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Liberal City Commission OKs land sale to Air Products, contingent on FAA approval
Summary
The Liberal City Commission voted 5-0 to approve an updated purchase-and-sale agreement with Air Products for about 13.23 acres, with infrastructure costs to come from the 1% sales tax fund (Fund 260); the sale is contingent on final Federal Aviation Administration approval and related notices.
The Liberal City Commission voted 5-0 to approve an updated purchase-and-sale agreement with Air Products for about 13.23 acres of city-owned land, contingent on final Federal Aviation Administration approval.
City staff told the commission the agreement corrects parcel numbers and confirms acreage at 13.23 acres; the commission motion specified that infrastructure costs for the project will come from the 1% sales tax fund (Fund 260) for streets, drainage and capital improvements. Vice Mayor Landry moved the motion and Commissioner Parsons seconded it.
City staff and Air Products representatives told the commission the sale remains subject to a multi-step FAA review. Staff described the process as requiring a notice to FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where it will sit for 30 days, then review at the FAA central office in Kansas City and a 30-day posting on the Federal Register before a deed release can issue — a timeline staff estimated at a minimum of about 60 days once the letter is submitted.
Air Products representatives gave a short presentation on the company and its Gardner Cryogenics operations, saying the firm operates an existing helium distribution terminal near Liberal and plans a phased facility that would start with roughly a 30,000-square-foot building and about 15 initial jobs, expanding in later phases. Company presenters said the project will include manufacturing and rehab of cryogenic transport vessels for helium and hydrogen and that scheduling and final site work depend on the FAA approval and the company’s timelines.
City staff noted a few typographical references in the draft agreement that counsel considered non‑substantive, and recommended approval contingent on the FAA process moving forward. If the commission approved the motion, staff said the mayor’s signature would authorize staff to send the required FAA notice immediately.
The commission discussion included confirmation that the FAA has cooperated with prior city property transfers and that staff did not foresee technical hurdles. After public comment opportunities, the commission approved the motion 5-0.
The sale remains contingent on completion of the FAA notice and review process and any resulting conditions required by FAA before a deed transfer can occur.
