Port authority rehires consultant

VIENNA -- Western Reserve Port Authority has rehired the consulting company that has worked the past six months to lure airlines to Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
KH Group Consulting of Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., will be paid $20,000 to work for another six months on refining the local airport's sales pitch and reaching out to possible carriers.
The contract promises to get the airport three chances to present itself to airline officials, said Tom Nolan, the airport's director of aviation.
The consultants will also help the port authority complete another application for money from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Service Development program.
The consultants worked on the port authority's last application for money from the program, which was denied. The company was paid $50,000 for work over the past six months, which included pitches to two airlines.
It still owes one presentation on the last contract, Nolan said.
Money to pay the reduced contract fee will come from the $150,000 cuts in airport operations costs announced by the port authority Wednesday.