By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Lethbridge Airport Transition Committee established

May 2, 2018 | 12:01 PM

LETHBRIDGE –  To ensure a seamless transfer of ownership from Lethbridge County to the City of Lethbridge, a new Airport Transition Committee has been established.

Over the next six to nine months, the committee, made up of Mayor Chris Spearman, Reeve Lorne Hickey and Councillors Belinda Crowson and Jeff Carlson, will be responsible for setting up several initiatives.

“We signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that both councils have agreed to and so now we want to transfer the ownership of the airport by the middle of June, said Spearman. “And then the City of Lethbridge can move forward and apply for funding for external sources from the provincial and from the federal governments and advocate for funding support.”

The County of Lethbridge has limited resources, he explained, and has had some struggles with taxation over the last several years.

The committee will be looking for three members from the public with skills and expertise they believe will help them not only apply for funding, but also to develop plans for a future governance operating model, to establish a logical footprint for future expansion, to provide guidance and direction, oversee budgets, marketing and oversight. All the appointments will be ratified by Lethbridge City Council.

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The committee will also visit several airports across the country operating under a variety of operation and governance models, to figure out what might work for Lethbridge’s airport.

In the short term, Spearman says visitors may notice a few minor changes.

“You’ll probably see some minimal improvements initially, minimal beautification at the airport facility, and then we’ll be looking to longer term improvements. It’s important to remember that the building and basic infrastructure at the airport really is the same as what it was 40 years ago, and it’s time to be upgraded.”

Some of those upgrades may include longer and wider runways to accommodate bigger planes on a regular basis, and terminal expansion. An airport master plan is also currently being developed after a 2016 study recommended about $30 million dollars in upgrades.

Lethbridge County has owned the airport for the last 22 years. 

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