Runway Won’t Close at Airport

By Avian Carrasquillo

acarrasquillo@@dailyherald.com

Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling will not lose one of its three runways.

The decision was made Thursday evening at a special joint meeting of the Chicago Executive Airport Board and the airport’s owners and their representatives from the village of Wheeling and the city of Prospect Heights, who voted to keep the runway open.

Jim Wylie, vice chairman of the airport board, said that the issues that had previously caused the board to recommend the runway’s closure had been resolved.

Those issues had included safety, underutilization, and economic development opportunities in place of the runway.

Also at issue was the pending construction of the Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School, which Wheeling granted a permit to build at 9300 Capital Drive nearly a year ago.

Since that permit was issued, the school’s proposed site was found to be in a runway protection zone, which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to threaten the airport with the possibility of pulling all current and future funding.

The FAA also could have demanded a repayment of all funds paid for airport projects over the past 21 years during ownership by the municipalities, which could have totaled more than $100 million.

“Unfortunately, there were some misinterpretations and assumptions which have been clarified,” Wylie said.

Wylie said that the runway’s width, which had once been a safety concern, was found to be acceptable by the FAA.

Wylie added that the school was also found to be a conforming use.

Barry Axelrod, spokesman for the Palwaukee Airport Pilots Association, was pleased by the decision.

“They got it right. There was no reason to close the runway. We’re glad they listened to what the pilots had to say,” he said.

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