EDITORIAL: A fresh new approach to airport

Some encouraging news emerged this week regarding Kalispell’s beleaguered city airport.

A group of airport users has offered to help with the increasing costs of maintaining and operating the airport, which the city currently operates at a net loss. Dewey Swank of Swank Construction told the City Council that he and other individuals and business owners are willing to make a financial commitment toward the management and maintenance of the 88-year-old airport, though no hard numbers have been discussed yet.

The generous offer comes amid serious consideration of closing the city airport. The council had planned to vote Aug. 1 whether to close the airport, but the decision is on hold for now and probably will be postponed until next year.

Keeping the airport open has been a contentious matter, with battle lines clearly drawn between pro- and anti-airport groups. The bickering has been incessant for years. In 2013 city voters rejected a council proposal to upgrade and expand the airport through the federal Airport Improvement Program. Had that passed the city could have pursued $16 million of federal money.

Plans have been tossed around for decades, to no avail — close the airport, move it, upgrade it, expand it, and variations of all of those options.

It makes a lot of sense for users to step up to the plate with a plan to pitch in money to keep the airport operational. Mayor Mark Johnson has suggested the city staff work with the user group to establish a framework for the agreement by October. The user group’s offer may be the last best option for keeping the airport open, because it’s doubtful a bond issue would pass and it’s doubtful the council will opt to continue operating the airport as an albatross for city taxpayers.

The Kalispell City Airport has a history of local business leaders stepping in at crucial times to keep it running. A half-century ago a group of airport supporters donated equipment, materials, expertise and money when the facility was languishing and needed improvements. That’s when the Kalispell Airport Association was formed and the runway was first paved by a unified community effort.

Is it too much to hope that this latest offer by airport users could accomplish much the same thing and preserve the city airport for the important economic amenity it is? The key, we believe, is what those civic leaders knew 50 years ago: It has to be a united effort.