AIRPORT: VITAL TO LOCAL ECONOMY

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, November 24, 2004

By Bill Rautenstrauch

Staff Writer

It isn’t LAX, O’Hare or Heathrow. Just the same, the Union County Airport does a pretty good job serving its community.

That was an assessment served up by Dennis Spray, Union County general services manager, during a tour Monday of the facility and the adjacent airport industrial park.

"(The airport) is a major player in the economic vitality of the community," Spray said.

Before 1988, the airport belonged to the City of La Grande. Union County proposed taking it over, improving it, and developing adjacent lands into an industrial park.

"We made it a county-wide issue because people felt it wouldn’t be fair for the city to foot the whole bill," said Spray.

A $500,000 bond issue was placed before voters and narrowly approved. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department kicked in another $500,000 and the federal Economic Development Administration added $1 million more.

The state and federal money came with strings attached, however. In return for the funding, the county had to pledge creation of 50 family-wage jobs in the industrial park.

"That made us a little nervous," said Spray. "We were worried we might not be able to do it."

It was worry over nothing. By 1991, the industrial park was ready for business and business came.

"There are over 400 people working out here now," Spray said.

Recreational vehicle manufacturers including Nash Manufacturing and Eagle Cap Outsourcing are major employers today.

Graffunder Safe Company, Baretto Manufacturing, Peninsula Trucking (formerly Eastern Oregon Fast Freight), Eagle Cap Aviation and Sheds to Go also are headquartered in the industrial park.

Sentinel Power Company, a maker of back-up generator systems, moved in recently, but left because their building lacked heat. Spray said Sentinel has taken up headquarters in La Grande, but plans to relocate at the industrial park later.

Phase II development of the industrial park is well under way and several companies are making plans to move in in the near future, Spray said.

Those include Hines Rock Crushing and Weiss Brothers, which is a supplier of components for hardware stores and RV manufacturing.

A company that specializes in transportation and delivery of recreational vehicles also has plans to take up residence at the industrial park, Spray said.

"Our industrial park has been cited as a model of what you can do if you have land ready," he said.

The airport itself was built during World War II as a training facility for the Army Air Corps. At war’s end, the military moved out and the City of La Grande took the facility over.

Today, state and federal agencies involved in wildfire control are a major presence. Firefighting equipment is stored at the airport fire cache and tankers refuel and pick up fire retardant at a station maintained especially for those purposes.

The airport’s main runway is 5,600 feet long, enough to accommodate the firefighting aircraft. A secondary runway stretches 3,460 feet.

"(The airport) is a lot bigger than you think. We have 16,000-17,000 operations a year, people taking off and landing," Spray said.

Improvements to the secondary runway including a taxiway running parallel to it were done this year. Complete resurfacing is scheduled for 2007.

Spray said about 95 percent of the cost of runway improvements are paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"We have an excellent relationship with the FAA," he said.

FedEx and United Parcel Service both have receiving facilities at the airport, and both land a plane a day there. A courier plane for local banks also makes regular runs.

Air Life of Oregon, a medical transport service, has an operations center at the airport. Flight instructors and an airplane mechanic also do business there.

Last Thanksgiving, the building housing the airport’s fixed base operator burned down.

A new building has been constructed, and FBO Brad Payne has moved in. Finishing touches on the building are being done now; a grand opening is slated for Dec. 3-4.

Payne is the county’s only full-time airport employee. Five others work part time.

Fuel sales are a major job for the FBO. They play a key role in keeping the airport economically viable, Spray noted.

"When we first took the airport over, we only had one fuel truck. Now we have five," Spray said. "Fuel sales are a major source of revenue for us."

Busy though it is, the airport still lacks a commercial passenger carrier.

The Union County Economic Development Corporation tried to solve that problem a few years ago by opening a Sky Taxi franchise.

However, Salem-based Sky Taxi went out of business and passenger service was discontinued. UCEDC later sold the plane it used in the passenger operation.

Charter service is available through Eagle Cap Aviation.

Spray said negotiations with commercial carriers including Horizon Air and Empire Airlines have not been successful.

"Horizon wanted a $100,00 subsidy," he said. "The problem is ridership. Studies say that a commercial carrier would only get about 18 riders a day out of this airport. That’s not enough."