If Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport cut back on the air services offered here, what economic impact would that action have on the community? And conversely, if utilization of the airport increased, would the community benefit and - if so - how?
That's the type of questions authority members hope will be answered by a $24,999 economic impact study that will be completed this year by the Community Research Council.
Part of the funding for the project will be provided by an Enterprise Center economic development planning grant.
The study, the first one ever done on the airport, is scheduled to be complete within eight months. CRC will present the authority with a detailed written report on its findings.
"This study will identify the benefits of the airport for the region, including an assessment of both the potential cost to the region’s economy of a reduction in air service, as well as the potential benefits that would result from increased utilization of the airport," according to Christina Siebold, manager of community relations for the airport.
The study will include an analysis of CMAA's economic impact based on established literature on airport economic development, including FAA guidelines, as well as an assessment of local and regional economic factors in Chattanooga and several comparison cities.
The scope of the economic impact analysis will consist of four parts: review of appropriate literature, employment and income impact analysis, location, and comparative analysis.
According to information provided by Ms. Siebold, the Community Research Council conducts independent data analysis and policy research aimed at improving the quality of life in the Chattanooga region. Last year, CRC published the first-ever State of Chattanooga Region Report, a 360-page analysis of crime, health, education and the economy in Hamilton County. The Report is based on data collected from federal, state and local government agencies, as well as the results of a survey of 1,000 residents of Hamilton County.
Over the last two years, CRC’s funders and clients have included Hamilton County, the City of Chattanooga, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the Brookings Institution, the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Benwood Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and the River City Company.