The board would need state and federal approvals to sell the Forks Township airport, so it was determined more time was needed.
Supporters of Braden Airpark in Forks Township have four months to come up with an alternative plan to keep it in operation.
The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority voted unanimously today to put off a decision on the sale of Braden Airpark for 120 days.
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski made the motion. It also allows the authority board to seek buyers interested in keeping it a community airport and provides more time for state and federal approvals related to the possible sale.About 60 people packed the standing-room-only meeting at the authority's Lehigh Valley International Airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, many asking the board to take the 80-acre Braden Airpark off the chopping block. The authority, which also owns Queen City Airport in Allentown has to decide which of its properties to sell to pay off a $16 million court-ordered debt by 2015.
Braden backer Richard Belon told the board because Braden Airpark had received Pennsylvania funding to develop the facility and accepted the obligations with that funding, if the airport were to cease operating, the authority would have to repay the state Bureau of Aviation the grant.
"If you close Braden, they want all their taxes back times two," said Belon, a member of the Braden-based Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 70.
Airport Executive Director Charles Everett said following the meeting the airport has unofficially discussed a possible closure with the state and if a decision is made to close Braden, the authority would work with the state to arrive at a negotiated figure for grant repayment based on fair market value of the land.
Bob Brown, another pilot with Chapter 70 and a Northampton County attorney, argued closing the airport could cause legal issues.
"Northampton County is not in favor of it," he said of the sale. "They directed their solicitor to look into this legal issue. Don't you need county consent?"
Pilots attack board
"There somehow seems to be a lack of communication between board members: A motion was brought to close the airport and I know several board members had no idea that motion was coming before the board that day," Kutzler said. "I think if it wasn't for us being here, you would have voted."
Kutzler also accused the board of forcing Vern Moyer, owner of Moyer Aviation, out of a lease at Braden Airpark. Moyer relocated because LVIA refused to extend a long-term lease, and instead proposed a month-to-month agreement.
Board member Robert Buesing denied the claims, saying Moyer had a choice and decided to move his operations to the Pocono Mountains.
"He never asked this board for a lease longer than he had," Buesing said.
Financial woes described
"They just came to the fact that they can't afford the summer house anymore," he said, noting pilots can move their aircraft to Queen City or Lehigh Valley International. Chapter 70 events, such as a scouting camp out, also can be conducted elsewhere, he said.
Board member Jane Baker asked pilots in the room to raise their hands if they would be willing to pay a more expensive lease to keep Braden open and have it become profitable. A handful had raised their hands and one man murmured, "That's a loaded question."
Board member Bill Berger, who attended Sunday's Young Eagles fly-in event at Braden Airpark, said Northampton County officials and the public approached him asking for support in saving Braden.
"Every single opinion was, 'Please keep the airport open, this is a community thing,'" he said. "Up until Moyer left, it was profit-making. It was $45,000 a year."
According to Everett, however, Braden Airpark has not covered all of its costs in the 13 years the authority owned it. The $160,000 of annual debt service exceeded Moyer's roughly $56,000 lease payment, he said. While authority members are yet to say how much they can get for Braden, several sources said it would be less than $1 million.
If the authority were to continue operating Braden, the best-case estimate is it would lose $39,000 annually, a figure not currently accounted for in the budget, board members have said.
The airport would also require $455,000 in immediate building updates and equipment, as well as a $2.2 million capital investment over the next five years, officials have said.
Authority Chairman Tony Iannelli said the board will have to work to find a win-win solution.
"The last thing an airport operator wants to do is close an airport," Everett said. "When money is lost on the operation of Braden Airpark or any other activity in which the authority engages, fees paid by the airlines and other users of the airport system, including Lehigh Valley International and Queen City, must be increased to cover the loss.
"As a self-sustaining airport operation, the airport authority must pass on the cost of the operation to its other users. Higher costs puts commercial air service at risk. In our current financial position, we cannot afford to operate three airports without assistance."
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BRADEN AIRPARK TIMELINE
1937: Braden Airpark is founded, owned and operated by Ed Braden. At one time, it was the largest Piper Aircraft dealer nationally and trained pilots during World War II.
1990: Paul Braden took over operations.
1995: Moyer Aviation assumed operations and directly employed 25 people.
1999: The Federal Aviation Administration commissioned a study reviewing potential changes to Braden Airpark, which included extending and realigning the existing runway.
2000: Braden Airpark is sold to the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority for $2.4 million.
May 2013: Moyer Aviation leaves Braden Airpark and Lehigh Valley International Airport staff advise authority to sell the Forks Township facility.
Source: Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 70