Is there any record of positive or negative economic impact?

That's going to be tough to answer, Neil. While you can certainly
quantify the federal fines Chicago has absorbed due to Daley's
Midnight Raid, and you can add up the lost income from fuel sales and
landing fees, it's going to be nearly impossible to accurately gauge
the financial cost of NOT having an airport there, as opposed to the
possible income from having a new park in its place.

It's like trying to quantify marketing efforts in business, by asking
"How many extra suites did we rent because of 'x' radio commercial?"
The answer will be subjective and opinionated hearsay.

If you surveyed folks in downtown Chicago, you might get all sorts of
folks saying "We came to the Chicago lakefront today because it's so
nice not to hear those noisy jets every five minutes" -- but you WON'T
hear from the folks who used to come to the lakefront specifically
because they liked to watch the planes. They're simply not there to
ask.

And you certainly won't get any answers from the folks who aren't
visiting Chicago because there is no long any easy airport access.

As a data point of one, however, I know for certain that we have *not*
spent thousands of dollars in Chicago since Meigs closed, specifically
because there is no longer any easy access to downtown.

You have to ask if closing Meigs ADDED anyone who, conversely, spent
those thousands, or more? I've heard they have concerts out on that
peninsula now -- can anyone verify that?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"