Bend plans to invest $1 million in its airport this year, part of an effort to lure a major customer.
Under a plan devised by city staff and agreed to by the council last week, the city would fund the construction through a combination of grants and loans.
The investment would set the stage for the development of roughly 80 acres on the east side of the airport.
The grant money would be tied to the creation of new jobs at the Bend airport.
The city is banking on Aircraft Investor Resources, a Las Vegas-based startup company, to provide those jobs.
The payoff, Mayor Oran Teater told The Bulletin, is the promise of several hundred well-paying jobs at Aircraft Resources, which plans to manufacture a new six-seat turboprop in Central Oregon. The company finished work on its prototype earlier this year, which it flew successfully in a test flight at the Redmond Airport this summer.
It's not clear when the city might break ground at the airport. But officials are moving on a fast track to meet Aircraft Resource's needs.
The city has not yet been approved for state grants or loans.
However, Teater said he spoke last month with Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who offered his support for the project.
