Dennis Jans’ situation can be compared to that of an airplane pilot caught with an empty fuel tank miles from flat ground–tenuous, at best.
His dilemma stems partly from his financial problems as operator of Service Aviation at Palwaukee Municipal Airport for the last five years and partly from the fact that the two municipalities governing the airport–Prospect Heights and Wheeling–almost always have been on different flight paths.
In this case, they are at odds over whether to renew Service Aviation’s lease on Hangar No. 1 at the airport. Prospect Heights officials want to do so, but their counterparts in Wheeling don’t.
Meanwhile, Jans’ predicament isn’t getting any better.
As a holdover tenant, Jans is being charged double the rent, though he has been paying only the regular charge, on advice from his legal counsel. His fuel company, Avfuel, has offered up to $250,000 in financing to upgrade or replace fuel tanks on the premises, but without a lease, the offer is void.
“My opinion is they’re giving him a slow kill,” said Rick Bogoff, vice president of the Palwaukee Airport Pilots Association, which supports Jans.
Jans said: “I can go on indefinitely, but it makes my job twice as hard because of my inability to make any long-term decisions and investments, and the problems that come up with employees and suppliers, which virtually all have me on c.o.d.”
In October, the Palwaukee Municipal Airport Commission voted to extend Service Aviation’s lease for a year. But in November, the commission, made up of representatives of Prospect Heights and Wheeling, voted to seek lease bids on Hangar No. 1.
In January, the commission selected Aviation Properties of Winnetka, whose owner, pilot Alan Kubicka, had no prior experience running an airport fuel and maintenance shop but had the money to hire help.
Wheeling accepted the airport commission’s recommendation. But Prospect Heights voted to give Service a five-year lease with a five-year extension.
On Feb. 23, less than a week before Jans’ lease ended, the airport commission tied on a vote to extend his lease through April to straighten things out. Prospect Heights supported the recommendation. Wheeling did not. The Illinois Department of Transportation refused to mediate.
Meanwhile, North American Jet of Chicago has drawn up plans to develop the northwest part of the airport through an estimated $1.5 million in site work. Both municipalities have given the company a green light to proceed.
In refusing to renew Service Aviation’s lease, Wheeling and airport officials have cited concerns over the firm’s financial health and complaints about its service.
The record against Service Aviation includes several incident reports, but Jans said most of the complaints were filed by his competition, Priester Aviation, with no third-party substantiation.
Priester Aviation is owned by George Priester, the original airport owner, and his son, Charlie, along with investors such as Dick Ferris, former chief executive of United Airlines.
The most serious allegation, that Jans had sold contaminated fuel, was written up by a Priester employee and was later repudiated by the pilot involved.
Wheeling Village Manager Craig Anderson said that Jans has had trouble paying state and federal payroll taxes.
Prospect Heights Mayor Edward Rotchford said, “I like Dennis Jans very much,” but added he is “very concerned for the man. He is in a lot of debt.”
But Prospect Heights Trustee Nick Helmer said Jans has been dealt a raw deal.
“Service Aviation was a family business that came in on a very tight budget with a lot of dreams,” Helmer said. “I feel our airport administration did a very bad job of `growing’ Service Aviation. They were always discouraging.”
