Firm seeks to use Guard hangar

A fast-growing British Columbia aerospace firm is considering starting a repair and maintenance shop in the Spokane airport hangar now used by the Washington National Guard.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire recently told a group of Spokane business officials and political leaders she supports their request for $500,000 so that the Army National Guard can vacate the 1950s-vintage hangar and relocate to Fairchild Air Force Base.

The Army National Guard bases its Spokane helicopters in the hangar on property managed by the Spokane International Airport.

Gregoire praised the Spokane-initiated plan to recruit Abbotsford, B.C.-based Cascade Aerospace as a great opportunity for economic development in Eastern Washington.

Cascade Aerospace has more than 500 workers at its Abbotsford maintenance and engineering site, about 50 miles east of Vancouver. It has extensive history working on commercial and military aircraft, including work on aircraft for Alaska and Southwest airlines.

Gregoire and other state leaders hope to set aside $500,000 in the next capital budget for the Army National Guard relocation to Fairchild. The goal is to upgrade the 35,000-square-foot hangar and adjoining space so that a company like Cascade can move in, said Spokane airport spokesman Todd Woodard.

The discussions between Cascade and area officials are not concluded, said Woodard. “We are very close, but this isn’t completed yet.”

Woodard and Airport Executive Director Neal Sealock requested that The Spokesman-Review not publish this story, fearing publicity may jeopardize the deal. “We’ve put a lot of time and effort into this,” said Woodard, noting that Cascade Aerospace officials are reluctant to see the company identified at this time.

It’s not certain how many jobs the Cascade expansion in Spokane would produce. A spokesperson for Cascade Aerospace said she could not comment on the planned expansion.

In October 2005 the British Columbia aerospace firm won a coveted $375 million contract to overhaul and upgrade Canada’s aging fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft. For more than 40 years that work had been done by another Canadian company based in Edmonton, according to news reports.

Spokane airport officials have leased the hangar to the Army National Guard for many years at no cost. Because the building has limited amenities, Guard officials have been eager to relocate, Woodard said.

At the same time, the commercial value of the hangar, adjoining buildings and space has increased, with several other companies expressing interest, said Woodard.

The request for $500,000 will be included in the Senate’s capital budget, said Sen. Lisa Brown, chair of the Ways and Means Committee. That budget will be produced Wednesday, said Brown, a Democrat from Spokane.

She sees dual value in the proposal at the airport, Brown said. “It will facilitate the upgrade in the facilities” used by the Air National Guard but also develop a valuable piece of property for Eastern Washington.

“It will have a large economic development impact” when Cascade Aerospace or any other company comes in, Brown said.

The $500,000 was requested by the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce as part of several development proposals. If the Legislature approves the $500,000, airport officials will invest an additional $250,000 to upgrade a Fairchild hangar for use by the Army National Guard, said Woodard.

Following the guard’s relocation, Spokane airport officials will seek a state development grant to upgrade the empty hangar with new electrical systems and other improvements, said Woodard.