AIRPORT POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT CREATE NEW PROFILE

Cape Girardeau City Manager J. Ronald Fischer this week agreed to restructure operations at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Fischer eliminated a cog in the city chain of command to enable Airport Manager Greg Chenoweth to report directly to him rather than to Doug Leslie, Cape Girardeau's public works director and assistant city manager.

But the city manager stopped short of making airport operations a stand-alone city department, such as police, fire, parks and recreation and public works.

The city's Airport Advisory Board had recommended the changes, complaining that Chenoweth was placed too low in the city's chain of command. Airport board member Steve Robertson called the airport manager a "stepchild" in city administration and contended airport operations have never been high on the city's list of priorities.

That may have been true for years, but more recently the city has invested millions of dollars on airport development. Still, most city officials and airport board members agree the airport remains an underdeveloped asset in Cape Girardeau. Whether giving the airport manager direct access to the city manager or creating a separate airport department will change that remains to be seen.

But it makes sense to give an airport development and aviation professional more latitude and authority to do his job, unfettered by bureaucratic obstacles.

City administrators contend the current arrangement has worked well. But what the airport board is aiming for is an even better arrangement.

In the 1970s, the airport operated as part of the Parks and Recreation Department. In the 1980s, it came under the control of the police chief. In 1990, the city made a logical and beneficial change when airport operations were put under the control of public works, and the city hired its first full-time airport manager.

The changes represented an improvement over past airport operations. It is time now to take the next step and truly make airport development a city priority. If the latest structural change proves effective, the city ought to revisit the issue of creating a separate airport management department.