Dickten Sends Survey to United, Says Goal is Near
VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- United Airlines officials are expected to make a decision in the next couple of months regarding whether to establish service from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport to its hub at Chicago-O’Hare International Airport.
Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the regional airport, told members of the Western Reserve Port Authority’s board of directors Wednesday that results of the recent survey to determine interest in establishing daily passenger service was being submitted yesterday to United. “The survey responses were very favorable,” he said.
The proposal calls for two initial flights back and forth between Youngstown and Chicago, providing the Mahoning Valley with connections to more than 130 national and international destinations.
Dickten, who is working with United officials to encourage them to establish connecting service to Chicago, said they are pleased with the amount of community support and he praised local media coverage.
A United representative contacted following Wednesday’s meeting would not comment on the record regarding the regional airport’s efforts.
United is seeking a $1.75 million revenue guarantee to ensure it does not lose money during the startup period for the service. Dickten said including the $1.2 million federal grant, funds pledged to date by public and private entities total $1.54 million. Regarding the $205,000 shortfall, Dickten said he had a “good meeting” with Youngstown’s finance committee, which is proposing a resolution to provide $40,000 toward the effort. At a meeting earlier in the week, Cortland officials also proposed a resolution but did not provide funding, and he has meetings set with Howland and Austintown officials.
Dickten also reported that enplanements for the first quarter of the year to date for Allegiant Air, which provides service to multiple vacation destinations, are at 26,563, up 51% from where they were for the same period a year earlier.
During the meeting, board members, including the port authority’s chairman, James Floyd, quarreled with member Don Hanni III regarding his charge that members acted without prior board approval earlier this month to purchase the former Jump Stretch Fitness Centre, which the port authority will lease to Mahoning County for a new animal shelter. The port authority submitted the $250,000 bid for the property at a sheriff’s auction.
“This board never voted on it,” Hanni said.
Richard Schiraldi, who heads the port authority’s administration committee, noted there was an appropriation line item in the port authority’s budget for the purchase.
“There are times in competitive bidding situations or settlement of matters where there is discussion perhaps only in committee if the time allows and some action has to be taken to avoid this organization from losing a competitive advantage in competitive bidding or settlement of litigation,” said the board’s attorney, Dan Keating. “That is why we come back to ratify this action.”
The board voted Wednesday to ratify the purchase of the property for the animal shelter, with Hanni abstaining.
Additionally, the board approved a resolution authorizing the renewal of its contract with Dan Manula to continue to provide services to the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative and Mahoning River Corridor Mayors Association on a month-to-month basis, with a 30-day termination clause. Manula will be paid $2,350 per month to act as manager.
Mamula, who helped to create MCRI and the mayors association, has been playing a greater role in projects such as the brownfield grant secured last year as the port authority’s senior economic development manager, Sarah Lown, has assumed additional duties with the departure of Rose Ann DeLeon as its executive director.
Among the initiatives that take more of Lown’s time is collaboration with Pittsburgh to pursue one of 12 “Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership” designations to be awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The communities recently submitted the application.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our twice-monthly print edition and to our free daily email headlines.