The Alexandra Airport is on the cusp of a bright future but the Central Otago District Council has to decide whether to spend up to $500,000 to realise its potential, or ''let it go'', councillors were told yesterday.
Council property officer Brian Taylor said he needed a ''steer'' from the council following an upsurge in demand from people in the aviation sector wanting to establish in Alexandra.
There was interest from commercial and private operators.
He prepared a concept plan for the facility and said it needed an upgraded power supply, improved water supply and runway maintenance to make the most of its potential. Those three projects would cost about $500,000.
''So you have to decide, do we hang on to the airport, or let it go,'' Mr Taylor said.
Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper said the facility was ''showing more promise now than ever before''. Council property and facilities manager Mike Kerr said the effect on rates of doing $500,000 worth of work at the airport over 10 years worked out at $7 per ratepayer a year.
Cr Steve Battrick said the investment was necessary.
''To realise the potential of it for the community, it's a good investment for $7, goodness gracious, and I think we should go for it,'' he said.
Cr Shirley Calvert had a different view and said it was a lot of expenditure ''so rich boys can play with their toys''.
The income generated from the airport was about $20,000 a year, Mr Kerr said. Mr Taylor said there was the possibility of groups holding two or three drag race meetings a year after the runway upgrade.
When the infrastructure at the airport was improved, he believed there would be more development on site.
Mr Lepper said doing the work was a risk ''but so's losing the airport''.
''When you go up there to the airport, you can see the potential, but we have to realise we're not developers, either,'' he said.
The council agreed to give approval in principle for the work and to aim at the facility becoming self-funding.
It will also consider development at the site during its district plan review.
