When used in this Act:
     “District” or “Port District” means America’s Central Port District created by this Act.
     “Terminal” means a public place, station or depot for receiving and delivering baggage, mail, freight or express matter and for any combination of such purposes, in connection with the transportation of persons and property on water or land or in the air.
     “Terminal facilities” means all land, buildings, structures, improvements, equipment and appliances useful in the operation of public warehouse, storage and transportation facilities and industrial, manufacturing, processing and conversion activities for the accommodation of or in connection with commerce by water or land or in the air or useful as an aid to further the public interest, or constituting an advantage or convenience to, the safe landing, taking off and navigation of aircraft, or the safe and efficient operation or maintenance of a public airport; except that nothing in this definition contained shall be interpreted as granting authority to the District to acquire, purchase, create, erect or construct a bridge across any waterway which serves as a boundary between the State of Illinois and any other state.
     “Port facilities” means all public structures, except terminal facilities as defined herein, that are in, over, under or adjacent to navigable waters and are necessary for or incident to the furtherance of water commerce and includes the widening and deepening of slips, harbors and navigable waters.
     “Aircraft” means any contrivance now known or hereafter invented, used or designed for navigation of, or flight in, the air.
     “Airport” means any locality, either land or water, which is used or designed for the landing and taking off of aircraft, or for the location of runways, landing fields, airdromes, hangars, buildings, structures, airport roadways and other facilities.
     “Airport hazard” means any structure, or object of natural growth, located on or in the vicinity of an airport, or any use of land near an airport which is hazardous to the use of such airport for the landing and take-off of aircraft.
     “Approach” means any path, course or zone defined by an ordinance of the District or by other lawful regulation, on the ground or in the air, or both, for the use of aircraft in landing and taking off from an airport located within the District.
     “Commercial aircraft” means any aircraft other than public aircraft engaged in the business of transporting persons or property.
     “Private aircraft” means any aircraft other than public and commercial aircraft.
     “Public aircraft” means an aircraft used exclusively in the governmental service of the United States, or of any state or of any public agency, including military and naval aircraft.
     “Public airport” means an airport owned by a Port District, an airport authority or other public agency which is used or is intended for use by public, commercial and private aircraft and by persons owning, managing, operating or desiring to use, inspect or repair any such aircraft or to use any such airport for aeronautical purposes.
     “Public incinerator” means a facility for the disposal of waste by incineration by any means or method for public use, including, but not limited to, incineration and disposal of industrial wastes.
     “Public interest” means the protection, furtherance and advancement of the general welfare and of public health and safety and public necessity and convenience.
     “Navigable waters” means any public waters which are or can be made usable for water commerce.
     “Governmental agency” means the Federal, State and any local governmental body, and any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, thereof.
     “Person” means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, both domestic and foreign, company, association or joint stock association; and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee or personal representative thereof.
     “General obligation bond” means any bond issued by the District any part of the principal or interest of which bond is to be paid by taxation.
     “Revenue bond” means any bond issued by the District the principal and interest of which bond is payable solely from revenues or income derived from terminal, terminal facilities or port facilities of the District.
     “Board” means the America’s Central Port District Board.
     “Governor” means the Governor of the State of Illinois.
     “Mayor” means the Mayor of the city of Venice, the Mayor of the city of Madison or the Mayor of the city of Granite City, as the case may require.