Triumph Aerostructures remains in negotiations with a Dallas development company on a new lease covering its west Dallas manufacturing facilities.
Triumph spokeswoman Lynne Warne said in an e-mail Tuesday that "we are still in negotiations" with American Brownfields "and are hoping for a resolution" but that she could not comment further.Robert Riggs, spokesman for American Brownfields, acknowledged that negotiations are continuing and said a proposal has been submitted to Triumph for a one-year lease extension under the same terms as Triumph's prior lease with the Navy.American Brownfields, headed by real estate investor Stuart Jones of Dallas, has agreed to pay the U.S. government $375,515 for the 1940s aircraft plant long occupied by Vought Aircraft Industries and its predecessors.Triumph bought Vought in 2010.As part of the property sale, which Riggs said has not been completed, American Brownfields has agreed to assume responsibility for the costs of cleaning up polluted soil and water around the 425-acre property.Some of the problems date to World War II when North American Aviation first operated the plant.Triumph, which employs about 2,400 salaried and hourly workers at the plant, said last month that the lease terms proposed by American Brownfields would effectively double the company's annual cost of operating the 5-million-square-foot plant.Unless it negotiates more favorable terms, Triumph President Jeff McRae said, the company would begin planning to move its aircraft components manufacturing out of the facility over 18 to 24 months.The tail section and engine nacelles for C-17 Globemasters, wings for Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, cabin structures for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and ramps for V-22 Ospreys are all manufactured there.To acquire the property, American Brownfields must also receive approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.The commission has to sign off on a cleanup plan and be convinced that American Brownfields has the financial capability to perform.Commission spokesman Terry Clawson said in an e-mail Tuesday that the agency is awaiting further financial documentation from American Brownfields."We anticipate receipt of the documentation on or before Sept. 26," Clawson said.Bob Cox, 817-390-7723Twitter: @bobcoxictHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
