Airport improvements part of local economic development efforts

Two planes are tied down on the apron at Marshall Memorial Airport. Once expansions are completed, there will be even more "parking" space for airplanes.
(Sydney Stonner/Democrat-News)

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Since 2002, the Marshall Memorial Airport has undergone significant changes as part of a master plan for renovations.

First, there was the taxiway extension and a detention basin. Then in 2007 and 2008, the runway and taxiway were updated, and new lighting was added. Currently another renovation project is being done, which involves extending the apron and taxi lanes and adding a jet fueling facility.

All told, these projects have a price tag of $5,129,180, though $4,753,534 of that has come from federal and state grants.

"You'd be crazy to turn that money down," Marshall Mayor Connie Latimer said.

The city's share of the development is $375,646, just over 7 percent. But Latimer sees the money spent as a good investment in Marshall's future.

When businesses are interested in locating here, she said, "That's one of the first questions they ask: Do you have an airport?"

On a sunny day in late October, construction continues at Marshall Memorial Airport. When completed, the airport will have a new apron and jet fueling facility.
(Sydney Stonner/Democrat-News)

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"It's just one more piece of the whole picture that we need," Hunter said. "I'm just glad we've been able to do what we've done with it at so little cost to the community."

Hunter commended the runway expansion project because before that, he said, some corporations had to land their jets in Sedalia and then drive to Marshall to conduct business.

Through October 2009, a total of 3,769 airplanes have visited Marshall's airport this year. This is down quite a bit from the same time in 2008, with 4,330 aircraft, but Latimer attributes that to the work currently taking place.

For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the airport is projected to generate $169,700 in revenue, though proposed expenditures total $205,432. In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the airport's revenues also fell short of expenditures by about the same amount.

"It isn't unusual for the airport to overspend revenue," City Administrator Charles Tryban said. "Generally speaking, an airport of our size is not" a money-making operation, he added.

Fuel sales account for the largest part of the airport's intake, Tryban said. Currently the airport only sells 100 low-lead aviation gasoline, which was averaging $3.70 per gallon in late October, according to airport employees. The hangars at the airport are also rented out to area plane owners, which provides some revenue for the facility.

Some of the airport's expenditures include the wages of three employees called operators, who earn $9 per hour. They oversee general operations at the facility, which is open during daylight hours, currently from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The airport also has a courtesy car for patrons flying into the facility. Some of the office space is rented out to Sam Dyer and the Civil Air Patrol, and at one time there was a restaurant, Latimer said.

She hopes to renovate the airport terminal at some point in the future, as just another part of the complex's rehabilitation.

"It's more important than people think," she said.

Tryban agrees and said, "The Marshall airport system can be defined as providing a major contributing role for the industrial community."

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net

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Marshall mayor speaks about funding for airport renovations
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