyle proposes selling the airport property, stating he is convinced the land might be more valuable and useful if used as a business park.
2005 – Citizens for Airport Economic Expansion forms and takes over management of the airport under the name Festus Airport Services.
2008 – The Festus City Council agrees to sell the airport to the pilots group for $2.275 million, but title and easement issues stall, and the sale never closes. Later in the year, Crystal City annexes the airport as part of a 100-acre annexation to its south.
2010 – The Festus City Council accepts a $2.25 million offer from Wings Enterprises for the property. Kennedy has trouble coming up with the financing for the project, leading to a series of contract extensions that take almost a year.
2011 – In February, the deal closes after eight extensions. The airport continues operation under the CAEE pilots group.
2022 – The Jefferson County Council agrees to commit up to $7.25 million to help pay for infrastructure costs for the Redbird project. Crystal City votes to annex pieces of property necessary for the project. Officials notify tenants of the airport’s impending closure on Oct. 1.