AOPA members are concerned that the city of St. Clair, Mo., doesn’t appear to be acting as a good steward of St. Clair Regional Airport, and the association intends to get to the bottom of the current situation, starting with a letter formally requesting eight important documents and statements from the city.
According to Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of local airport advocacy, “Knowing the details contained in the fee schedule, transfer of revenue, and other information from the requested documents will help us get a clear picture of where the money is coming from and where it’s going in St. Clair. That helps us better protect the airport from threats.”
In the letter, Dunn requested the amount of revenue generated by the airport and used for nonairport purposes, copies of the Capital Improvement Program at the airport, and any mention of airport closure at city council meetings for the past five years.
“While airports such as St. Petersburg and Reid-Hillview get lots of national attention, AOPA is constantly fighting for every general aviation airport,” Dunn said. “We see every airport as a local and national resource, and we will continue to advocate for all of them.”
Dunn also will be visiting the Missouri city soon to meet with pilots and local officials on the issue.
