Activities of Benton Airport Board remain under scrutiny

 

Arial view of the Benton Airiport. (shashak.com image)

BENTON, IL – (Rick Hayes, The Benton Evening News- Please Click to Read the following story. Here is an excerpt) Benton Mayor Fred Kondritz says the city doesn’t need a municipal airport, citing its lack of usage. Kondritz said that while the city does not answer for the Airport Authority Board, it does answer for the land. “We’ve been too relaxed with the Airport Board. We just accepted that hey, there’s an airport out there and blah, blah, blah,” he said. “That part of Benton is so vital. It’s our lifeline. We’re going to economically go ahead with that area.” Kondritz cited figures from the Illinois Department of Transportation that reported 5,400 landings and takeoffs take place at the airport annually.