Slow economy’s effect hits regional airport

The port authority will ask county officials to help avert a deficit.

By Ed Runyan

VIENNA — America’s economic slowdown has taken a toll on the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, with its balance sheet off by about $63,000 compared to projections.

The financial decline came despite the layoff of two employees in the spring.

Members of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which runs the airport, formed a committee Wednesday to approach Mahoning and Trumbull county commissioners to discuss ways a deficit can be averted.

John Masternick, port authority chairman, said the airport was projected to have a deficit of $109,250 by the end of June, but the deficit is closer to $172,360 because of lower excise tax receipts from both counties, slowed airport activity and lower parking-lot proceeds.

The airport usually runs a deficit at this time of the year, but the deficit goes away by year’s end when higher summertime receipts roll in, airport officials said.

Steve Bowser, the airport’s aviation director who is leaving for a new job at the end of next week, said the revenue shortfalls leave open a slight possibility the authority will run out of money by the end of the year.

To prevent that, authority members said they would like to talk to the Trumbull County commissioners to see whether it is possible to defer or waive the $25,000 payment the authority owes the commissioners this fall as repayment of a loan.

Trumbull Commissioner Paul Heltzel said commissioners would review the authority’s request.

Mahoning County Commissioner John V. McNally IV, who attended the authority meeting, said Mahoning County’s financial position “is not that strong either, but we’d be happy to meet” to discuss the situation.

Kevin Kern, a consultant to the authority, said the authority laid off two workers in March to cut costs, but they will be brought back in the winter when more staffing is required to clear runways of ice and snow.

“The employees left are just enough to meet [Federal Aviation Administration] standards,” Kern said.

Parking-lot revenues are down during the first six months of this year — $13,940 instead of the projected $30,693.

Bowser said airport officials looked into why parking fees had dropped and are talking with USA Parking, which runs the parking lot, about restitution of around $14,000. He would not discuss specific reasons for the lower revenue.

Meanwhile, Masternick said a committee consisting of authority members Scott Lynn, Scott Lewis and Patrick Pellin will serve as a transition team to fill Bowser’s position for however long it takes to find a replacement. Bowser is leaving for a new job at the Palm Springs International Airport in Southern California.

The authority plans to advertise the job in a trade journal and locally but not hire a search firm for the position.

Bowser said the airport has had a good year in terms of passenger traffic with passenger numbers up 12 percent for the first half of 2009 compared to 2008, most of that being traffic on planes flown by Allegiant Air to Sanford International Airport in Florida.

Allegiant will suspend flights again this fall during the slow part of the Florida tourism season — from Sept. 1 through the first week of November, Bowser said.