Airport commission hears proposal to drum up support for terminal rehab

The South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field.
The South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field.

As part of an ongoing effort to raise money for a major renovation of the terminal building at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin, the El Dorado Airport Commission has turned to a local ad and marketing agency to help drum up support for the project.

Representatives of the Diamond Agency recently presented a proposal that included recommendations on how to explain the project to the public and to use as a tool for other potential funding sources.

After several years of discussions about the need to upgrade and rehabilitate the post-World Ward II-era SARA terminal, the airport commission considered options and costs analysis for renovating the terminal or building a new one.

In 2015, commissioners voted to build anew at an estimated cost of $2.1 million, versus a refit of the existing building for an estimated $1.9 million.

Area residents and local and state historic preservationists protested the decision, which would have entailed razing the existing terminal.

Federal agencies got involved and conducted a Section 106 Review that ultimately squashed plans for new construction in favor of rehabbing the existing terminal.

The Section 106 Review stipulates how the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation may approve the use of certain property, including public or private historical sites.

Three years later, the terminal building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2015, Mickey Murfee, now chairman of the airport commission, cast the lone no vote on a motion to build a new terminal and he was one of the leaders in the charge to save the building.

Commissioner Aubra Anthony Jr., who was not a member of the airport commission at the time, was also a vocal opponent of the measure and he provided information that helped set off a chain of events that resulted in the 106 Review.

The conceptual design and preliminary budget estimate for the terminal rehab were updated in 2017 at a cost of $2.1 million and earlier this year, commissioners said the number has since remained virtually the same.

‘This story needs to be told … to the community’

On Oct. 14, commissioners heard from Don Hale and Carol McDade, president/owner and managing director and publisher, respectively, of the Diamond Agency in response to a request from Murfee to assist with fundraising for the project.

“This story needs to be told and told to the community so there can be an appreciation for what you’ve got out here,” Hale told the group. “You may need to go out and seek public and private funding.”

Listed in the Diamond Agency’s proposal was the scope of work and recommendations on how to convey the message of the project.

Brochures, a PowerPoint presentation, online presentation and press releases were some of the recommendations.

The scope of work also broke down how to best to use the materials and identified target audiences.

For instance, the brochures would outline and provide the details of the project and could be used for grant applications, publicity and fundraising.

The PowerPoint presentation would be designed for civic organizations, governmental agencies and other groups and would comprise an overview of the proposed project, Hale said.

Murfee asked how long the marketing campaign would last.

“Probably from the day you move dirt until the day you move in,” Hale said.

“You’ve got a tenant downstairs that’s moving people to Dallas, to Memphis and to Nashville and you’ve got to keep the (flying) public informed of where they’re going to be,” Hale continued, referring to Southern Airways Express, the community’s Essential Air Service provider who flies out of SARA.

Anthony asked if there was an experienced grant writer on staff at the Diamond Agency.

“A lot of this is where do you go for what aspect of funding and how do you carve this up to where you’re asking the right people for the right thing,” Anthony said.

“How do you get off on the right foot so that you can cobble together the resources that you need?” he added, saying that identifying applicable funding sources and educating the public are equal components of the marketing campaign.

Hale said the Diamond Agency does not have a grant writer on staff but the brochures and photography and content in the informational materials would be used as tools to assist a grant writer.

Having assisted with such projects in the past, McDade said Diamond Agency staffers recognize the value of using a grassroots approach for fundraising efforts.

“It’s important to get a buy-in from the community. You do have to appeal to people with lots of money but you also have to appeal to people with smaller budgets, those who’ll make $5, $10 donations,” McDade explained.

“You have to put it in a way that makes sense to them. The historical element is a huge selling point and I think we need to make people aware of that,” she continued.

Hale said it would also help to remind residents that the airport is a community asset and is often the front-line introduction for visitors to El Dorado and Union County.

The brochures and other materials would make up Plan A — creative services —, which would cost $1,800 - $2,500 to produce, Hale said.

He said Plan B would be the contract for services, which would come with a monthly retainer of $900.

Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews .com.

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