Brockton, Hanover and West Grey will be looking over options on what to do with the Saugeen Municipal Airport after a meeting yesterday.
The first multi-municipal meeting to discuss the future of the facility was held on April 17 at the Elmwood Community Centre, where the municipalities discussed where they stand and next steps.
Attendees also heard from BDO, an independent auditor who reviewed the finances of the airport.
Both West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles and Hanover Mayor Sue Paterson say they want to learn more about the future of the airport and explore all options.
But Brockton Mayor Chris Peabody suggested either selling the municipality’s share of the airport to Hanover or West Grey, or to a private entity which would continue to run as an airport.
Each municipality agreed to go back to look at the options proposed by Brockton, including: maintaining the airport, renegotiating the agreement between the member municipalities, keeping it status quo, or selling the facility.
The municipalities will be looking over these options for the next couple of months.
Eccles says, “by the middle of June, start to get a clarity on absolutely where we are going.”
He says while there was not going to be a lot of focus on finding a solution to the future of the airport, it was good to have an open dialogue.
“I believe West Grey and Hanover councils were there trying to figure out what information was there and where the airport fits into our long term vision of municipal assets,” says Eccles.
This meeting comes after Brockton approached West Grey and Hanover in November to start the process of discussing the airport’s future.
The airport was established in 1990 and the original partner municipalities included Arran-Elderslie, but it has since stepped away.
Each of the member municipalities contribute money to cover the operating and general maintenance costs of the airport.
The next meeting date has not been set yet.
