Sturgeon County Mayor Don Rigney is unsure a proposal to rename the Villeneuve Airport has any chance of taking off.
St. Albert city council agreed last week to suggest a name change to Sturgeon County council. The proposal, initiated from St. Albert’s economic advisory committee, seeks to rename the facility the St. Albert-Sturgeon Regional Airport.
Rigney said he was surprised by the proposal and said he doesn’t expect it will fly in the hamlet itself.
“They are going to feel very much put upon by this,” he said. “It has been the Villeneuve Airport for a very long time.”
Rigney said the people of the hamlet are still going to want to see the community’s name reflected in the airport.
“I know the community and they have a real sense of history about their community.”
Rigney said he personally doesn’t see the benefit in renaming the facility, but county council will look at the idea when it comes forward.
“We will go through the process as we always do when the request comes in and we will consult with the community.”
The St. Albert motion proposes taking the name change request to the Edmonton Regional Airport Authority, if Sturgeon County signs off.
The airport authority controls the facility as well as Edmonton International Airport and the City Centre Airport, which Edmonton city council voted to close last year.
Villeneuve has been suggested as a possible replacement facility for some of the air traffic currently using City Centre. Villeneuve has two long runways and a tower staffed by NavCanada.
Sturgeon is in the very early stages of attempting to draft an area structure plan for the hamlet of Villeneuve, which includes the airport, in part to take advantage of the facility’s possible growth.
The hamlet of 150 residents is located along Highway 44 west of St. Albert.
Two previous attempts at drafting such an area plan have failed.
Rigney joked that with the extensive servicing costs needed to facilitate growth in the area, if St. Albert wanted its name on the facility perhaps they could pay naming rights.
“If we want to have that area viable there are some significant servicing costs that need to be paid and perhaps St. Albert would be willing to chip in.”
The former St. Albert airport, which is also located in Sturgeon County, closed to airplane traffic and is now a private heliport.
