AIRPORT: RENOVATION OF TERMINAL PROGRESSING

A long-awaited, $1 million project to renovate the terminal building at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport should be completed by February, city officials say.

Airport Manager Mark Seesing gave the Airport Advisory Board an update on the renovation project at the board's monthly meeting Tuesday.

"It's moving ahead," Seesing said. "There's somebody over there working every day, and they will start some of the exterior brick work before too long."

Public Works Director Doug Leslie said that although the building remains in a "mixed-demolition stage," the contractor continues to make progress.

The city in April received Federal Aviation Administration approval to start on the renovation project, at least three months behind schedule.

Board members said they hope the improvement will spur broader use of the airport.

Seesing said that general aviation at the airport is on the decline along with commercial enplanements, which have sagged drastically in the past three years. The airport manager blamed the slump primarily on the economy, but added that having the terminal building out of commission hasn't helped.

Seesing said that several general aviators at the airport recently have sold their aircraft.

"There used to be a waiting list for hangars out here and then after we built our new T-hangars, there's only three planes in them," he said. "The economy really affects general aviation.

"Aviation is always the first thing to go in an economic downturn and the last thing to come back," Seesing added. "But I'm sure we're also losing some boardings because of the work at the terminal building."

City officials last year approved the renovation plan, and the construction contract was bid early this year.

In February, terminal building tenants moved out of the facility and have since operated out of two mobile construction trailers in the terminal's parking lot.

But the FAA refused to accept a construction contract, rejecting the low bidder and threatening the same action against the number two bidder unless that contractor was able to comply with a federal program that sets a quota for the percentage of minority subcontractors participating in the project.

The contractor with the second lowest bid, R.A. Schemel and Associates, finally was able to demonstrate its compliance with the conditions of the federal program and received FAA approval.

Schemel started actual work on the building in June, but was forced first to remove asbestos from the building further delaying the project.

Public Works Director Doug Leslie has said he doesn't anticipate further delays or because much of the work is interior weather to be a factor.

The city and the FAA will share the cost of the project, with the FAA responsible for about $400,000.

In other business Tuesday, the airport board received the final report from the 1992 Aviation Days Air Show at the airport. This year's show, held in May, featured the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron.

Some of the major expenditures in the air show included: performers, $23,900 ($12,000 for the Blue Angels); bus and car rentals, $11,800; motel rooms for performers, $5,600; advertising, $7,500; and miscellaneous expenses, $12,300.

Total expenses for the show were about $89,500, and total revenue was about $94,100, leaving a positive balance of about $4,600.

The airport generated $73,800 from ticket sales, received $15,500 from corporate sponsors and about $4,900 from concessions and other income.

Seesing said that despite the relatively modest profit which will go toward next year's Aviation Days the show this spring was a success.

"I think the overall impact of the show dealt with more then thousands of dollars," he said. "It was a lot of free advertising and exposure for the airport and Cape Girardeau. We were in all the Blue Angels programs that went out across the county.

"There was a lot of community interest, and I've received a number of calls from people wanting to get involved in it next year," Seesing added. "I think we got a lot of good exposure for the airport."