FARGO (KFGO) - Nowhere near agreement, Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney and the Municipal Airport Authority will continue to discuss a proposal to build a parking ramp at Hector International Airport.
Mahoney, other city representatives and the airport board met for the second time Tuesday to discuss the idea. The board has already said a ramp is not financially possible now. Mahoney disagrees. He says with favorable bond rates used to finance the project and a slight bump in parking rates, a ramp is possible.
The airport authority has already agreed to a skyway connecting the main parking lot to the terminal which will be paid for by federal funds. Board Chairman Steve Blazek says while they are working on plans to improve parking and accessbility to the terminal, a parking ramp is not on the table.
City Commissioner Tony Gehrig, a non-voting member of the airport authority, says it's not up to the city commission to make this decision. Several months ago, he and City Commissioner Tony Grindberg announced they're against a ramp. Gehrig says nothing he heard at Tuesday's meeting changed his mind.
Mahoney is proposing a smaller parking ramp for 500 vehicles costing $12 million to $13 million, significantly less than the original proposal.
