CLEVELAND, OH — Cleveland City Council member Michael Polensek is calling for council hearings on the future of Burke Lakefront Airport, warning that Mayor Justin Bibb is attempting to close the airport through neglect and disinvestment.

Polensek outlined his concerns in a letter to the council president, urging colleagues to schedule hearings to find ways to transform the downtown airport into a source of jobs and opportunity for the city.

“I’m seeing things that concern me greatly, and I’m living quite frankly in a world I do not understand here. And if we do not make common sense decisions, then shame on all of us,” Polensek said.

The Bibb administration has described Burke as an “underutilized public asset” that has lost money for years.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Ohio’s U.S. senators have said they will not support closing the airport.

A Bibb administration spokesperson said no one was available for an interview and had not issued a statement addressing Polensek’s concerns.

Burke Lakefront Airport has been home to the Cleveland International Airshow since 1964.

For longtime airshow attendee Matthew Orr, the prospect of losing the airport is personal.

“I think Cleveland needs the airport. It’s been a part of Cleveland for as long as I can remember,” Orr said.

Orr has attended the airshow for more than 20 years and said he has no plans to stop.

“Hope it stays,” Orr said.

But he made clear what a closure would mean for him.

“If Burke was to close and no more airshow, I wouldn’t come downtown. There’d be no point for me. At all,” Orr said.

Polensek echoed that sense of urgency.

WEWS

“I don’t know about anybody else, but I don’t like losing and we’re losing too much in the city,” Polensek said.

The airport sits on 450 acres along Lake Erie. Mayor Bibb has previously discussed redeveloping that land, though no formal plan has been announced.

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Tornado warnings were issued for Mentor, Euclid, and Willoughby till 6:45pm EDT – roughly 25 miles away from downtown Cleveland- but strong winds of up to 70 mph are rolling through the city as of Thursday afternoon.

Cleveland itself is not under a tornado warning now. However, severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for Cleveland, along with Parma, Lakewood. Warren, Niles, Ashtabula, Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Brunswick, Media and Wadsworth. Most of these warnings end between 6:45pm EDT and 7:30pm EDT.

The warning seems to have originated due to the low-pressure formations around Mentor and Willoughby in Lake County. The areas further east of Menton, up to Painesville, was under the tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service.

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The formation, capable of producing tornadoes, is moving west into Cuyahoga County, with Euclid under alert.

But as the storm moves west, there is a chance that the Cleveland area might see small tornadoes. There are no major alerts.

The NWS Cleveland forecasted strong winds for Northeast OH earlier on Friday. “Numerous” severe storms are possible, along with flash flooding and isolated hail. The risk of tornadoes was kept at low.

“An organized cluster of strong to severe storms will likely move southeast across the area (Cleveland)” between 4pm EDT and 9pm EDT. “The greatest risk for severe weather, including potential for widespread wind damage” is possible for northeast Ohio, the alert noted.

“Confidence is increasing in an organized cluster of strong to severe storms tracking southeast across the area this evening. Damaging winds are the greatest concern,” the NWS said.

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“Severe thunderstorms continue to move southeast across the area this evening,” NWS Cleveland posted late evening Thursday. “Please share any reports of storm damage, including downed trees, flooding, and hail after the storms have passed. Pictures are helpful and please remember to include your city.”

Along with northeastern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania is also expected to see severe thunderstorms.