The National Weather Service is planning to move to a new office in the Quad Cities, and the City of Davenport is hoping to build it. Davenport wants to pay for the construction of a new building, so the National Weather Service will stay at the Davenport Airport.
Finance Director, Brandon Wright, says the Weather Service has been based at the airport since 1993. But for undisclosed reasons, it decided this year not to renew its lease.
The city would pay up to $4.5 million for the construction of a new office building at the airport.
He says Davenport's "tenants" would actually be the federal government-- the General Services Administration. Earlier this month, the city council approved the proposal before it was sent to the GSA. Now, Davenport is waiting to hear if it was accepted, which could take up to 2 months.
Wright says the application process is competitive, so most details are being withheld at this time.