Local & Bistate
Plans for new facility at airport off the table
TERRE HAUTE — Plans to build another fixed-based operations facility at Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field have ceased as Erirowcin Aviation Inc. withdrew its proposal Thursday.
“Erirowcin Aviation Inc. is no longer interested in purchasing the Terre Haute Air Center or doing any other aeronautical service at the Terre Haute International Airport,” stated an e-mail to members of the Airport Authority Board from Eric and Cindi Hettlinger, founders of Erirowcin.
“The airport management has wasted our time and money, not to mention other companies in the effort to bring economic growth to the Terre Haute International Airport and to Terre Haute,” the e-mail stated.
The initial proposal for Erirowcin’s own facility came inJuly, a couple of months after the Authority Board put up the airport’s flight school and Air Center for sale. Bid packets for the flight school and Air Center were not available until September.
Eric Hettlinger said he and his wife offered to buy the Air Center in March, but it was then put to bid. Bids for the flight school and Air Center are due to the airport’s attorney by Oct. 20 with the board opening them Oct. 22.
Plans in the Erirowcin proposal called for a property lease for Erirowcin to build a multi-purpose structure valued between $750,000 and $1 million. The property is between Thompson Hangar and the Federal Express building with a 40,000-square-foot ramp space adjacent.
Fuel sales, an avionics shop, charter service and light cargo service, a regional aircraft dealership and service center, helicopter instruction and sightseeing tours and aircraft maintenance are services the facility were expected to provide.
Though the proposal wasn’t mentioned at any other board meetings, talks between the Hettlingers, board members and airport director Tom Long continued.
Long said he did not receive the Hettlingers’ e-mail withdrawing their proposal and could not comment on the issue.
Alternate property was offered to the Hettlingers because the initial property they chose was on the east side of the airport grounds, an area the board wants to use for commercial development while keeping all general aviation development on the west side, according to board president Darryl Huyett.
“We have a plan for our airport and we showed them some sites on the west side,” he said. “… We’re trying to separate big planes from the small planes, that’s why the west side. It’s not got anything to do with them or stymieing them.”
However, Hettlinger said the property they were shown was the back part of the Federal Express building, which doesn’t have any ramp access. With all general aviation to the west, Hettlinger said this would be an inconvenience because his fuel trucks would have had to go across the runway or people would have to taxi to the other side.
“We’re just tired of getting the runaround,” he said. “… The board doesn’t agree on anything. I’m tired of trying to figure it out.”
Darrel Zeck, Terre Haute’s public affairs director, was also notified about Erirowcin’s withdraw.
“As a city, we’re disappointed because we saw this as an opportunity for yet another private company to come in and add growth, value and some economic development to an otherwise stale airport environment,” he said, “and possibly create new jobs and add a fresh face to the airport.”
Huyett said he didn’t know why things fell through and attributed the past failed agreements to the Hettlingers changing their minds.
“They’ve changed their minds so many times, I’ve just lost track,” he said. “They’ve withdrawn before and submitted other ideas and things …”
With that, Huyett said a bid packet for the Air Center still was sent to them at the end of last week.
“I hope they change their minds and decided to bid on it, and I hope they build out there,” he said. “We’d love to have them. We’ve certainly been trying to do everything we can to help them out, but they change their mind and who knows what their real reason is, I don’t know.”
Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.
- Local & Bistate
-
-
On track to Eagle: Jesse Fox puts in many hours of work to restore historic caboose
After more than 1,700 hours of hard work, a historic train caboose that once graced a Terre Haute city park has received a much-needed facelift. The mostly-wooden caboose, built in 1903, was “about to fall over” two years ago when work began to bring it back to life, said Jesse Fox, a sophomore at Terre Haute South Vigo High School who organized the restoration project.
-
The Off Season: Taking in the ‘cultural’ experience we call the State Fair
I suspect that some member or another of our family has made an annual pilgrimage to the Indiana State Fair — that legendary land of fatty foods and horse barns — since corn dogs were first put on sticks; as long as “Carter had pills,” my mom used to say. The fair is a mixture of the new and the familiar, of the traditional and the trendy, of ancient harvesting machinery and inflatable purple aliens, of hand-held paper fans and soybean diesel — powered golf carts, of road apples and Peruvian flute music.
-
Man reportedly crashes pickup into home, flees and is injured by train
Witnesses say a man was injured Sunday afternoon after he reportedly crashed a pickup truck into a Terre Haute home and then attempted to escape from the scene by jumping onto a moving train.
People at the scene said the man crashed the truck into a home on South 131⁄2 Street just north of Margaret Avenue about 2:30 p.m. The man then reportedly fled the scene on foot. -
Million Meals program aims to feed hungry in land of plenty
David Hardine’s family-owned hog farm had survived nearly two years of economic downturn, including a plunging pork market that meant a $20 loss on every pig sold, when a colleague came to him with a request last summer: Would he and his fellow pork producers in the state provide a million meals to feed hungry people in Indiana?
-
Bill Nye the Science Guy to help open new Children’s Museum
Thanks to several Wabash Valley businesses, “Bill Nye The Science Guy” will headline the Terre Haute Children’s Museum Grand Opening Weekend. Nye will make a free public appearance at 11 a.m. Sept. 25, outdoor on the lot between Eighth and Ninth streets off Ohio Street.
-
Scout supervises Eagle Project at Dobbs Park
Terre Haute’s Dobbs Park has a new nature trail thanks to Saxon Porter, a soon-to-be Eagle Scout.
-
TREES Inc. to celebrate 20 years with dinner
TREES Inc. will celebrate 20 years of improving the urban forest in Terre Haute on Sept. 28 with a dinner featuring nationally-known urban forester Dr. Burney Fischer.
-
Clinton high school class has unusual reunion
With Clinton’s Little Italy Festival in full swing this weekend, it might not be surprising to see members of the Clinton High School class of 1955 buying lottery tickets bearing the lucky number 55.
-
Waste-to-energy refinement process developed by TH resident seeing worldwide expansion
When Dennis Evers tells people that the international company he helps run, VOW Resources, has its headquarters in Terre Haute, Indiana, he often gets the response: “Terre Haute? Oh … Larry Bird.”
-
Valley food banks see big increase in requests
A lack of jobs and dismal conditions have food banks staring down high double-digit increases of hungry mouths.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
On track to Eagle: Jesse Fox puts in many hours of work to restore historic caboose
