[COUPERS-FLYIN] Fw: MEIGS FIELD CLOSURE!!

[Andy Anderson]

----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- As an ANS volunteer for 'my' airport, I received this distribution to AOPA's Airport Support Network offering an explanation regarding Mayor Daley's action of closing Meigs.  FYI  It is sort of long, but worth the read. Andy Anderson '46 415-D N93609   ----- Original Message -----   Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 10:31 AM Subject: MEIGS FIELD CLOSURE!!   The Day After…  Now that the full effect of Mayor Daley’s has had a chance to set-in some explanation is in order.  First,  To re-affirm what all the websites have said,  we knew nothing about this disastrous action by Mr. Daley.  It is unfortunate that 14-16 aircraft were left stranded, that others who had planned flights yesterday were forced to land elsewhere or turn around, and that those people who worked for the private enterprises at the airport suddenly found their jobs (and lives) destroyed.  The question now in most of the ASN corps mind is, “Can this happen at my airport?” The answer is, NO!  Meigs Field has had some very special politics involved with it in the last few years.  Every airport that has accepted Federal Funds is obligated by the grant assurances to remain in operations for the life of the grant contract.  In most cases, the term is for 20 years and often airports will have overlapping grants which extends the terms for as long 30-40 years.  While several sponsors have attempted to repay the grants and gain relief from the obligations, the FAA has steadfastly held the position that sponsors cannot repay grants.  There was a grant obligation for Meigs as well, but those special Chicago political considerations made it different than any other. It's convoluted, but here's how it worked. The city of Chicago's aviation department doesn't "own" the land underneath Meigs; it's owned by the Chicago Parks District, which leases the land to the city for use as an airport.  In 1989, FAA wrote a grant agreement especially for Chicago, stating that the grant would only apply as long as the “city” had a valid lease on the land. If the lease expired, the city no longer had an obligation to maintain the airport, and it could pay back its unexpired grant obligations. To no great surprise, the parks district refused to renew the lease in 1996, and Daley closed Meigs. Because of the "escape clause" within the grant agreement, the federal government didn't have anything to force the city to keep the airport open. This resulted in the legal actions in 1996 by AOPA and others to re-open Meigs.  The result was strong support in the Illinois legislature for the takeover bill. Faced with the threat of losing control over the airport, Daley struck a deal with then-Governor George Ryan (a Republican) to keep Meigs open until February 2002. The takeover bill then died Fast forward to 2001, when Mayor Daley wanted to expand Chicago O'Hare airport, and the state wanted a third commercial airport for the Chicago area at Peotone. To get the political support he needed at the state and federal levels, Daley again reached an agreement with Governor Ryan. In exchange for state support for the O'Hare expansion, Daley accepted the Peotone project, and he promised to keep Meigs open until 2026. The mayor also needed federal legislation to make the projects happen the way he wanted them to go, so Senator Richard Durbin and Representative William Lipinski of Illinois introduced bills that would have set the Daley-Ryan agreement in concrete and prevented a future Illinois governor or Chicago mayor from backing out of the deal. However, the bill failed in the Senate last year, in part because of a filibuster by Illinois' other senator. Both Durbin and Lipinski reintroduced the legislation this year, but Daley says he's no longer bound by his promise. Which leaves where we are today.  Because the Special Condition on the grant obligations for Meigs Field does not apply as a result of the transfer of ownership,  Mr. Daley legally was able to close the airport.  The manner which he chose is certainly despicable and unfair and we are working to fight this closure. Please follow the AOPA website ( www.aopa.org ) for more information as it develops. Tailwinds   Mark A. Mark Lowdermilk Manager Airport Support Network AOPA 421 Aviation Way Frederick, MD  21701-4798 ========================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/