FAA Looks Closely At Use Of Airport Funds

The FAA may be able to do what the AOPA and pilots throughout Chicagoland haven't done yet -- make the Windy City pay for the destruction of Meigs Field.

In fact, Chicago has already paid much more than originally estimated for the stealth destruction of one of America's most popular airstrips. The Chicago Tribune reports the cost of digging up the runway and restoring Northerly Island to its original state was almost double the first estimates -- $2.9 million. As ANN reported earlier, the city admitted using $2.4 million in federal funds specifically targeted for construction and improvements at Chicago's two commercial fields, O'Hare and Midway. The rest came from city coffers.

The FAA is now investigating the use of those funds and, if it finds they were illegally diverted from their original purposes, could fine Chicago triple the amount in question. In this case, that would add up to $8.7 million.

Earlier, the FAA proposed fining the city $33,000 for not giving 30-days' notice before bulldozing Meigs last year. But, when the city responded to that proposal by saying it spent FAA money to clean up an "abandoned" airport, the FAA started digging deeper. That investigation is still pending.

FMI: www.faa.gov