A  COPA member who wants to keep this anonymous for now, sent us the following after we provided him with a copy of the study:

“I had approached you earlier this year as we have been having some challenges at our municipal airport.  There was not a clear understanding of what the airport requires and a growing mindset of cost recovery through fees to the users.  I was able to get the attention of our City Manager and Economic Development department.  I arranged a lunch meeting and circulated the Economic impact study as well as the 2011 COPA  Guide to Public Airports prior to our meeting.

The meeting was a huge success.

They recognized that our airport may have been neglected and that a broader view may be a better approach.  I now have another meeting with economic development to formulate a plan to give our airport the attention that it requires.  It is my goal to have an airport strategic plan in place with a realistic budget and a clear vision for the future.  I hope to complete the process by ensuring that there is a permanent governance structure in place to continuously provide guidance on the operation and sustenance of our airport.  It can only get better from here.”

The Economic Study is yours to share, to distribute and it can be found in the Advocacy/Current Topics section of our website.