WILLMAR -- The fundraising deadline is nearing to demilitarize and transport a retired Naval F-14 Tomcat jet fighter from Minneapolis to Willmar for a display at the municipal airport.
If the $50,000 needed to "demil'' the jet is not raised by Dec. 5, the aircraft will be cut up for scrap and removed from where it has sat unused for five years at the Air Reserve Station at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
So far, donations total a little over $5,500, said Patrick Curry, a former Willmar Airport Commission member who's heading the fundraising effort.
Curry says contributions are urgently needed because the city only recently learned from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla., that Willmar is eligible to receive one of 40 Tomcats retired from service in 2006. The museum is in charge of the retired aircraft, Curry said.
He's hoping a few large donors will come forward to help with the fundraising.
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"We need help. We need help desperately,'' Curry said.
The city, through Administrator Michael Schmit, formally asked the museum in October 2004 for a static display aircraft to showcase at the new airport. His letter said the city was prepared to display an F-14, but willconsider alternatives.
"An F-14 Tomcat or other aircraft would serve to complement and enhance the quality and aesthetics of our new regional facility,'' the letter said.
In August this year, Schmit wrote again, this time asking for the Tomcat at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airbase.
The city's request was approved in mid-September. In mid-October, Schmit told the City Council's Public Works/Safety Committee that he had signed papers taking possession of the aircraft, but said the city has no funds for the demiling process.
Up until recently, Curry said, he had been told that Willmar's name was "way down on the list'' of requests.
"We were caught unawares because we were told we weren't going to get one,'' Curry said. He's since learned that 39 of the aircraft have gone to museums; Willmar would be the only airport to receive an F-14.
Curry said the fundraising effort is urgent because a building is slated to be constructed on the site where the Tomcat is sitting. Curry said he has asked a Naval official to grant Willmar a deadline extension.
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Curry and three others from Willmar inspected the Tomcat and found it to be in good condition. The aircraft -- without armaments -- was valued at $21 million when it was new in 1971.
"If we don't take this very valuable aircraft, they will come out from the East Coast (with a demiling crew) and cut it up. And what a shame,'' Curry said.
The F-14 project will be discussed tonight when the council's Finance Committee gives final consideration to the 2007 budget, according to Denis Anderson, committee chairman.
"We'll see how they've done for contributions at that point and we'll see if the city has any appetite to do anything,'' Anderson told the council on Nov. 20.
Mayor Les Heitke encourages citizens and businesses to make their interest in the project known. Contributions will be accepted by Curry and at the City Offices.
"If the money's not raised, the opportunity will go past the city of Willmar. We'll not be able to bring it out here,'' Heitke said.
