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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 079 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-079 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 7, 2022 Page 1 of 2 i i7 Y SUBJECT: FORT WORTH ALLIANCE AIRPORT NAME CHANGE r6 rn Yg7'3 At the February 15, 2022 City Council meeting, Councilman Firestone requested the City consider renaming Fort Worth Alliance Airport (Airport) to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport in recognition of Ross Perot, Sr.'s significant contribution to the economic vitality of the City and the creation of the Airport. The purpose of this report is to outline the steps to rename the Airport to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport under the City's Facility Naming Policy ("Policy"), provide a brief summary and biography of Ross Perot, Sr. and the contributions he made to the City of Fort Worth during his lifetime, and to inform City Council of the process and anticipated timeline to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for renaming an airport. City Facility Naming Process The Policy, which was initially adopted on August 26, 1980 under Resolution No. 725, along with the subsequent amendment that followed under Resolution No. 3253-09-2005 (collectively, the "Policy"), requires that recommendations for naming City-owned facilities be submitted to the City Council via a resolution which will include evaluations from the appropriate City department and the City Manager's Office. The Policy also states that if a recommendation is to name a facility after an individual, a biographical sketch and documentation of the individual's contributions for the betterment of Fort Worth be accompanied with the appropriate recommendations. Due to the contributions and accomplishments of Mr. Perot that directly impacted the City of Fort Worth, both the Aviation Department and City Manager's Office will be recommending and supporting for the renaming of the Airport. The following is just a brief summary of Mr. Perot and the many accomplishments and contributions he achieved during his life time. A Brief History of H. Ross Perot, Sr. and His Contributions to the City of Fort Worth H. Ross Perot, Sr. (b. June 27, 1930 — d. July 9, 2019) was born in Texarkana, Texas to Gabriel and Lula May Perot. After graduating from Texarkana College he was granted admission to the US Naval Academy and took the midshipman's oath on June 27, 1949. Following his Navy service, in 1957, he joined International Business Machines (IBM) as a data processing salesman. Seeing the need for design, installation and servicing of data processing systems he founded Electronic Data Systems (EDS) on June 27, 1962, which quickly became an industry leader in the information technology business. In the mid-1980's he and his son Ross Perot, Jr., sharing the same passion for real estate accumulated tens of thousands of acres of ranch land in north Tarrant County and south Denton County. In 1987, the FAA expressed interest in locating an Airport in far north Fort Worth. Working in collaboration with Hillwood (a Perot company) and the FAA, the City received on May 24, 1988 the initial dedication of 381 acres of land from Alliance Airport Ltd. (a Perot company) to support the development of the world's first industrial ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-079 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 7, 2022 Page 2 of 2 i i7 Y SUBJECT: FORT WORTH ALLIANCE AIRPORT NAME CHANGE r6 rn Yg7'3 airport. With subsequent land dedications from Perot companies, the Airport has grown to 1 ,198 acres today and serves as the premier destination for aviation and global logistics customers within AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre master-planned mixed-use development with now over 550 companies in north Fort Worth, contributing in excess of $100 billion in cumulative economic impact for the region since its inception Mr. Perot's commitment and support of military members, veterans and their families, and his son's passion for Aviation, became the impetus for the annual Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, one of the premier air shows in the country, which in 2021 celebrated its 30t" year anniversary at the Airport, drawing in excess of 100,000 visitors. Next Steps If a resolution is approved by City Council for the re-naming of the Airport, the resolution will then be submitted to the FAA which has a separate process for reviewing and approving name changes of airports. This process typically takes 30-90 days to complete. During which time the FAA revises any aeronautical or published documents ensuring appropriate notification to all interested parties. Unless otherwise directed, staff will prepare the necessary resolution for City Council consideration at the June 14, 2022 meeting, authorizing the renaming of Fort Worth Alliance Airport to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Roger Venables, Aviation System Director at 817-392-6334. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS