Nearly 20 years of flights and MidAmerica remains controversial

By Bob Pieper For Chronicle Media
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which began operating in 1997, is owned by St. Clair County. (Photo courtesy of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport)

MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which began operating in 1997, is owned by St. Clair County. (Photo courtesy of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport)

The St. Clair County Board, Sept. 26, approved a new 25-year agreement for the joint use of runways at Scott Air Force Base by both civilian and military aircraft.  The agreement makes possible the continued operation of the county-owned MidAmerica St. Louis Airport on the base’s northeast side.

MidAmerica represents one of 10 joint-use agreements the Air Force has authorized for bases around the county.

However, even as the civilian airport facility approaches its 20th anniversary, it remains controversial. The continued operation of the airport has been an issue in the current race for St. Clair County Board Chairman, between incumbent Democrat Mark Kern, consistently a champion of the facility, and Republican challenger Roger Cook.

Opened in November 1997, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport consists primarily of two runways — the air base’s original landing strip, which remains primarily used by military aircraft, and a newer landing surface to the north, intended primarily for civilian use.

Supporters of the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport cite increasing use of the airport by Allegiant Air, a specialized, discount carrier with direct service from MidAmerica to other regional airports in the country. (Photo courtesy of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport)

Supporters of the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport cite increasing use of the airport by Allegiant Air, a specialized, discount carrier with direct service from MidAmerica to other regional airports in the country. (Photo courtesy of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport)

The complex also includes a civilian terminal and a dozen or so hangars and tenant buildings. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airport in 2015 had 32,589 enplanements and served a total of 63,000 passengers.

Some critics have called for MidAmerica to be closed saying it costs up to $45 million a year to operate and has not spurred economic development in the area as hoped.  It has twice been featured on the NBC Nightly News “Fleecing of America” series as a questionable use of public money.  The Belleville News-Democrat reports scheduled commercial air service at airport is subsidized by the county.

However, County Board Chair Kern contends the joint use agreement has been important in helping to ensure the continued operation of Scott AFB in an era of military budget cutbacks and base closings. The Air Force base is one of the largest employers in the county and has a $3 billion annual economic impact, according to Kern.

Proponents at last week’s county board meeting say the airport could yet play an important role in the development of Metro-East as a transportation and warehousing center.

They point to the increasing use of MidAmerica by Allegiant Air, a specialized, discount carrier with direct service the Metro-East airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport, McCarran International Airport, St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport, Punta Gorda Airport, Jacksonville International Airport (seasonally), and Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport.

However, critics respond that several passenger or freight airlines, including PanAm in its final years, have attempted to utilize the airport, ultimately without success.

While leaders in some nearby communities such as Mascoutah — which has grown from 5,000 to 7,000 in population over the past 20 years — say the airport, or at least the base, has contributed to development in the surrounding area, MidAmerica has remained unpopular with many local residents.

Voters in surrounding townships approved a referendum to stop construction of the airport after it was first proposed in the late 1990s. However, county officials proceeded anyway, saying the local referendum was not binding and any ballot issues on the project should be put to voters countywide.

The new joint-use agreement, approved last month, calls for the county and the air base to jointly develop a new security plan to restrict access to facilities, in line with new Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration standards.

It also requires St. Clair County to develop a noise mitigation plan for the surrounding area at no charge to the Air Force.

Under the new agreement, the Air Force could use the civilian runway without compensation to St. Clair County in exchange for shared services between the county and the Air Force at the facility, such as the removing of rubber from runways.

However, the county could negotiate to seek payment for landing rights, if military use of the civilian runway exceeds newly revised “substantial use” levels.

In line with U.S. Department of Defense and FFA definitions, the new agreement defines substantial use of the runway as 300 landings, or a cumulative total weight of 5 million pounds of government aircraft on the runway, per month. The old agreement defined substantial use as three continuous days of landings by 100 or more government craft on the civilian runway.

St. Clair County’s original joint-use agreement for Scott Air Force Base was signed in September 1991 and an amendment in 1993.

The proposed new joint-use agreement must still be approved by the Air Force.

 

— Nearly 20 years of flights and MidAmerica remains controversial —