Commission renews talks about reviving county airport
- Charlene Sims, Journal staff
- Apr 30
- 6 min read
Updated: May 6
By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – After numerous discussions about how to close the airport the past few years, Commission Chair Jim Johnson and Commissioner Jason Hightower seemed to have changed their minds at the Linn County Commission meeting Monday, April 28.
County Economic Director Chasity Ware gave a report on the county’s airport committee meeting and her communications with Ray Seif, the aviation director at the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).
Ware told the commissioners that it makes her nervous that the county is going to be liable in case of an accident if the lights don’t work at the airport.
She said, “Even though we have a notice to airmen (NOTAM) out there that states we are not a dusk-to-dawn airport, it is still a liability issue I think personally on my end.”
Ware told the commissioners that she had met with the airport committee and while only three members were there she had another person who was interested in being on the committee.
Ware said that the airport committee would like for the commission to do two things.
The first is to have a fuel tank that really works out there. She said that she has been meeting with Ray Seif the aviation director of KDOT. He is sharing contact information for businesses that work with aviation fuel.
The second is to get airstrip lights put in.
“Last time we met we had 7 out of 40 lights working,” Ware said. “We now have two lights working.”
She said she received a estimate that just to fix the current light situation was almost $16,200. The person who gave her the bid said that the life of the solar-powered system that was in place was only about five years
“The airport committee individuals would like to see those lights go away and actually hardwired lights put in,” said Ware.
Ware continued, “I am constantly having phone calls, I would bet I’ve had five maybe six phone calls of somebody on a regular basis – and sometimes it’s the same person calling back – seeing if we’ve changed our mind. They want to see hangars out there. every airport around us, Johnson County, Gardner, Pittsburg, all of their hangars are full.”
“So for me I want to get it open, I want to get it back to where it needs to be,” said Commissioner Alison Hamilton.
“Instead of just saying, ‘Hey can we do the lights? Can we do this?’” Hamilton continued, “I would like you to come back, this is just me talking, but like actually have a one-to-five-year plan. Some sort of strategic plan of how we are going to get this airport back up and operating.”
Hightower asked how the county stands with the city of Pleasanton.
Ware said that the lot split was just approved two weeks ago.
Hamilton said that she thinks moving forward Pleasanton wants to see action from the county. They want to see a commitment that the commission is willing to put the work in to get it reopened before anything else happens with them.
Hightower asked, “So you’re saying that they won’t de-annex it until we do something?”
Hamilton said she thinks there are two options. One, that the county can just go through litigation and have the airport de-annexed. But she said she would personally keep a good working relationship with the city of Pleasanton.
Hightower said he was in favor of that.
Hamilton said to the other commissioners, “Show them that we are committed to this airport. It’s been sitting. You guys over years now have one thing after another just taken the money away, taken the fuel tank away, or not fix the lights or the runway. It’s just to me, but I think that the community and the county has heard that we’re trying to close it and that’s just not my vision.“
Hamilton said before the commissioners take any action, they need to see a plan.
Ware added that at the 2025-2026 program this next school year the STARS program (Southeast Technical Academy for Rural Students) wants to add another pathway of aviation. If so, that airport could be really vital to our area.
Hamilton asked the other commissioners, “Are we all on board with her continuing with the committee at least quarterly and are we okay with doing a one-to-five-year strategic plan.”
Hightower said that he was okay with it.
Hamilton said for her to come back in two to three months.
During 2023 and 2024, Commissioners Johnson and Hightower and former Commissioner Danny McCullough made plans to close the airport. Several issues brought them to that decision including the cost of upkeep and property taxes.
The commissioners at that time started a plan to do a lot split on land that was connected to the airport and to de-annex the airport from the city to save on taxes. A request for proposal (RFP) was also put out for a fixed-base operator (FBO) to operate or sell the airport. Because the last state grants had been received in 2019, it was required by the state for the airport to operate as a public-use airport until 2029 or the county would have to pay back a prorated amount of money to the state.
During those discussions, Johnson and McCullough expressed their dislike of receiving grants or putting any money into the airport.
At the Feb. 6, 2023, meeting, Johnson said the airport was a money pit. At the Feb. 13, 2023, meeting, Johnson did bring up the issue of $200,000 lights being purchased with a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), several years ago and never being used. He stated that KDOT had paid $170,000 for the lights and the county had spent $30,000.
The Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights were never used for the airport because they were not appropriate for the size of the airport.
At the October 16, 2023, meeting the PAPI lights were brought up again by airport committee member Clarence Easley.
Easley was critical of how the airport had been managed from the start.
“How did that box of Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights end up on county property through a grant?” asked Easley.
First he pointed out the PAPI lights that were purchased with a grant from KDOT of $170,000 with a $30,000 match from the county had never been installed because they basically needed a longer runway to operate correctly. He said that once the PAPI lights guide an airplane down to the runway, there is an issue about the remaining length available for landing.
He said that installation of the PAPI lights would not be possible without big time engineering from some company like Burns and McDonnell. So the lights have sat in a storage building for years.
Another issue that Easley brought up was the fuel pump.
“Why did we have a gas pump that even gas stations stopped using years ago?” asked Easley. “It’s not digital, who was responsible for that? I don’t think that somebody is here anymore.”
During that time period, former Public Works Director Jackie Messer was in charge of the airport. And Messer was in charge of the airport when the lights were purchased.
On April 10, 2024, Commissioner Hightower said, “I don’t see how operating an airport is much of a service to anyone in the county. We just continue to add up more and more stuff. I think we should look at a plan to liquidate the airport.”
McCullough said that he agreed.
“I am not in favor of putting any more money there. I’m in favor of maybe trying to section it off and see what we can get off of each piece of land,” said McCullough.
In a related matter, information from the Ad Astra Radio website showed that on April 24, 2025, Gov. Laura Kelly announced the allocation of $14.5 million for 47 aviation projects throughout Kansas as part of the Kansas Airport Improvement Plan (KAIP). This program funds the planning, construction, and rehabilitation of public use general aviation airports.
Nearby counties receiving the grants were:
• Allen County Airport, Iola,
$409,500 for design and construction of a taxi lane project.
• Atkinson Municipal Airport, Pittsburg
$81,000 for a focused Airport Layout Plan update
•Chanute Martin Johns Airport, Chanute
$450,000 for design and reconstruction of south apron phased pavement project
•Fort Scott Municipal Airport, Fort Scott
$684,000 to replace taxiway edge lighting
• Garnett Municipal Airport, Garnett $20,000 help with local match for phased FAA runway reconstruction project
• Johnson County Airport, Olathe
$13,600 for pavement maintenance materials
• Miami County Airport, Paola
$765,000 to rehabilitate west taxi lanes and hangar ramps
Open application time for these grants was Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, 2025.
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