Authority began planning Tuesday for a $675,000 project to build a new T hangar at the airport.
The hangar, which would be constructed next year, is one of the projects outlined in the Momentum 2020 Capital Development Plan. The Airport Authority approved a $660,000 bond issuance for Momentum 2020 last year.
The ramp for the hangar would cost an estimated $375,000 and would be paid for with federal, state and local funds. The local share for the ramp is $18,750 or about 5 percent, said Airport Director Chris Collins.
For the hangar building itself, the Airport Authority has budgeted roughly $300,000 and that part of the project will be all local funds, Collins said.
"This helps us to expand," Collins said of the hangar, later adding, "This is something that’s been on our radar for a long time."
Currently, the airport stores 50 aircraft on site and is at capacity, Collins said. The new hangar would give the airport storage room to house five additional aircraft, which means more revenue from rent, fuel and maintenance charges, Collins said.
The new hangar, Collins said, could also help the airport secure more grant funding as it shows the facility is a "thriving place."
"All that relates to the airport being more financially secure and jobs," Collins said.
Planning for the hangar is in the early stages and the architect will soon start on the design, Collins said. The project will go out for bid in the late winter or early next spring. The hangar will likely be completed by the fall of 2018.
The MVAA Board of Commissioners Tuesday also discussed the need for a roof replacement at the Mt. Vernon Fire Department Station 3 in Summersville, which the airport owns.
