After several months of discussions in executive sessions, Guthrie city council members approved the land acquisition of 44.92 acres near the Guthrie Edmond Regional Airport (GERA).
The approval came at Tuesday’s special Guthrie Economic Development Authority (GEDA) meeting. The GEDA is compromised of the seven city council members.
The Authority approved to purchase the land in the amount of $480,150. The motion was made by Vice Mayor Jim Case and second by Councilman Jeff Taylor. The motion passed unanimously 7-0.
The proposed acquired land is southwest of the airport’s runway.
The City’s purpose is to increase economic activity and employment in Logan County as well as to diversify the county’s economic base.
City officials are hopeful in the future — with the assistance of proposed grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) — they can construct an airport business, industrial park and a new airport terminal for further enhancement of the airport.
The EDA awarded $3 billion in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan, but currently none of those dollars have been allocated. City officials will also look at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission for grant oppurtunities to construct the airport terminal.
The City plans to purchase the land with their current funding reserves, but are hopeful to utilize the land purchase as a match for the proposed EDA grant ($1.6 million).
The aquired land was in three tracts and purchased at $10,690 per acre.
Jameson Realty Group, which is owned and operated by Councilman James Long, reviewed the property and suggested the Authority should not offer no less than $8,500 per acre and no more than $11,500 per acre.
The operating agreement is between the City of Guthrie, City of Edmond and the GERA.
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