Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - Airport plans to buy land

Airport plans to buy land

Dec 31, 2008 - 04:05:26 CST

By SARA KINCAID
Bismarck Tribune

Bismarck Municipal Airport will purchase about 23 acres of land to the northwest of airport property.

The Bismarck City Commission approved the purchase at a special meeting Tuesday. The land is part of a runway protection zone.

The land is owned by Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Church, and Steve and Karen McCormick. Two other parcels in the runway protection zone are owned by the Bismarck Hockey Boosters. The group did not agree to sell their land.

It will cost about $2.24 million for the property, or $2.20 per square foot. Airport management will apply for approval to purchase the land from the Federal Aviation Administration. The property purchase could be paid for with airport improvement project money or passenger facility charges.

"It will probably be PFCs (passenger facility charges)," airport manager Greg Haug said.

The passenger facility charge is a fee charged on airline tickets. The fee would be about $4.50 per ticket for this project. The ability to assess this charge changes as projects are paid off and new projects are approved, and passengers can pay a maximum of $9 per ticket, Haug said.

At $4.50 per ticket, the PFC would generate $750,000 per year.

It will take about a year for the project to be approved. There will need to be an environmental impact statement as part of the procedure.

The airport could close on the property as early as July or as late as December. The airport will pay $3,000 quarterly until closing, and that money will be a credit toward the purchase price, Haug said.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)

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Comments

Marci wrote on Dec 31, 2008 9:00 PM:

" I'm guessing the land they are talking about is just across the street from the nw approach to the runway next to airport road (the curve) near the landscape business. There is a huge vacant lot the sits right under the flight path...even the street lights in that area on airport road are short compared to the other street lights on that stretch of airport road. It would probably make sense not to build in this area since the planes are flying very low as they approach the runway during landing. Makes sense to me...I know I wouldn't want to be working in a business where jets would barely scale the roof as it approaches. "

JP wrote on Dec 31, 2008 7:09 PM:

" Wasn't intended to have anyone's shorts in a knot... I am not sure what property they are talking of... NW of the airport is a pretty general description given the size of the airport. I was just saying you have a real question... but sometimes the responses given on the blogs (including mine) tend to be uninformed opinions and not real answers. The airport management would be able to give you facts... and my experience with them has been they are quite friendly and helpful... "

Bloody Red Baron wrote on Dec 31, 2008 7:05 PM:

" If the property is at the end of the runway, no way is it worth $97391.304/acre. No one would want it even if you were giving it away. The city should just annex it. Also, if $4.50 per ticket is enough to generate $750,000/year at the little ol' Bismarck airport, then the airline industry should be seriously investigated for many of the fees they charge.

Using the same formula, a $25 checked bag charge would generate $4.2 million! That is enough money to buy UPS & FedEX in the area and still come out ahead. How can they possibly need $4,166,666 to put your suitcase on a plane.

Everyone whines about rising taxes and government waste. Well, DO SOMETHING about it! "

NDPilot wrote on Dec 31, 2008 5:27 PM:

" To Question... I'm not sure I understand your question either. If the land is northwest of the airport then it means it is in-line with runway 13/31. The last thing you want close to the end of a runway are occupied buildings. This seems to be a perfect fit for the protection zone definition you provided. "

To JP wrote on Dec 31, 2008 4:39 PM:

" When I read what a runway protection zone was I couldn't figure out how that would apply to 23 acres Northwest of the airport. It was a simple question, not sure why that got your shorts in a knot. "

JP wrote on Dec 31, 2008 4:12 PM:

" To Question: How does it not apply? You seem to have some airport knowledge, did you call the airport management to ask the question? Making a statement like yours on the trib website is begging for some uninformed, unintelligent answers... you may get some opinions, but no real answers. You have a legitimate, intelligent question... you just need to bring it up to the right people... "

Question wrote on Dec 31, 2008 9:13 AM:

" If this land is Northweat of the airport how does that apply as a runway protection zone?
A runway protection zone is a trapezoidal area off the end of the runway end that serves to enhance the protection of people and property on the ground in the event an aircraft lands or crashes beyond the runway end.
However, runway protection zones are not to be confused with obstacle free zones or object free areas, says the FAA.
The FAA says an obstacle free zone is a three dimensional volume of airspace which protects for the transition of aircraft to and from the runway. "

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