DANGER: AIRPORT FIRE SAFETY ISSUE HEATING UP

A major fire last weekend that destroyed two buildings in Scott City's industrial park points out the need for improved water service for that area and the nearby Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, said Airport Manager Mark Seesing.

The industrial tract is on the east side of Interstate 55, across the interstate from the Cape Girardeau airport.

Firefighters were hampered in battling the blaze because of a lack of an adequate water supply. Currently, several businesses have small wells, which are inadequate for fire protection, fire officials said in the aftermath of the blaze.

"As proven over the weekend, they are in serious need of fire protection," Seesing told members of the Airport Advisory Board Wednesday.

But he added that the airport, which is served by two wells, also has an inadequate water supply in regards to fire protection.

"We have no protection here right now," said Seesing.

He said it would be difficult to fight a major fire at the airport without a better supply of water.

City officials want to install a water system to serve the airport. They plan to apply later this year for $450,000 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding to pay for water improvements.

Seeing said, "We're looking at a few alternatives (for improving the water supply.)"

One alternative would be to drill a shallow well and pump the water into a storage tank for use in the event of a fire. Seesing said such water would not be suitable for drinking without being run through a costly treatment system.

Another possibility would be to tie into Scott City's water system. "Scott City is currently putting a water line on the east side of the interstate. We are working with them on the possibility of tying in for fire protection," said Seesing.

Ironically, construction of a water line to serve the industrial park began last week, only days before the disastrous fire.

In other business at Wednesday's meeting of the airport board, Seesing said boardings for the first half of the year are well below the total for the first six months of last year.

The city stands to lose $300,000 in annual entitlements from the FAA if the boardings fall below 10,000 for the year. City officials have said it's unlikely that boardings will reach the 10,000 plateau.

"It's looking grimmer and grimmer as time goes on," said Seesing. "I really don't know what we can do to reverse that."

For June, there were 670 boardings at the airport, well short of the 912 recorded during the same period last year.

For the first six months of the year, there have been 3,898 boardings, 934 fewer than the 4,832 boardings during the same period last year, airport usage figures show.

Trans World Express (TWE), the commuter airline serving Cape Girardeau, handled 2,414 boardings from January through June this year, compared to 3,076 during the same period last year.

Cape Central Airways, a fixed base operation that includes charter and freight service, had 978 boardings for the first six months of this year, compared to 1,117 for the same period last year.

Procter and Gamble's shuttle service had 506 boardings for the first six months compared to 639 for the first half of last year.

"It's been slow," said Seesing. "It's been slow on everybody (in the airline industry)."

Business travel accounts for most of the boardings at the Cape Girardeau airport. But with tough times economically, businesses have cut back on air travel, Seesing said.

He said that canceled and delayed TWE flights have added to the boarding problem. He said air travelers want dependable, on-time service.

"In talking with travel agents, they're apprehensive about bookings out of Cape Girardeau," the airport manager said.

Unfortunately, he said, declining boardings make it more difficult in trying to attract another commuter airline to Cape Girardeau.

"Hopefully," he remarked, "they can look through the smoke a bit and see there is a possibility."

Seesing and other city officials have been trying to interest Lone Star Airlines, headquartered in Dallas-Fort Worth, in serving the Cape Girardeau airport.

"It's a very, very promising airline," said Seesing. "I think it is a good airline."

He said Lone Star officials have expressed some interest in providing air service to Cape Girardeau. Lone Star serves cities in Texas, Arkansas, Indiana and Tennessee.

In other business, Mark Spatz, the new owner of Cape Central Airways, met briefly with the airport board.

Spatz, 28, is originally from Arkansas. He now lives in Cape Girardeau.

He said some "cosmetic changes" will be made to the Cape Central Airways building, but that no significant changes will be made in the operation of the business and existing personnel will be retained.

"We have a real good crew of folks over there," he said.

Reggie Hopwood, the previous owner of Cape Central Airways, operates River City Aviation.

Spatz said Hopwood and River City Aviation, which owns four planes, "will be intimately involved" in operations at the airport.

Spatz said he has no intention of turning Cape Central Airways into a commuter airline. "We don't want to be in the airline business."