St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council, St. Louis City NAACP to Pursue Airport Improvements Organizations call for working group’s documents and will pursue bids for City St. Louis, Mo.— St. Louis – Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council and the St. Louis City NAACP today called on the City of St. Louis to release all documents produced and received by the Airport Working Group.
At a press conference, the two organizations also announced they plan to work with interested coalitions to submit plans to the City despite last month’s decision to halt the process. “We were disappointed by last month’s decision to pull the plug on exploring a public-private partnership at Lambert Airport,” said Al Bond, Carpenters Union Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
“This isn’t the end of the road. Citizens deserve to see what such a partnership could accomplish, and they ultimately deserve a vote on the project.” “The fact the County’s Port Authority and several other governmental leaders are exploring ways to improve Lambert without City of St. Louis citizens’ input reinforces the need for a process that considers all proposals prior to making any decisions.”
Bond and Pruitt announced they have jointly submitted an open records request to the City in an effort to make public all work done by the Airport Working Group. St. Louis citizens deserve to see what upgrades and improvements are possible, the two leaders said. Both Bond and Pruitt also urged interested coalitions to submit proposals to the City, and encouraged officials to welcome them.
Citizens, they said, should have the opportunity to have a voice in the process and, ultimately, a vote. A public-private partnership remains the only way to generate a revenue stream to address the needs of residents without raising taxes. Upgrading the airport and developing the surrounding vacant land has serious economic development potential that could put thousands of local residents to work.