St. Louis MidAmerica Airport Will Host Training
Homeland Security Staff Are Students
Anti-Terrorism Training In Customs, Agriculture And Aviation
Mascoutah, Illinois (February 14, 2003) -- St. Clair County cleared the way to make St. Louis MidAmerica Airport a training site for the newly formed federal Homeland Security agency.
Airport officials are vying for a five-year contract to host classroom and practical anti-terrorism training in customs, agriculture and aviation.
The training will bring 5,000 students and four trainers to MidAmerica Airport every year.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Belleville, championed the airport because of its location in the center of the country and the airport's amenities said Costello's spokesman David Gillies.
Costello served on the Democratic task force on homeland security which was formed after the terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York.
The county public building commission approved funding for two buildings, which will be leased at a cost of $12,000, to hold classrooms for training at the airport on Thursday.
The airport hosted training for more than 900 students in passenger screening and baggage handling, said Tim Cantwell, airport director.
"They apparently liked what they saw here, so I guess that is why they were interested in basing more training programs here," said Dan Maher, county administrator.
The long-range plan is to build permanent classrooms at the airport for training purposes, Maher said. A firing range also could be added, and the airport could be used to train pilots and sky marshals.
"At this point, it's too early to determine everything they could use the facility for," Maher said.
The two portable classroom buildings will be placed northwest of the terminal, Cantwell said.
The public building commission also discussed the prospect a new cargo terminal at an estimated cost of $6 million.
The 50,000-square-foot building would be 90 percent funded by federal dollars and would allow for quick transfer of manufactured goods, such as auto parts.
Drawings of the cargo areas showed planes off-loading cargo into trucks parked at one of the 37 bays on the other side of the building. Offices could be constructed in a mezzanine level, Maher said.
The cargo terminal would give MidAmerica an advantage because it would offer expanded cargo capabilities not available at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The project will go out for bids in July with an anticipated completion date of September 2004.
Information provided by the Belleville News-Democrat
Beth Hundsdorfer Article © the Belleville News-Democrat
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