West Grey council reviewed a development proposal for the Saugeen Municipal Airport.
Council heard from Luigi Presta of consulting and marketing firm thinkCOMPASS and Grey County Manager of Economic Development Steve Furness about the development opportunity at the airport during a meeting on Dec. 3.
Brockton, Hanover and West Grey own the airport and have been considering their options over the past year, including a potential sale.
Ferness says over 25 acres of developable land on the 250 acre property could include a residential development, new hangers, hotels and office, commercial and cargo development, and industrial sub-divisions.
“When we first got involved, the question was whether the airport, what is its economic potential, not just to sustain itself because there is contributions from each municipality, but going beyond that, can it be an economic driver for the region,” says Furness.
He says the first step is to review the airport assets, which currently sports two runway strips.
“Airports are becoming a huge asset in municipalities and regions itself. As we continue to go through drop shipping and a number of different ways that business is shifting, airports are becoming a lot more sought after by different businesses,” adds Presta.
Furness says the next step it talking to Invest Ontario, seeking support from the three member municipalities, West Grey, Brockton and Hanover, refine the concepts of the proposal, and define costing.
“The idea is to see what other options are to finance the infrastructure rather than ask the municipalities to do that alone or the airport commission,” says Furness.
Furness adds he expects to have spoken and received feedback from each municipality by mid-January.