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TENILLE TELLMAN
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A community business will be closing next
month and the City of Medicine Hat plans to purchase the land as
inventory in preparation for expansions to the Medicine Hat
Airport.
Council has approved land purchase and
sale agreements involving Madanco Holdings and the owners of Wes's
Super Service on Highway 3 for three lots at a total price just
over $3 million – less a $50,000 remediation hold back. The
recommendation for council to finance the acquisition of land near
the airport will be addressed in October.
Airport manager Jeff Huntus says an
extension to the runway was recommended as part of the airport
master plan approved in 2007 and is considered a plan for the
future.
"In order to achieve that goal, we have to
start taking steps now to protect the future of the airport," he
explained.
The recommendation was for an additional
2,000 feet of runway, resulting in a growth in air service.
"It allows us to undertake discussions
with larger aircraft operators."
The runway will be a significant project
and council has taken the first critical steps to make this happen,
he continued. The land in question is the only property they are
looking at right now.
"There's a number of different
opportunities we could look at and I think we've only just
scratched the surface so far."
The facility could potentially accommodate
larger aircraft charters from Calgary.
Rumours there could be a partnership with
Canadian Forces Base Suffield are "not something that I'm aware
of, that we've discussed," Huntus said.
The purchase comes with a condition of
sale that the business be closed and the land cleared. Matt Toews,
owner Wes's Super Service says the intention is to be out of the
location by Friday, Sept. 12 or sooner if they are unable to
receive fuel as a result of the Petro- Canada refinery
complications.
The sale of the location has been
discussed for a number of years while Toews maintained the business
which has been in his family since 1954.
"We're proud to be there for that many
years and we hate to see it go but it's time. Economically it's
time and now it's just perfect timing, so we'll just go with
that," said Toews.
As an independent business, Toews has
faced challenges in keeping up with larger competition over the
last number of years.
Other initiatives are on the horizon for
the airport, which has retained a consultant to do an air service
market analysis to look at enhancing services. Once the data has
been collected, the information will be shared with council as soon
as October.
Strategic planning is necessary,
considering the importance of the airport, says Economic
Development Alliance executive director Harold Wilson.
"It is an asset that I don't think we
have been valuing as much as we should be. These types of
arrangements are important and beneficial, those are good returns
on investment," said Wilson.
When the opportunities are there, they
need to be properly considered, he added.
"Some things are expenditures and some
things are investments. It's important that people know the
difference."
Wes's Super Service has been a community
staple in the Medicine Hat and Seven Persons areas since 1954.
Watch the News for an upcoming profile on the history of this
business. |
