Bay City Western graduate Kevin Holcomb, 30, and Karen Engle, 29, want to get married at Bay City's James Clements Airport.
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BAY CITY, MI — Months of hoop jumping by a couple hoping to wed at Bay City's James Clements airport could end with a Monday, Aug. 5 vote by the Bay City Commission.
That's when the commission will consider clearing for takeoff the wedding ceremony sought by Bay City Western graduate Kevin Holcomb and his love, Karen Engle.
"This whole airport thing has been a rollercoaster for me," admits Holcomb, a 30-year-old professional pilot. "Not having a definite answer on anything — it’s been really difficult on me, my fiancé."
The city's decision will come not a moment too soon. The wedding is set for Aug. 10.
When the couple settled on James Clements Airport as the location, they quickly found out how difficult it can be to hold a special event at an operating FAA facility.
Doing so has taken the OK of state and federal officials, which they have now secured. Then there was a question of cost. For example, the FAA wanted $1,500 in temporary fencing put up at the airport before giving the OK to the ceremony. And there were other costs for security, use of airport grounds and liability insurance.
Today, the couple says they were able to negotiate a total cost of using the venue down to about $3,000, or half what they initially thought. The City Commission votes Monday to approve charging the couple $942 for the city's portion of expenses.
That breaks down to $487 for use of the airport’s grounds and administration building; $455 for a four-hour security detail of three public safety officers. The couple already has paid half that cost. The city would bill them for the balance at the wedding’s conclusion.
Engle said despite the difficulty of planning the wedding at the airport, she has no regrets.
“I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” said Engle, who fought for the airport venue because her husband, a 2001 Bay City Western High School graduate, took private flying lessons at James Clements. “It’s exciting. Everything that I’ve gone through is going to be worth it.”
Engle’s petition to get married at the small municipal airport goes before City Commissioners at their 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, session at the Pere Marquette Depot, 1000 Adams St.
City officials are recommending approval and, since the Michigan Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration have approved Engle’s request, some city commissioners say they'll be glad to support the couple's plan.
“It’s cleared all the hurdles,” 3rd Ward Commissioner Dennis Banaszak said. “I wish them all the luck in the world. Why would I vote no? They want to get married? More power to them. Nothing that they wanted was insurmountable. It’s just like everything else in the world - if you’re dealing with bureaucrats, it’s a long haul. I’m glad they made it through the hurdles.”
Other City Commissioners open to granting Engle’s petition include Lori Dufresne, 4th Ward, Jim Irving, 5th Ward, and Christopher Girard, 6th Ward.
Mayor Chris Shannon said the airport is probably the city's most highly regulated property, which is one reason why it's taken so much work by the couple to get this far.
Holcomb and Engle met three years ago through a social networking site. On July 7, 2012, he proposed. Someone flew the couple over South Higgins Lake. When Engle looked outside the plane’s window, approximately 50 of their friends and family were on the beach.
They held signs of letters, spelling out Holcomb’s proposal: "Will you marry me?"
Their engagement pictures were taken at Oakland County International Airport with a Pearl Harbor theme. In time, the Waterford couple would order their invitations, designed to be passports.
Engle’s idea to get married at James Clements stalled trying to clear bureaucracy’s hoops. She and her betrothed took care of some wedding business – a special event application, a $100 clean-up fee and a $1 million liability insurance policy.
Then, they faced fees for airport grounds, wages for four employees, equipment use and metal event fencing for a total that was approximately $2,500. Then, they said, the fees jumped up to $3,500.
The couple refused to pay and the negotiating began.
“We worked with the FAA with bringing down some of the requirements,” said Bay City Public Works Director Dave Harran said. ”The fencing was a biggie. We don’t’ have to install that fencing.
That was a huge cost savings to Kevin and Karen. Finally, the FAA caved. Everything worked out, but it was a little tense.”
The FAA still has some conditions, which were laid out in a July 11 letter from MDOT to the city. They mandate that event take place on the lawn area adjacent to the terminal building.
Holcombe is a working IFL Group air freight pilot flying out of Oakland County International Airport. His fiancé, owner of the Great Lakes Parrot Place, is glad she never surrendered.
“(Kevin) truly understands how determined I can be when I set my mind to something,” she said. “I told him I wasn’t giving up until the day of."
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