Want to buy an airport? This one in the metro-east is for sale

A sign on the 79-acre property that contains the Flying Dutchman airport’s turf landing strip lists the ground for sale, but airport manager Thurm Carver said the airport along Illinois 15 near Belleville West Parkway has been up for sale for years.

The 2,500-foot landing strip that runs east to west is owned by the estate of Benjamin F. Emge. According to a real estate brochure on the BarberMurphy Group website, the land owners bill the ground as a potential commercial development site and are seeking $61,837.46 per acre. That shakes out to $4.9 million.

For the local pilots who call the airport home, fretting over the fate of the Flying Dutchman is nothing new. Back in the 1950’s, the original landing strip was plowed under to make way for Illinois 15. Then, in the late 1990s, the airport almost became the ground upon which Belleville West High School was built.

Interested? Call the BarberMurphy office at 618-277-4400.

Halfway haus

A little over four and a half miles from the Flying Dutchman, a milestone was reached on construction of the Hofbrauhaus restaurant and brewery.

A spokesman for the restaurant’s developer said workers are halfway done on the 31,000-square-foot restaurant off Illinois 15 across from the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. Construction on the restaurant began late last year and was initially expected to be complete by November. Now, a completion date remains to be determined.

The news came shortly after the News-Democrat reported that a memo from Impact Strategies, the metro-east contractor in charge of construction at the site, stated some subcontractors had pulled off the Hofbrauhaus site “due to their payment status and unanswered questions.”

The spokesman said payments are being made and work continues.

New concept, same owner at O’Fallon eatery

The space that for almost two decades housed a popular Asian eatery is now serving barbecue.

What once was Japanese Garden Steakhouse, located at 108 Regency Park in O’Fallon, stopped serving food in December 2015. Posts on the restaurant’s Facebook page indicated at the time that owner Kum Su Satterly was retiring.

But Satterly is back and the site is now known as Ribs ‘N More.

Satterly said Tuesday she decided to serve barbecue after it became obvious lots of the folks interested in buying the restaurant from her wanted to do a barbecue restaurant. Satterly — known by folks as “Italian mama” because of how she insists on feeding them — says she has a pretty good barbecue recipe of her own.

The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day.

Belly up to new Collinsville bar

Sloan’s Pub House, located downtown at 119 W. Main St., opened for business Wednesday.

Twenty-four beers are on tap behind the pub’s 50-foot bar. Unique menu items like kabobs and pot stickers are offered in addition to a classic lineup of bar food. There are nine flat-screen televisions inside and a large garage door near the building’s entry. They’ll open it when the weather’s nice.

The bar is named after Lisa and Kenny Sloan, a couple who were interested in owning a tavern of their own. They partnered with veteran bar operator Eric Kent and his wife Rachel to purchase the building last summer and make improvements that finally wrapped up a year later.

More information can be found on the bar’s Facebook page or by calling 618-855-9100.

Board game store opens

A Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate with a passion for board games opened a board game shop in downtown Edwardsville this month.

Otherside Games, located at 231 North Main St. and owned by Alex Tidball, opened its doors to customers Aug. 1. Offering board games, card games, miniatures and miniature painting supplies. Otherside also has a game space and game demonstrations that are free to anyone who wants to play.

Tidball and his wife Carolyn got the business going after consulting with SIUE’s Metro-East Small Business Development Center.

Hours at the store are 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 1 to 11 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. Call the store at 618-692-5525.

This story was originally published August 28, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Want to buy an airport? This one in the metro-east is for sale."