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City Council Approves Airport Lease

Lease agreement between the city and Kalispell Airport Association is for 20 years and includes the option to extend it to 40 years

By Justin Franz
Kalispell City Airport. Beacon File Photo

The Kalispell City Council approved a plan on Dec. 4 to lease the municipal airport to a users association.

The lease agreement between the city and Kalispell Airport Association is for 20 years and includes the option to extend it to 40 years if the users association commits to making a number of improvements to the facility that are outlined in the city airport master plan. Potential improvements include repaving the taxiway and runway and upgrading hangars. City Manager Doug Russell said the agreement is similar to how Kalispell lets a private association, the Buffalo Hill Golf Club, oversee the operation of the municipal golf course.

The airport was opened on the edge of town on July 3, 1929, but has since been surrounded by development on Kalispell’s south side.