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Great Falls International Airport board considers expanding foreign trade

The chances for foreign trade at the airport may widen soon.

Members of the Great Falls International Airport Authority met Tuesday and decided to try to expand the four-acre foreign trade zone to include the entire 2,400 acres of airport property.

By JO DEE BLACK
Tribune Staff Writer

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040901/localnews/1153346.html

They also decided to review recommendations in a extensive noise study that could mean 311 homes north of the airport and in the West Hill Addition could get up to $30,000 worth of sound filtering doors and windows to shut out airplane noise.

The airport will pay consultant John Leeper $26,120 in fees and expenses to prepare the foreign trade zone application.

Foreign goods that can be warehoused in such zones get a reprieve from duty taxes until the goods are moved out.

The Great Falls airport has a foreign trade zone just south of the terminal parking lot.

Established more than a decade ago, the zone never was used. It was created in hopes of attracting Canadian businesses. But that potential dried up in 1994 with the North American Free Trade Act, which eliminated duty on goods flowing between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Although foreign trade zones are unnecessary for Canadian and Mexican goods, they offer a tax respite for goods from other countries, such as China and Korea.

"Is there a downside for businesses that want to locate at the airport but not use the foreign trade zone?" asked airport board member Greg Smith.

"We could invest money in the application and not attract any businesses," replied Airport Director Cynthia Schultz. "But as far as hindering other business operations, no, there’s not a downside."

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Foreign Trade Zone Board of Directors grants the zones. Applications must include economic benefit analyses, letters from businesses interested in locating there and environmental analysis.

Leeper also looked at expanding the foreign trade zone to include the former Buttrey Warehouse on 6th Street South West and the added value agriculture park where International Malting Co. is building a malting plant north of Black Eagle.

If those establishments want to be included in the application, they’ll have to let the airport know in 30 days and ante up about $10,000 apiece.

As far as the noise study goes, there’s been no public comment since it initially was presented in a public hearing in June.

The study measured Day/Night Noise Levels around the airport. Homes in areas with a rating of 65 or more could qualify for improvements designed to keep out noise.

The next step will be for airport officials to forward the study on to regional Federal Aviation Administration officials.

First the airport board members want a committee to review 10 recommendations attached to the study, a laundry list including zoning suggestions, building restrictions around the airport and beefed up building codes for the area.

"We don’t have the authority to do these things," said Chairwoman Deb Kottel.

"And the FAA knows that, these are just recommendations from you to the jurisdictions with the authority," said Rick Dunkelberg, a consultant with the firm that did the study.

Whether homeowners in the areas with the highest airport noise levels will get new doors and windows on the fed’s dime still is up in the air.

If airport board members decided to forward the study to the FFA, and if that federal agency then approves it, there still has to be federal money available to pay for any improvements.

If there is money, it’s allocated as a grant that’s administered by the airport.

"This is like any other grant, you can turn it down," Dunkelberg said. "And, if you start the program and decide it’s not accomplishing what it was intended to do, you can end the program."

Black can be reached by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (406) 791-6502 or (800) 438-6600.

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