Broken Arrow City Councilors agreed to spend $150,000 for a consultant to figure out if building a regional airport in the city makes sense. Even if it’s an economically sound idea, it’ll be decades before flights take off.
The councilors voted unanimously Oct. 20 on a one-year contract with Garver LLC to present a forecast of aviation demand and a development plan recommendation. The consultant company is based in North Little Rock and has offices in Tulsa.
Broken Arrow Engineering and Construction Director Charlie Bright addressed the council before the vote to emphasize this is the exploratory phase.
“We are not inventing Tulsa International 2.10 here or anything else. We’re talking about a small, general, regional aviation airport, closer to what you would see on Riverside in Jenks,” Bright said. “What we’re talking about today is a study to see if it’s a good idea to build an airport.”
The measure of supply and demand will include corporate and residential needs along with overflow from other airports, Bright said.
“At the end of the day, it is to tell us if it is economically viable for our community to look at this in the future. And if it is, then there is probably a 10- to 20-year window before it happens,” Bright said. “This is just step one to see if it’s possible.”
City Manager Michael Spurgeon said at an Aug. 18 meeting the idea came up a year ago during the formation of two long-range plans.
“If you go back and look at what the city has done over the last 11 years, this council has been diligent about not only taking care of citizens today but has focused on making sure the citizens in the future … have the amenities that we need to continue to be a great place to live,” Spurgeon said.
Spurgeon said the city addressed long-range plans for water, sewer and stormwater management. Voters approved a $415 million bond proposal in April and a $210 million bond package in 2018 that drastically improves street and intersection widenings, parks and public facilities.
“We have done everything that you’re supposed to do as a governing body and administration to plan ahead for those people who are going to come after us,” Spurgeon said.
Part of that future consideration is economic development, Spurgeon said. He pointed to three chamber presidents, a former NASA director, a congressman, two senators, two dozen business leaders and somewhere between 25 to 50 pilots who have asked him why Broken Arrow doesn’t have an airport.
Development in east Tulsa along the Creek Turnpike, various new city developments, a new amphitheater and bridge project on the Verdigris Rivers makes this feasibility study timely, Spurgeon said.
“It is the responsibility of the council to look at every single aspect that is going to promote opportunities for primary jobs,” Spurgeon said. “That’s what a municipal, regional airport would do — attract businesses, attract pilots and continue to grow our economy to continue to maintain a great quality of life.”
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