City to start eviction proceedings on Commander

Commander Premier missed its deadline Friday to pay up or get out and Cape Girardeau officials intend to start eviction proceedings next week that would end the city's rocky, six-year relationship with the long-struggling aircraft manufacturer.

"As of the deadline, we hadn't received anything," city manager Scott Meyer said. "The next procedure is eviction."

Meyer said that he'd had a conversation as recently as two weeks ago with Ronald Strauss, the Canadian businessman who has been saying for more than a year that he intends to put together finances to buy Commander and make the $1.2 million in back payments. Strauss and Commander president Gary Walker could not be reached Saturday for comment.

"He was saying again that they were really close, that it was going to happen," Meyer said.

It didn't. In February, the city gave executives of Commander -- who came to town in 2005 amid much hype -- 60 days to make good on the lease agreement for the 52,000-square-foot hangar at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Commander last made a payment in December 2007 and made a total of only eight of its scheduled 58 payments and didn't produce one plane and currently has only three or four workers.

The city has already gotten out from under the bond payments, paying off the entire April 1 balance of $2.1 million, plus $61,380 in interest, said city finance director John Richbourg. In a controversial move, the council used some of the $2 million from money it received from Isle of Capri as part of a land sale for the company to build its casino to pay off the bonds.

Meyer said the city next week will be researching the eviction process, which will be benefited by the return Monday of city attorney Eric Cunningham, who has been out on medical leave.

"We want to check and make sure legally what to do and fully explore what to do next," Meyer said.

Short of Commander making its back payments Monday, Meyer said his understanding is that Commander will be put on notice to evacuate the building in 30 days. But that will actually take longer than 30 days, he said, because legally the city has to give the notice time to reach the company.

Mayor Harry Rediger said he was not surprised Commander did not meet the deadline.

"We probably figured that was what would happen," Rediger said. "Now we proceed with the eviction notice. We've had conversations where we were assured the money was coming. But that was like the 14th or 15th time we heard that. So we're proceeding as we said we would. We've made a decision to move ahead."

Rediger said paying the bond payments frees up the city to market the hangar. Under the bond guidelines, the hangar, built 10 years ago for failed airplane manufacturer Renaissance Aircraft, had to be used for an airplane manufacturer. Now economic developers, like Mitch Robinson of Cape Girardeau Area Magnet, can market the building for a variety of airport-related uses, such as air freight.

"Once we get them out of there, we have some immediate demand for plane storage," Rediger said. "So we're going to start getting some income out of it quickly. As far as long term, who knows? We've gotten a few feelers, but we'll just have to wait and see."

Still, Rediger said he takes no delight in seeing Commander fail.

"It's always been disappointing," he said. "We had high hopes they would succeed. There was a risk of course, as there is with any business."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau, MO