Civil Air Patrol Asks Council for Help

The future of Joplin's Civil Air Patrol is up in the air.

"We don't know from week to week if we are going to be able to stay here. Announcing meetings and getting cadets to a stable place is pretty important," says Jered Horn, member and spokesperson of the Civil Air Patrol.

The group is an aerospace organization affiliated with the U.S. Air Force.

Up until November they used a room at the Joplin airport's old terminal building for free. There, they were able to hold meetings and display memorabilia.

"We heard rumors of them wanting to renovate and find people who could lease the property," say Horn.

The rumors were true. The city is renovating the terminal with hope to lease the property.

"I don't know that I was fully aware of the implications of that," says Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr.

So the CAP moved to a location off 4th and Wall but it's up for lease and could they lose it any day.

It's also too small for all their stuff and far from the airport.

"In fact we have at least one member that flies in from the Branson area and he can't come to our meetings unless we're near or at an airport," says Horn.

City manager Mark Rohr says it wasn't his intention to leave the patrol without a place to conduct business.

Tonight CAP members faced the council asking for help to find a permanent home.

"There's a lot of people who don't know what the civil air patrol is, so we haven't been loud enough. So, we tried to make a stand tonight," says Horn.

The patrol provides emergency assistance to Joplin and the surrounding areas. They also have an aerospace museum for the community and have a cadet program training 12 to 21 year olds.

"They said they're an investment in the community and I think we believe that, they provide a valuable service and we want to make sure they have the means to continue that," says Rohr.

"It was good to hear and not a surprise. We knew the city would pull through for us," says Horn.

City manager Mark Rohr says the city will help the patrol find a meeting place, whether it be in the renovated terminal or near it.

No final decision was made tonight, but we will continue to follow this story and bring more information as the situation progresses.