"Economic development group,Virginia airport could join forces"

Friday, October 4, 2002 

Economic development group,airport commission could join forces 
By PAUL DELLINGER 
THE ROANOKE (VA) TIMES 
 
 
  DUBLIN - The New River Valley Airport Commission is looking into the
possibility of joining the authority set up in 1998 to create economic
development projects such as the Commerce Park. 

  The 532-acre industrial park is next to the airport, off Virginia 100
just north of Dublin. The 11 localities that joined to create the park
are now planning to market it in 75-acre lots to high-tech tenants. 

  But marketing will take money, which is in short supply at both state
and local levels. The airport commission is in line for some Federal
Aviation Administration money that might be used to market it jointly
with the adjacent park. 

  Commission Chairman Nick Glenn told the commission Wednesday night
that he and Dave Rundgren, executive director of the New River Valley
Planning District Commission, had talked about the idea of taking the
partnership a step further and actually have the commission join
Virginia's First Regional Industrial Facility Authority. 

  Authority members are the counties of Pulaski, Montgomery, Roanoke,
Giles, Wythe, Craig and Bland, the cities of Radford, Roanoke and Salem,
and towns of Christiansburg, Dublin, Narrows, Pearisburg and Pulaski.
All but Wythe, Salem, Pearisburg and Christiansburg are participants in
the Commerce Park venture. 

  "What they're doing over there has an impact on us," Glenn said.
Twenty-four acres of the park property - adjacent to the airport but
partially separated from the main portion of the park by an access road
- are being considered for separate aviation-related development in lots
as small as 5 acres. 

  Bob Isner, economic development director for Montgomery County, said
that Commerce Park will not be marketing the potential "airport park,"
so it will be up to the commission to land those 5-acre projects. For
that reason, he said, the FAA might go along with the airport authority
investing in the marketing venture. 

  There are two levels of authority participation: simply joining it or
actually investing in a project such as Commerce Park. Howard Morris,
representing Giles County, said the commission needs to find out if it
could legally become an authority member. 

  The airport contributes to the marketability of Commerce Park, not
only because of its air transportation potential but because it houses a
U.S. Customs office and Foreign Trade Zone. It will be an even bigger
asset if it is able to strengthen its 6,200-foot runway to handle larger
aircraft. BAX Global, which has an air freight operation in Roanoke, is
interested in also locating at the New River Airport if the runway can
be upgraded.


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