ANDERSON COUNTY — The
Cessna Aircraft Co. plans to establish a service center at the Anderson
Regional Airport by January, aviation officials said Wednesday.
The
Anderson County Council unanimously approved an agreement between the
county and the company this week. Airport officials said Wednesday that
the service center will draw pilots from at least a 300-mile radius as
they seek parts and service for their planes. Officials also said the
closest similar, active Cessna service center is in Columbia.
Two
maintenance workers already at the airport will take on the Cessna
work. The county also plans to hire a part-time contractor to cover
Cessna jobs.
County officials said they hope the service center
will significantly boost the revenue stream at the airport, though they
have not yet made public an estimate of its expected economic effect.
Jet-fuel sales and rentals of the airport’s 45 hangars now pay for most of the airport’s operations.
“We think this service center will be a really good addition for us,” said airport manager Steve Vibbard.
Anderson
County must provide five business references to Cessna and must be
willing to “cooperate fully with Cessna’s efforts” to gather background
information on the county, according to the agreement that the council
approved.
The county also must provide written notice to Cessna
if it ever intends to “sell or otherwise dispose of” the Anderson
Regional Airport. Further, the agreement requires the county to give
Cessna at least 30 days notice before there is any change in the
management of the airport.
The agreement also sets up series of “prospect identifier payments” for which the county could be eligible.
If
the county provides a lead to Cessna identifying a person or business
interested in buying a plane, and that plane is purchased by the
prospect within a year, the county could be eligible for such a payment,
according to the agreement.
The agreement shows a payment would
range from $2,000 to $50,000, depending on the kind of plane purchased
and whether the aircraft is new or used.
http://www.independentmail.com
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KAND
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