AIRPORT PLAN FUNDS UP IN AIR

Bruce Loy knows what should be in the updated master plan for Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Now the question is, who's going to pay for it?

"Right now I don't have a commitment from the state to fund it," said Loy, who manages the airport.

Loy wants the state to pay for part of the master plan update. The state wants to wait and see if the airport will qualify for federal funding.

But if Loy has to wait for federal dollars, he says, it will be October 1999 before he can apply for the aid, which will delay the project too long.

He estimates the cost of updating the master plan, which outlines how the airport should grow and what, if any, facilities need to be added to keep up with aviation trends, at $70,000.

Depending on how the funding is worked out, the city's share of the cost will be from 10 to 20 percent.

The updated master plan will help airport officials map out future growth and development, Loy said.

"We're hoping to take a look at what facilities we need to continue general aviation growth, and where our target needs to be in regard to our commercial airline development," he said.

Whoever develops the master plan -- which has not been contracted out -- will look at the changes taking place in airports of similar size and scope to the local facility, Loy said, and try to project whether traffic at the local airport will grow and by how much.

In some regions, he said, businesses are switching their air fleets from turbo-prop to jet aircraft for regional travel.

"For communities our size, that's one of the key developments that are going on now," Loy said. "Is that something that we can fulfill? Is that something we can target?"

If regional business jet traffic increases in Southeast Missouri, some changes in how the regional airport does business may be necessary.

"It probably won't change a whole lot," Loy said. "The main thing might be a new marketing strategy more than anything."

Some changes in facilities, including runway space and hangars, may also be necessary, he said.

Encouraging further industrial development will be "the big thing" studied in the master plan update, Loy said.

Airport officials want to look at how the airport can tie into the Chamber of Commerce's industrial park on Nash Road to help attract new industry and better serve existing industry, he said.

"I'm hoping that out of this plan we can proceed with a proactive industrial park development for the airport, particularly with the land north of the airport," Loy said.

The master plan update will also map out strategies for increasing commercial and general aviation traffic.

Loy said he is considering conducting a survey of visitors to the Cape Girardeau area regarding their travel patterns "to find out who the people are who are coming to this region and where they're coming from."

In 1997, the airport recorded 8,841 boardings, including 4,908 from Trans World Express.

As of the end of July this year, boardings totalled 6,836, compared to 4,319 through the end of July in 1997.

Loy would like to see that number surpass 10,000.

In addition, he said, as the master plan update forecasts traffic growth, it can also help forecast what additional facilities and services will be needed to support that growth, such as increased fire protection or more hangar space.

The master plan update will be mapped out in five, 10- and 20-year phases, with projected development spelled out for each phase, Loy said.

"What I hope to achieve out of the plan is to find out what is the future of the regional commuter service in this region, and how can this airport best be competitive with that type of service," he said.

A well-crafted master plan can also help attract new business and federal funding, and to set up a marketing plan, Loy said.