News

Iosco County News Herald

By Holly Nelson 

OSCODA - Michigan Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) met with Governor Jennifer Granholm Thursday morning about the plan to create 600 new jobs in Oscoda. "I wanted to emphasize and make her fully aware of the magnitude of what this could mean to Northeast Michigan," he said. "She was very interested and supportive and asked me to tell her what she can do to help." Sheltrown and fellow Representatives Matt Gillard and Andy Dillon, along with Senators Tony Stamas and Valde Garcia, propose using tobacco settlement funds for securitization, thereby creating an alternative to the sale of bonds as a means of financing economic development projects. If the lawmakers succeed, one of the benefiting projects would be the construction of two new hangars at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport. Connie Kalitta, owner of Kalitta Air, has told Sheltrown that he can create 600 high-paying jobs with two hangars. Legislation, necessary for the plan to succeed, is on the fast track. According to Sheltrown, the governor's promise will be important once the bill passes, but he is not waiting for that. In the interim, the representative and others in his nonpartisan coalition are looking into bonds and grants - the kinds which do not require local match. "We can't afford to do local matching on a project this size," he said. The lawmakers are contacting Michigan's representatives to the United States Congress and Senate to determine what can be done. "We're starting on the track of good paying jobs and we're going to figure out some way to get this done," he said. "When I came into this office, my brother [former State Rep. Dale Sheltrown] warned me that I can't change the world. "Maybe not. But I think, with this plan, we can make a significant difference in Iosco County." "We [in politics] all say we want to create jobs. But this is something we can do and I'm really excited about it. I definitely think we will succeed." The representative's proposal targets passenger airlines, which are looking to cut costs by outsourcing the maintenance and repairs of its fleets. Kalitta Air is already partially filling this need and could do much more with expanded infrastructure, especially if one of the hangars is set up for electronic repairs and upgrades. It will take about $25 million to build and equip the new hangars, which would be owned by the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Authority and leased to Kalitta. Sheltrown said it is very possible that these facilities and services would attract aircraft from around the world. He predicts the traffic would draw entrepreneurs, who will establish secondary aviation-related businesses. Eventually, Oscoda could serve as an international aircraft maintenance hub, he said.