March 29, 2024

Newton and Jasper County could split contributions to Des Moines airport project

Local governments suggested to divide $500K portion for terminal expansion

The largest airport in Iowa suggested Newton City Council could collaborate with the Jasper County Board of Supervisors in order to donate $500,000 to its more than $575 million terminal expansion. The request came less than one week after the supervisors decided they could better spend the money elsewhere.

However, the request came during a presentation and was not considered for a vote by the city council.

Kevin Foley, executive director of the Des Moines International Airport, returned to Newton on Feb. 7 to pitch his idea to the city’s elected officials, after the county board of supervisors voted 3-0 to deny his request. Even with payments spread across four years, supervisors were hesitant to provide monetary support.

Altogether, the airport is seeking $34 million from Central Iowa counties and cities to contribute to the terminal expansion and leverage further funding. The City of Des Moines, for instance, was the first municipality to join and pledged $10 million to the project, or roughly $50 per capita/person.

Committing a similar amount would be extremely difficult for Jasper County, whose total population is about 17 percent the size of Des Moines. But Foley said the city and county could figure out how to split up the $500,000. Of note, funds from the American Rescue Plan Act could be used for the terminal project.

“I was hoping maybe you could work with the supervisors and come up with a split,” Foley said. “I will tell you that is what Warren County did, and that’s what I anticipate Story County will do, as well.”

If the $34 million from other Central Iowa communities is not met, Foley said the airport does not want the money.

“This is for a specific purpose. It is for the terminal,” Foley said, noting if the money cannot be raised it will not be taken and used for the terminal project. “…We really don’t want any of the money until we’re absolutely sure that we close the funding gap.”

Des Moines International Airport makes up 65 percent of all commercial air traffic in the state. There are seven other commercial airports in the state, but the Des Moines airport “is the gateway and hub of commerce for all of Central Iowa,” Foley said. As an airport authority, it operates independent from its city.

Which means the airport is not supported by property taxes and does receiving federal funding from a trust fund. Otherwise, it is a self-supporting entity.

About 42 percent of the traffic to the airport comes from out-of-state flyers who, according to Foley, want to conduct business in Des Moines or are visiting for leisure purposes. A linkage study of the airport also shows the suburbs around Des Moines are the largest passenger generators.

“I believe Newton is No. 24 on here,” Foley said of the study. “Approximately 7,000 of the 12,000 passengers that Newton generators are traveling through Des Moines on a regular basis … About 65 percent of your traffic is coming through Des Moines.”

For the past 10 years, Foley said the airport has increased its non-stop destinations from 19 to 30. As a result, the airport is becoming very stretched for space in the terminal itself. The more than $575 billion terminal expansion would also construct a new parking structure and expand the road around the airport.

“We’re literally running out of space to park airplanes,” Foley said.

Although the airport has artist renderings of what the terminal could look like, there are no architectural designs created at this point. Foley said the airport has about seven requests from firms that could create the designs. He expects interviews will take place in mid-March, with a firm secured in May.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com

Christopher Braunschweig

Christopher Braunschweig

Christopher Braunschweig has a strong passion for community journalism and covers city council, school board, politics and general news in Newton, Iowa and Jasper County.