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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Three finalists for airport director named

Spokane International Airport will have a new director by March 1, and improved traffic flow sometime in 2012, if events follow timelines discussed Wednesday by airport board members.

These are the finalists for the director position, winnowed from more than 40 applicants:

Jim Elwood, director of the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado;

Rebecca Hupp, director of Bangor International Airport in Maine;

Larry Krauter, interim executive director of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania.

All will be interviewed in Spokane the first weekend of February, said Personnel Committee Chairman Jeff Hamilton. The committee and consultant hired to assist with the search will then make a recommendation to the board, he said. The board’s selection will go to the county commissioners and the Spokane City Council for final approval.

Ryland “Skip” Davis, former chief executive officer of Providence Health Care, has been interim airport director since Neal Sealock stepped down in July.

The board also reviewed a preliminary design for reconfiguration of airport roads and parking; some members said existing routing is confusing, despite repeated visits.

Construction Planning Manager Teresa Foster-Eckard said the revisions would ease congestion created by vehicles dropping off and picking up passengers, create more metered parking spaces and add better signs for entrances to parking lots.

Foster-Eckard said some work could be done this year, but avoiding a Band-Aid solution would require several months of additional planning that would probably push most or all of the project into 2012.

“We can solve more than one problem by doing this correctly,” said Davis.

The board also recognized Karen Mobley, director of the Spokane Arts Commission, for overseeing installation of $150,000 of local professional and student artwork.