ST. PAUL (AP) -- The Minnesota Army National Guard is poised to leave its flood-prone helicopter base in St. Paul, possibly for one of three outstate cities that are lobbying hard to get the base's 110 full-time military jobs.

The Guard's executive director, Col. Denny Lord, said that a decision on the approximately $45 million relocation project -- which includes the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as an option -- will be made by the end of the year.

"I think, quite candidly, the decision (to move) will be made, and it will be made before the end of the calendar year," Lord said.

Regardless of where the Guard decides to expand, Col. Lord said it would take about five years for the money to be appropriated and the facility to be built.

If the Guard leaves against the wishes of St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, the St. Paul Downtown Airport will lose a link to the armed forces that began in 1932 and has grown to include as many as 600 soldiers for weekend drills.

Attracted by the obvious economic benefits, Mankato, St. Cloud and Willmar have rolled out the red carpet. One disadvantage they have, though, is their distance from the Twin Cities area and comparatively small populations.

The Guard has a keen interest in hopping across the Mississippi River to the international airport, which already has the Minnesota Air National Guard's 133rd Air Lift Wing and the 934th Air Reserve.

Although Metropolitan Airports Commission Executive Director Jeff Hamiel opposes the move, Lord said the existing military presence at the airport would greatly reduce relocation costs and spare career Guard workers the disruption of moving.