National Guard group leaving Fairchild

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE - Washington’s Army National Guard will soon relocate one of its aviation support facilities from Fairchild Air Force Base to the former Executive Flight building at Pangborn Memorial Airport.

Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority operates the airport.

Port Authority CEO Jim Kuntz says the guard will lease the building and two aircraft hangars for $350,000 a year over 10 years, while a more permanent flight facility and readiness center is built further down the runway.

About 100 soldiers will conduct monthly drills out of the Pangborn facility, including the National Guard’s 286th firefighting detachment.

The aviation center is currently housed at Fairchild, but that facility is scheduled to be reacquired and refurbished by the 141st Air Refueling Wing.

The move to Pangborn is tentatively scheduled for summer 2024; and the lease begins April 1 according to Kuntz.

Documents said full occupancy is expected by Apr. 1, 2024, with equipment transitioning this winter and personnel through spring 2024.

Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority commissioners agreed to lease the 65,331-square-foot building near Pangborn Memorial Airport to the guard, with $231,756 revenue expected for the port.

The lease began Sept. 1 and runs through Aug. 31, 2033.

According to reports, $375,653 will be the annual rent cost, with an annual rent increase of over three percent.

The guard will be responsible for over $29,000 per month until Airlift Northwest relocates.

It also includes the guard paying utilities and a renewal option for five more one-year terms.

The guard will also have to reimburse the port authority for services such as landscaping and snow removal, which will pay for its own janitorial workers.

The guard also can’t use the port’s fueling facility without a written agreement from the port.

This is because the state won’t add fueling concessions to leases.

The port will lose about $200,000 annually from current tenants Kuntz said.

Although the lease started, it’ll take months for the guard to completely inhabit the building and other areas.