High hopes, cautious optimism surround airline choice

McCOOK, Neb. -- City leaders hope Boutique Air can rejuvenate commercial air service at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport but acknowledged earlier this week the change to a smaller aircraft could limit options in the future.

The airline was chosen Monday as City Council's recommendation to provide Essential Air Service for McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport beginning next summer or possibly sooner should the current contract be terminated early. Boutique plans to fly a single engine Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, as opposed to the twin-engine Beechcraft 1900D currently used by Great Lakes Airlines.

The change in commercial aircraft will require the McCook airport certify single engine planes to serve as the airport's EAS provider, which it could then be limited to going forward. City Manager Nate Schneider said Monday it was possible the Department of Transportation could refuse to allow the city to return to twin-engine EAS service, although discussions with federal officials indicated it was a scenario unlikely to occur.

"There is always the possibility they may not move us back up to a two engine plane," said Schneider, adding the DOT representative said it unlikely but was a possibility.

Schneider also said the new certification would eliminate the ability for the city to reject bids from single engine airlines on the grounds that the airport preferred twin-engine aircraft, although he indicated that was also unlikely to be an issue.

"We would still need to consider those proposals even if we wanted to jump to two engine planes," he said, adding "we could use that as a reason not to utilize their service, moving forward we wont have that ability anymore, not that it's a big deal."

The McCook airport received three airline bids for essential air service beginning in 2016, including one single-engine proposal, one twin-engine proposal and one commercial jet proposal.

During Monday's meeting several city leaders voiced their appreciation for the commercial jet proposal submitted by Aerodynamics Inc. and indicated it was something they hoped to see in the future. The ADI proposal would require significant investment in both staff and equipment at the airport to accommodate jet aircraft, according to city staff.

"My hope is at some point in time, we're able to get as many people flying as we possibly can and the need for increased plane sizes is there," said Schneider. He added it would take some time to restore trust in local air travel, referencing the high rate of flight cancellations and decreasing commercial passengers at the airport in recent years.

Schneider said several people called him excited about the prospect of commercial jet travel. He reiterated several times during the meeting the required investment by the city would need to be planned and worked towards and indicated it would take more time and planning than the limited window available during the 2016 EAS bid process.

Several City Council members voiced their agreement before unanimously voting to award the bid to Boutique Air following the discussion.

Other items on Monday's regular and consent agenda:

* Bid specifications for those interested in providing concessions at the Jaycees Ball Complex and Felling Field were approved. The specs were modified from recent years to shorten the concessionaire responsibility for the Jaycee Complex to six months based on discussions with McCook Community College, according to city staff. The change was intended to make the timeframe more manageable for parties interested in bidding out concessions at the Jaycee Complex.

Bid specs for concessions at Felling Field remained the same, with concessionaires responsible for all scheduled events.

Bids for concessions at the two locales over the next three years, beginning Jan. 1, 2016, are due by 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, to city offices. The bids are scheduled for a public reading in City Council chambers shortly afterwards.

* Wagner Ford was awarded a $51,940 bid for two new 2016 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive pickup trucks for the city parks and street departments.

* A modification to city zoning ordinance adding funeral services as a permitted use in a Central Business District was approved on its second of three readings.

* Ronda Graff was authorized to use Barnett Park for the 2015 Reindeer Run on Saturday, Dec. 19.