The results of a long-anticipated Schlemeyer Airport study will be presented during Tuesday’s Ector County Commissioners Court meeting.
Last year, the Texas Department of Transportation hired Coffman Associates to look into possible ways to economically develop the area around the airport safely.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett is eager to learn what they discovered and what they’ll recommend.
They looked at land use inside the county’s property, possible extensions of the runway protection zones and what type of an investment would be needed for different classes of airplanes.
“It’s kind of laying out everything we need to know so basic just nuts and bolts of what this facility is and then what it could be with some suggestions,” Fawcett said.
Anything built out there has to be for airport purposes, Fawcett said.
“I’m in favor of exploring what all options are out there. It’s a great asset. It’s our similar thinking with the coliseum. We’re probably going to be looking, in the future, at hiring a company to see what all we can do to make the best use of that land and see where we’re going further with that particular asset,” Fawcett said. “This is a part of that theme of ‘Let’s identify what these assets are and what they could possibly be.’ If it makes good economic sense and good land use sense and the citizens like what they pose out before us, then yeah, we’ll take action and move in that direction.”
The judge said he hopes nearby residents will attend the commissioners’ 10 a.m. court meeting or one of Coffman Associates’ two other presentations, which are scheduled for 2-4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. in the commissioners’ courtroom.
“I think it’ll be good to dispel the rumors. A lot of it has all been about expanding the runways for larger jets, but this study will show that there’s not really a whole lot of opportunity for that,” Fawcett said. “By seeing it mapped out and having it explained I think it will answer a lot of the public’s questions. I do anticipate that there will be folks who will be happy with what they’re hearing and it should be very digestible for them to understand.”
The county also wants to hear suggestions, Fawcett said.
In other matters, Fawcett said the commissioners will hear from CGI Digital, a company that would create a series of videos for the county’s website at no cost.
“We’d get to show off the different aspects of Ector County,” Fawcett said.
The videos could serve as a recruitment tool for economic development purposes, but it could also educate local residents about art projects, downtown development plans and health care and education in Ector County.
“It could really just showcase our whole community. To attract young folks, workforce — we need a lot of workforce — I think this will help to bring a good light on our great county.”
A company called ZenCity will also educate the commissioners about its services. Fawcett said ZenCity software would track online conversations to know what local residents are talking about and then inform commissioners about those things so the county can best address them on social media and the county’s website.
“We think it’s valid with the upcoming discussions about the courthouse and the library and some of the other developments in our community,” Fawcett said.
It would also be helpful when it comes to road construction projects because it would allow the county to tell residents what roads to avoid during various projects, including I-20 and West 42nd Street, he said.
“It’s perhaps a tool in the toolbox should we choose,” Fawcett said.
