The Oak Harbor City Council has passed an interlocal agreement to provide the Port of Coupeville with funds for airport rehabilitation projects after delaying the decision at a previous meeting.

Under the amended interlocal agreement, the city will grant the port up to $200,000 to be put toward studies and maintenance only after the port has closed on the A.J. Eisenberg Airport on Monroe Landing Road.

The airport has been the object of the port’s pursuit nearly since it went up for sale in August 2021, though it has faced some hurdles in trying to secure financial partnerships.

City council members declined to pass the interlocal agreement when it first appeared on the agenda last month, citing concerns that the port had not presented sufficient business or feasibility plans to convince the council that the agreement would be a responsible use of taxpayer dollars. They requested that the port make a presentation to the council before they made a final decision.

Port Commissioner John Mishasek shared with the council why the port feels public ownership would provide the most sustainable future for the airport. While a private owner will seek a quick return on investment, a government entity can play the long game, he said. Ownership by a governmental body would also preclude the eventual upheaval of a private owner passing away.

Mishasek also argued that the port has an inbuilt capacity to form partnerships with other governmental bodies, which would be especially important in case of a natural disaster or other emergency on Whidbey.

The A.J. Eisenberg Airport is already active, the commissioner said. With an average of more than 18,000 aircraft operations per year, the airport generates more than $100,000 a year in hangar rentals and a similar amount in fuel sales. The reintroduction of commercial operations, coupled with improved facilities, would drive revenue even higher.

Mishasek also shared that the port has identified around $100,000 of required maintenance projects.

Port Executive Director Chris Michalopoulos told the council that the port has a short-term plan involving examining soil samples, evaluating plumbing and electrical systems and performing other due diligence tasks within the next 60 days. An in-depth comprehensive plan for the airport will take around a year to create, he said, and the port plans to take on that task after assuming ownership of the airport.

Michalopoulos explained that the port intends to fund its purchase by partnering with the county, and then using the money provided in the interlocal agreement with Oak Harbor for contingency studies once it owns the airport.

Following the port’s presentation, the council approved an amendment proposed by Councilmember Eric Marshall to make the $200,000 available to the port only after the port had completed its purchase and subsequently passed the interlocal agreement unanimously.

Councilmember Bryan Stucky, who was vocal in the previous council meeting about his hesitancy to support the agreement, wrote in an email that the port’s presentation made him feel more at ease.

“I wasn’t entirely opposed to assisting the port with the purchase, but investing Oak Harbor taxpayer money without hearing even a basic outline of the port’s intentions seemed like a poor use of funds especially since we would have no control over the airport,” he said.

After hearing from the port, plus a number of general aviation pilots who voiced their support for the interlocal agreement during the public comment period, Stucky said, he felt like he had a better understanding of the port’s vision for the property.

“Finally, the port articulated a tangible plan for increasing economic development,” he said.