COLT — The decade-long process of developing a new airport in east Arkansas has been a turbulent ride filled with economic setbacks, internal strife and delays. But the Delta Regional Airport is finally taking shape.
When the airport opens - perhaps next year, but more likely in 2014 or later - local leaders are expecting it to become an economic boon for St. Francis and Cross counties.
Workers are adding a second layer of asphalt to the runway. Lights, a terminal building and hangars are on hold until money is available.
As construction continues, Delta Regional Airport Authority members hope that aviation-related businesses - such as aircraft mechanics, flight schools and painting facilities - will begin to locate nearby.
A turbine manufacturing company based in Dallas has already expressed interest in building a shop at the airport and hiring up to 10 people.
John Knight, the director of the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, said a regional airport is an economic recruitment tool.
The Delta Regional Airport Authority was formed in 2002 after Toyota officials considered building a manufacturing plant in eastern Arkansas, but the lack of a suitable airport dissuaded them.
The Wynne Municipal Airport has a 4,000-foot runway and averages about 30 aircraft landings or takeoffs daily - mostly by agricultural or private aircraft. Forrest City’s municipal airport features a 3,800-foot runway. It averages about 130 daily landings or takeoffs - also mostly by agricultural planes.
“The idea in Colt is to replace two smaller airports,” Knight said. “It’s not built for [commercial] jets. But it will certainly be better than the existing airports to recruit industry.”
The airports at Forrest City, population 15,371, and Wynne, population 8,367, are hemmed in geographically, and there’s no room for expansion, regional airport Chairman John Kerr said.
Colt was chosen as the site for an airport with a 5,000-foot runway because of its equal distance between Wynne and Forrest City, and its capacity for expansion. To accommodate corporate aircraft, airports generally need runways of 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet, Kerr said.
Part of the plan requires Wynne and Forrest City to close their airports and sell them, with the proceeds going to the Delta Regional Airport Authority.
Both airports are on the market, Kerr said, but no one has bid on either.
AUTHORITY SETBACKS
Since its formation, members of the Delta Regional Airport Authority have struggled with cutbacks in funding, difficult land acquisitions and internal friction.
The authority agreed to purchase 640 acres of land just west of Colt from five families in 2007. When one family refused to sell because it had recently entered into a long-term lease on the land, the authority sought to acquire the land through eminent domain.
A St. Francis County Circuit Court ordered the land sold and allowed the authority to begin construction. But the deal was never closed because the family failed to provide a clear title for the land.
A St. Francis County Circuit Court jury ordered in 2010 that the authority pay two families $730,000, including interest, for the property.
“The land acquisition was a tug of war,” Kerr said.
Meanwhile, airport authority member Shirley Harvell expressed concern over the airport’s funding process, among other things.
She believes the airport authority was formed incorrectly and that the group’s actions have been illegal since its inception. She has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the authority, and other complaints with various state agencies and officials.
“It’s been difficult to get any information about the project,” she said. “It’s been this way since Day One. It’s been an uphill battle.”
Authority meetings have been contentious at times.
According to meeting minutes, Harvell has often questioned Kerr and other members about federal grant applications, where the money is going, who makes decisions and when particular projects will begin.
She’s even questioned the way authority members have approved minutes of their meetings.
“All I want is someone to look at all of what we’ve done,” said Harvell of Forrest City. “We’ve spent more than $17 million [in federal grant money], and all we have is a runway with a fence around it.”
During one recent meeting, Kerr asked other authority members for a vote of confidence after he argued with Harvell, saying he would resign if they wanted.
No other member called for the vote.
The other board members are Shannon Hobbs, Gene Boeckmann, Rusty Cartillar and Phil Hicky.
“We wouldn’t be getting Federal Aviation Administration grants if we were doing something wrong,” Kerr said. “They’ve looked at us. They wouldn’t be investing all that money into this if there were some problems.”
The latest obstacle to the project has been a nearby residential subdivision. The Federal Aviation Administration won’t fund construction of an airport road if it also serves as an access to neighborhoods, Kerr said.
The authority persuaded Union Pacific Railroad to move tracks at a crossing, and a new road can now be built from Arkansas 1 to the airport site. But now the authority cannot apply for state funding for that portion of the project until July 2013 because of cutbacks on grants through the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics.
The authority recently received a $2 million federal grant that can go toward some road work and utilities, however.
Ninety-five percent of the project is funded with federal Airport Improvement Program money, and 5 percent comes from the state.
“There’s always hoops to jump through,” Kerr said. “It’s been a tug of war. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is daylight.”
COLT PROSPECTS
Colt Mayor Randy Hefner wants progress for his town of 380 people, but he hopes expansion comes slowly.
“We’ve got sewer running south of the town, and I think we can handle any new businesses coming in if it doesn’t happen overnight,” Hefner said.
“We’re hoping for a little rejuvenation, a little spark of interest in Colt.”
Kathy Deck, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, said an airport is a “doorway for potential business.”
“It’s up to a community to capitalize on what it has. Transportation is key. The more boxes you check, the more appealing it is for new businesses.”
The region should also try to capitalize on its tourism venues, she said, such as Village Creek State Park near Colt, which features a new golf course.“When it comes to economic development, every amenity counts.”
“This is how communities do developments,” Deck said. “They create partnerships and go after the strategic money. They have the state park. People can fly there and visit the park.”
Kerr hopes that will ignite an economic upsurge in the Delta, and that the small town will grow: “We’ve joked that in 10 years, we’ll be saying Forrest City is a suburb of Colt.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 05/29/2012