Manchester Airport Expansion Plans Reach Impasse with Two Property Owners

The Manchester Municipal Airport runway expansion project has hit a bump in the road.

Midwest Right of Way Services has reached an impasse with two property owners they were working with for land acquisition. 

Nearly forty acres of the desired Todd and Angela Summers property (previously the William Gearhart property) is directly north of the runway. The City says this is the key property needed to extend the runway north and be able to reach the 4,000-foot runway length. 

The other property, owned by Beth Todd (TNT Farms), consists of two half-acre parcels south of 210th Street that impact the glide slopes for the runway approach. 

Manchester City Manager Tim Vick says the Council needs to decide if the City will proceed with acquiring the property through eminent domain.

The City says if the City Council decides not to proceed with the acquisition, there is a risk the Manchester Municipal Airport will not be eligible for grants to assist with future capital improvement projects. This map from July shows the general areas, though the City says some of the proposed property being purchased has changed slightly.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Vick says the Manchester City Council is also continuing to look into ways to video record and broadcast their council meetings.  

A petition has been circulating around Manchester requesting transparency from the City by broadcasting City Council meetings. Over five hundred residents have signed.