WOODWARD — A letter from Edward Chambers, compliance program manager of the airports division of FAA Southwest Region to Woodward’s Mayor is critical of the city in regard to the West Woodward Airport.
An FAA report by Chambers claims the city inappropriately transferred title to airport land to the Woodward Municipal Authority for industrial development purposes over the years.
The report said on Jan. 6, 1989 the FAA released 4 tracts of land totalling around 135 acres the east side of the airport for development of an industrial park.
Chambers wrote that the deed of release contained a supplemental agreement that the parcels would be sold or leased for fair market value based on appraisal and sale proceeds or lease revenue would be used on airport capital or operating costs.
The report claims that appeared to not happen as the parcels were transferred to the WMA and in turned leased to industrial manufacturing entities and the airport “is not receiving the lease revenue.”
The report claims this has happened on several occasions.
The report also mentions that a juvenile detention facility is located on land released in 1989 as well as another building and “it was reported to us that the airport receives no revenue from these two facilities,” Chambers said.
In the report, Chambers recommends the city transfer title to several parcels of land back to the airport and assign the leases to the airport and for those parcels sold to a non-city entity, the fair market value of the land at the time of the sale based on historic appraisal should be deposited in the airport account. The leases on the parcels should then be assigned from the municipal authority to the airport, according the report.
The report also asks the city to take steps to improve and market the non-aeronautical use property such as clearing brush, demolishing abandoned buildings and improving access to the area.
“Property in this area can and should be leased at fair market value rental rates for commercial property as a continuing source of income for the airport.”
Chambers also estimates in the report that roughly $77,000 worth of asphalt appears to have been removed from a stockpile at the airport with “little, if any, compensation to the airport.”
Chambers is also asking the city to remove a travel trailer and cargo trailer off airport property and for the city to remove a gun range from airport land.
Source: http://enidnews.com/state/x44818049/Report-critical-of-city-in-Woodward
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