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Mt. Pleasant Airport benefits from federal grants
Construction begins on new hangars
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MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport will see the construction of eight new hangars this year.
This is part of an improvement scheme launched by the city and federal government, who are contributing 10% and 90% of the funding, respectively.
The Airport Improvement Act, a program established during the first Trump administration, has offered a 90% match to airports. The hope is to stimulate rural communities by revitalizing their airstrips, allowing more commerce to flow in and out of their respective locales. For every $100,000 contributed by the city, the federal government will provide $900,000.
“It’s proven that communities with municipal airports see more success,” said Clifford Baker, the contractor who operates the Airport. “By plane, we’re only one hour from Chicago.”
With many new businesses moving into Henry County, it’s hoped that more, larger hangars and an extension of the main runway to 5,000 feet will allow smaller jets to take off and land at the strip. This would allow investors, corporate executives, and other influential parties to survey their acquisitions in Henry County. Local owners of aircraft, too, will reap the benefits; there is currently a 13-deep waiting list for hangar space. This is a first-come, first-served system.
The doors on the oldest hangars- hangars 1-10 are 42 feet wide, with a height of 10 feet. The hangars themselves have a depth of 28 feet. This is sufficient for smaller craft, but will not fit larger, twin-engined private planes. The new hangars will be similar in dimensions to Hangars 11 to 17, with a 60-foot-wide, 15-foot-tall door, and a depth of 40 feet. This will allow the storing of larger aircraft, such as the Beechcraft King Air, or numerous smaller planes. These hangars could comfortably fit three crop dusters, vital to the agricultural sector.
Additional projects in the works include the construction of a second taxiway at the north end of the strip, and a second refueling apron. This will eliminate a “choke point” caused by the single taxiway and refueling apron. Work on the runway extension will continue after a geological survey. At this time, airport officials do not know how long this will take.
Call Marilyn Higgins at 319-368-8895 or email her at marilyn.higgins@southeastiowaunion.com
