Nick Graham
An airplane comes in for a landing at Hook Field. Port authority directors from Butler and Warren counties recently visited Hook Field to meet with companies at the airport and educate them on what their agencies could offer to help with development projects.
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MIDDLETOWN — The executive directors of the port authorities in Butler and Warren counties recently visited Middletown Regional Airport/Hook Field, hoping to woo existing companies who are considering expansion projects.
Denise Hamet, Middletown’s economic development director, says there is a lot of undeveloped acreage at Hook Field and the demand for hangars — which are currently all filled — is increasing. She said the city is looking to expand educational opportunities at the airport, such as flight and helicopter training, possibly through a partnership with Cincinnati State Community and Technical College. There is also federal money available to retrain military veterans that could be tapped, she said.
Middletown Economic Development Program Manager Matt Eisenbraun said the port authority directors visited Hook Field to meet with companies at the airport and educate them on what their agencies could offer to help with development projects.
“The ones that met with both of them are existing customers at the airport. Both have space and are either wishing to add on or to get new space and move to a new location,” he said.
City officials tout Hook Field — which has 110 based aircraft and handles more than 40,000 aircraft operations a year — as a valuable economic development tool for Middletown. The airport contains 13 city-owned buildings and a 40,000-gallon, above ground aviation fuel storage facility.
Officials have been exploring ways to increase revenues and development at the airport in hopes of reducing or eliminating the $90,000 annual subsidy that the city provides to the airport from the general fund.
Eisenbraun diffused rumors earlier this year that the city was shopping Hook Field to potential buyers by saying, “Selling the airport outright, or selling off the assets of the airport, is not going to happen.” However, he said the city would be considering different options to make the airport more self-sustaining.
In June, Martin Russell informed the Warren County Port Authority board there might be some opportunities for helping with projects at the airport. After meeting with the two airport business owners, he said one might be interested in having the Warren County Port Authority own the new structure they want to build and lease it back. The other business was interested in sales tax incentives.
“The one gentleman here, he would like us to own everything, so it would be our real asset,” Russell said. “We would almost become the private developer. We would lease it to him and his lease to us would be whatever our mortgage is, plus taxes we would owe, plus whatever little fee we might want to grab off the top.”
Mike Campbell with the Butler County Port Authority said he could offer bonding assistance — port authorities generally get lower interest rates — or perhaps facilitate loans for smaller projects at the airport.
“We’re not thinking about anything on a grander scale,” he said. “Not at this point.”
The Butler County Port Authority received $15,000 from county commissioners in July to help the financial and loan agency stay in operation because business had been slow. Campbell also pointed out the combination of a down economy and his 15-month stint as interim county administrator — County Administrator Charlie young was hired in June 2012 — didn’t help matters for the port authority. But he said things are now improving and he has asked the port’s legal and finance staff for ideas for the airport.
“I couldn’t devote as much energy to the port authority,” Campbell said. “But now I’m back and I’m devoting 110 percent to it. I think we’re going to see the benefits of that and it’s also connected to the economy.”
Eisenbraun said the Hook Field expansion is big enough for both port authorities to be involved. Middletown lies within both counties, but a city can pick any port authority they want to partner with.
“There’s definitely an opportunity for both to be involved,” Eisenbraun said. “That’s part of the discussions that are ongoing. We are really looking at the specific projects and seeing which projects are in the comfort zone for each of the two ports.”
The port authorities can work with private companies and will also likely be involved with the infrastructure the city intends to add. Hamet and Eisenbraun said it is too soon to reveal the exact nature of the projects under discussion.
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