Airport project enters next phase
WAYNESBURG – An agreement entered into last week between Greene County and consulting firm Pennoni Associates of Philadelphia,is a significant step toward developing a six-acre parcel of land at Greene County Airport, according to Robbie Matesic, executive director of Economic Development for Greene County.
Matesic said the work Pennoni Associates is doing will pave the way for the infrastructure necessary to make the acreage ready for businesses to build there.
“It will be a couple of years before we see commercial activity,” Matesic said. “The goal is that the airport must be able to sustain itself and not be a drain on the general fund.”
Demolition of airport hangars on the west of the airport administration building, moving the parking lot to the east side of the building and creating a four-way intersection at Murtha Drive that would serve as the new entrance to the airport are all part of the preparation necessary for development. Hangar demolition could begin as early as this year, Matesic said. Replacement hangars will be built to the east of the building.
“As soon as the hangars are torn down and the infrastructure is in place the master plan will be developed by Scalo-Summa (project developer),” Matesic said. “We see this as an opportunity to use the frontage real estate along Route 21 for its highest and best value.”
Scalo-Summa has advertised the site on a billboard at the 76-year-old airport, as three two-acre parcels. Developing those parcels is the first phase of a larger plan that will be several years in the making, Matesic said. Earlier reports suggested the six acres in phase one might hold two restaurants and a hotel. However, Matesic said nothing is carved in stone and the county, which owns the land, has retained final say of what will be built there.
“We learned from Murtha Drive,” she said. “In that moment, we realized it is not a good idea to sell land. By leasing, we maintain control.”
Matesic was referring to the Waynesburg Crossing property where Walmart is located. The county sold the Waynesburg Crossing property in 2003 to developer McHolme Waynesburg LLC. In 2007, Walmart purchased 46.3 acres from McHolme, who later filed for bankruptcy. The remainder of the property sits vacant and was foreclosed upon last year. It is currently owned by PNC Bank.
“We have the ultimate final say this time,” Matesic said. “These will not be more fast-food restaurants. They will be sit-down restaurants. We want to attract destination-type businesses, places people will drive a distance to go to.”
Matesic anticipates Scalo-Summa to be actively talking to businesses next year.
Funding for the project has come in spurts over several years. A $198,000 grant received in June of 2010 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be used to address storm water at the site. A $400,000 grant from the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission will help to pay for the work on the new entrance to the airport. Other monies were used for runway resurfacing and for studies that determined an earlier plan to develop the property north of the administration building was not economically feasible.
An additional $250,000 through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is being used for infrastructure and related costs associated with it, Matesic said.
“We are not driving this level of investment because we think we can grow the aviation side of things but we do anticipate some growth in aviation activity. In the long term there will be more improvements to the airside facilities,” Matesic said, referring to the areas east of the administration building. “We plan to make it a better airport in its existing space.”
Runway expansion, due to terrain issues, will not be one of those improvements. However, Matesic said, a potential for extended use of the airport is there and will be looked at during future phases of the airport project.
“We are looking at things like pilot-controlled lighting and instrument landing systems,” she said. These additions would allow pilots to remotely control the runway lighting and receive information that would permit them to land when visibility is not optimal.”