Cleveland Municipal: Airport Authority seeks donors

The Cleveland Municipal Airport Authority presented designs of the new airport terminal building to a select number of potentially large donors Thursday evening at the Museum Center at Five Points.

Airport Design Committee Chair Lou Patten said the purpose of the reception was to inform some of the business community about the new terminal, and interest them in making contributions and donations.

The terminal building is equally funded by the state and the city up to $700,000, which is about $1.5 million less than the estimated $2.2 million price tag for the building, paving, parking, fence, landscaping, engineering, architectural design and the furnishings.

“We’ve got to raise at least $1.5 million,” he said. “We’re inviting some people we think will be corporate users and businesses that might want to promote themselves through one of the several naming opportunities.”

A million dollars will buy the naming rights to the 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art terminal building that includes a stone-and-glass water feature — which can be named for $250,000; lobby and lounge area with a stone fireplace and Mission style furnishings, $250,000; pilot’s lounge, $100,000; and a small conference room, $50,000.

Other opportunities include wall plaques for $3,000 for three years and any of the 24 4-foot wide digital displays for publicizing company logos or other information can be had for $25,000 for five years. Payments on the displays may be maid over a period of three years.

“These are options we are presenting to the folks,” he said. “Right now, we’re just trying to get some of the higher dollar amounts.”

Among the 50 invited guests were representatives from heritage business and industry, as well as newcomers to the area.

Tim Sloan, senior director EHSS and Regulatory Affairs, Wacker Polysilicon North America, said company officials support activities in the community and very much support airport expansion and how it benefits them during the construction phase of the company’s new plant, and in future operations.

Sloan said most of Wacker’s corporate travel is on commercial airlines, but Wacker Chemie AG, the German-based parent company, has a corporate jet.

“I imagine if the airport was open, it would be something considered,” he said. “When we had groundbreaking, I know our corporate executives flew in on the corporate jet, but I’m not sure where.”

Jim Williams, chairman of First Tennessee Bank in Cleveland, said he liked the appearance of the new airport and that it would make a very nice first impression on first-time visitors. He said it will also be a big help to service banking customers.

Construction on the third and final phase of the new airport is expected to begin in the spring with paving the runway, apron and terminal area. The 5,500-foot runway will be 11 inches of concrete over 4 inches of stone.

The new airport near Tasso Community alongside Michigan Avenue Road and Dry Valley Road should be open for business sometime between August and November 2012.

Patten said the design committee thinks the terminal building is going to be exciting to folks as they enter the community and also to residents who will use the new airport.

“When folks come into Cleveland for the first time, you want it to be something that’s special, that will have an impact on those people when they come in to visit,” Patten said.

Airport Authority Chair Lynn DeVault said recently Steve Carroll with Rardin & Carroll Architects, of Chattanooga, captured the uniqueness of East Tennessee exactly as asked.

“It is beautiful and unique and it looks like this part of the world,” DeVault said recently.

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