"We have changed our allocation and made the Springfield airport area our number one building project for the future. So what I'm looking at now is our top priority for the Missouri National Guard is to put a brand new armory complex at the Springfield airport," Missouri National Guard Brigadier General Stephen Danner said.

With that statement as a backdrop, Springfield and Greene county signed an army covenant today (12-3) with the military in general and Fort Leonard Wood in specific.
The community covenant is designed to promote the quality of life for soldiers and their families, whether they're active duty, reserve or national guard.
This most recent signature follows the signing of a letter of intent by the Missouri National Guard to lease Springfield's old terminal building at the Springfield Branson National Airport.
Someday the facility at the airport could be used to house or train pilots on a variety of different military aircraft, including the B-2 bomber.
"What we're looking at in short run is using south 40,000 square feet of terminal building,which used to be old AVCRAD facility with old hangar," said Missouri National Guard Brigadier General Stephen Danner.

Ultimately the guard would like to build a new armory at the terminal.

The Springfield Branson National Airport said the guard's lease is not a done deal, yet.
They issued a clarification.

CLARIFICATION FROM THE SPRINGFIELD-BRANSON NATIONAL AIRPORT:

There’s a story going around that’s taking on a life of its own: the airport and the Missouri National Guard have reached a lease agreement for use of the airport’s old terminal. This is not the case. Let me repeat, this is not the case.

The story got media legs on Tuesday after the Guard put out a press release concerning this morning’s signing of an Army Community Covenant with the City of Springfield (see attached Word file). In the fourth paragraph of the release it says that Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner “has signed a letter of intent to lease the now-empty ‘old’ Springfield air terminal…”

Between that statement, and the fact that an Army Community Covenant was being signed this morning, many folk jumped to the conclusion that a terminal lease agreement was being signed. This is not the case.

Here’s where things stand right now…

On August 13 the Guard sent a non-binding letter of intent to the Airport stating the Guard’s interest in leasing the old terminal (that letter is included in the attached PDF file). After about five weeks of informal discussion between the Airport and the Guard, the Airport sent a letter to the Guard outlining the next steps in the process (that letter is also included in the attached PDF.)

Here’s the process in a nutshell…bear with me, this does get confusing…

Since the terminal was built with federal aviation funds, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has to approve the building’s lease rate. If the Airport leases the building to a company whose business is non-aviation related, the FAA says the lease must charge the fair market value per square foot. If the company’s business is strictly aviation related, the lease can then charge a rate that is negotiated below market value. If the business has both aviation related elements, and non-aviation elements, a blended rate can be charged that would still be below market value. Keeping all this in mind, the Airport has asked the Guard to determine its square footage needs and planned usage. Before negotiations can begin, the Airport has to know how much of the Guard’s business will be aviation related, and how much will be non-aviation related. The Airport is waiting for the Guard’s plan.

When negotiations begin they will take place between just two parties: the director of the Airport, and the Missouri National Guard. Any agreement requires FAA approval.

In the final analysis, little has changed since the letter of intent was sent on August 13. The airport is waiting for the Guard’s plan so lease negotiations can begin. That’s where things stand today.

Best Regards,

Kent Boyd
Public Information and Marketing
Springfield-Branson National Airport