It Could Be A While Yet Before The Fate Of The Milford Airport Is Known
It Could Be A While Yet Before The Fate Of The Milford Airport Is Known
June 14, 2022Steve Schwaller
(Milford)– It likely will be a while yet before we know the fate of the Milford Airport. Tim Kinnetz, President of the Spirit Of Okoboji which wants to purchase the airport for a major housing development, indoor athletic and entertainment complex and other amenities, addressed the city council at their meeting Monday evening saying they need to know the city’s intent soon…
“If the planning doesn’t work out for whatever reason, the airport stays. We aren’t asking to close the airport without knowing many more facts and having a workable master plan. To get the facts and a master plan, we need to know that we will own the property. It’s really that simple. We want to work with the city and the community creating a community project and when it comes to the master plan and all of the expenses that still need to go into the planning, we just can’t have the city pull back after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on planning and engineering.”
The Spirit Of Okoboji group has made an informal offer to purchase the Milford Airport at fair market value. But City Attorney David Stein Jr. told the group Monday evening the council needs something formal that’s in writing…
“My suggestion to the council is we need to get something in writing setting forth all of the terms and any contingencies. And I think, you know, we better address the annexation of property just north of the current outline of the airport property, how you plan to handle that. It should spell everything out so that the council, the Planning and Zoning Commission,and more importantly the public, knows what’s going on so there’s no misunderstanding.”
Councilman Shane Hoffman added he wants to make sure the public has an opportunity for plenty of input in the process…
Barry Sackett, an attorney for Spirit of Okoboji, indicated he would work on getting a formal written offer submitted to the city in coming days.
