 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Seeking revenue, airport pushes for more hangars
By MOLLY MOORHEAD ZEPHYRHILLS -- With Zephyrhills Municipal Airport carrying debts between $400,000 and $500,000, city officials are eager to find ways for it to make money. Airport manager Jim Werme wants to spend about $500,000 to build two more T-hangars, airplane storage structures that the airport rents out. "T-hangars are one of our best revenue generators," Werme said Thursday. The city would have to spend more than $500,000 up front for the project. But with help of a state grant, the Florida Department of Transportation will reimburse about 80 percent of that amount. Zephyrhills would pay about $114,000. Werme has asked the City Council for the money before, and members were hesitant to commit, having already approved spending on two such hangars. But when the council meets tonight, Werme will have some numbers to back up his request. A financial analysis prepared by the city shows that one hangar, which accommodates 10 planes and two workshops, would generate $10,618.86 annually in rental income. If Werme gets the four hangars he's asking for, that's $42,475.44 a year for the city. The airport currently charges $175 a month per unit. Consultants devising a long-term master plan for the airport have considered raising rents to $225 a month But a lean budget year is making city officials wary of such spending. "In the long run, looking ahead, these are very good investments," City Manager Steve Spina said. "But in the short term, when you're paying the mortgage, things are tight." Spina said there was no doubt that the state grants were lucrative for Zephyrhills, but the costs cannot be ignored. "Even when you're getting the great deals on the grants, those 20 percents add up," he said. The airport already has spent some $400,000 on taxiways that can accommodate up to nine T-hangars; Werme is adamant that more T-hangars are the answer to easing the debt. Rental income from hangar space is one of the airport's biggest streams of revenue, he said, along with fuel purchases and land leases. But the airport needs to spend an additional $400,000 to resurface another taxiway and repair a ramp. And Werme doesn't want to abandon those projects to get the additional hangars. "We've given up so much this year already," he said, adding that the money for the two approved hangars came from projects that were cut. He's not worried about finding renters once the new hangars are built. The airport currently has no vacancies for plane storage, and Werme has a waiting list for hangar space that is 85 names long. "If we don't build those (hangars), they'll go somewhere else," he said. Werme said Zephyrhills' airport stays competitive with other municipal airports in the area because of its low rents, low fuel costs and willingness to accommodate all types of aircraft. He said the T-hangars, which are low-maintenance, prefabricated structures built to last 30 years, are the best way to maintain that standing. "This airport is growing," he said. "This is on the uphill swing." -- Molly Moorhead covers news about Zephyrhills and crime in east Pasco. She can be reached at (352) 521-5757 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6108, then 29. Her e-mail address is moorhead@sptimes.com
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
