The Winnebago County Board on Tuesday rejected a resolution that would have created an aviation industrial park adjacent to the Wittman Regional Airport.
The vote, which required a three-fourths majority to pass, was 22-11. The resolution would have authorized the purchase of 80.9 acres of land south of the airport from members of the Brennand family for $1.6 million, or about $19,000 per acre.
Opponents of the purchase balked at the $19,000-per-acre price tag, when the land was was appraised at $12,000 to $15,000 per acre, criticizing the notion of paying a "premium" for the land.
"If buying this land at this price was the right thing to do, we would have done it years ago," said County Board Supervisor Bill Roh.
Backers of the plan, however, said the higher price tag was a worthwhile investment.
"The appraisals don't really mean a great deal when you're dealing with something that's one-of-a-kind," said Supervisor Claud Thompson. "This is the only land next to the airport. When you have just one thing available and one seller, it's very difficult to come along with a fair price. Who would ever dare to try to appraise something like the Hope diamond? It comes down to what you're willing to pay for it and how much you want it."
Supervisor Jerold Finch questioned why private entities that supported the land purchase hadn't bought it themselves if the offered price was truly a good deal.
Finch proposed an amendment that would limit the amount the county would appropriate for the purchase to $1 million. The amendment failed on a 10-23 vote.
Supporters of the purchase said it would allow the airport to offer land to aviation-related businesses that inquire about development opportunities near the airport.
Currently, the airport has seven non-contiguous acres of land available for development. The city of Oshkosh and its industrial development arm, Chamco Inc., have agreed to extend utilities to the site and market it to aviation-related businesses after the county bought the land.
County ownership of the land is critical to aviation-related development because it is the only way for businesses to obtain "through the fence" access to the county-owned airport.
"We have the makings for an aerospace cluster here in Winnebago County," said Chamco Executive Director Elizabeth Hartman before the vote. "As a taxpayer, I see minimal short-term costs here and long-term potential benefits."
In his report to the board, County Executive Mark Harris said he believed it would be a "pennywise but pound foolish decision" not to purchase the land.
Chamco and the University of Wisconsin-Extension offices estimated the industrial park could have created anywhere from 250 to 1,000 jobs in a variety of industries that tie into the aviation industry from metal fabrication and manufacturing to aircraft maintenance.
"I think it's ironic that we, in this community, will pay a premium on a Packer ticket," said Supervisor Shiloh Ramos. "Why wouldn't we pay a premium on increasing jobs for our community, increasing income for our community, increasing tax revenue for the community?"
No comments:
Post a Comment