The Hillsdale Municipal Airport will begin rebuilding its hangars and terminal in the next five to six years as long as the new taxiway construction remains on schedule. Even though the airport is focusing on preparing for taxiway construction, Airport Advisory Committee members are looking for ways to improve hangar upkeep.
“There’s no reason we can’t find some low-cost things to make things better,” airport manager James Scheibner said at the AAC meeting Saturday. “Everything’s getting so old — the hangars and doors will be taken care of this spring. We have to prioritize what’s most important.”
The airport, built in 1963, has “succeeded its timeframe,” Scheibner said. “We’re getting more frosting off the cake than we should,” he said, referring to the the buildings’ wear and tear. AAC chairman Jeff King said he will have a report in June on hangar maintenance.
Committee members are now looking at pricing options for 24-hour, self-serve pumps, King said.
Taxiway construction will begin in May, as long as the FAA is on schedule, Scheibner said. The city of Hillsdale received grant money from the FAA to help pay for the taxiway and future airport renovations, but the taxiway must be finished before the other renovations begin. The airport will tear down the old hangars and terminal and rebuild them behind the new taxiway, Scheibner said.
“The taxiway is the first phase,” Scheibner said. “After that gets done we’ll have to relocate these buildings. Then, our fuel system will get replaced — self-service, bigger tanks — and the hangers will get replaced, the leaky roofs, and the terminal building.”
The FAA grant provides 95 percent of the money used to improve the airport, and the city of Hillsdale matches 5 percent.
“For us to do this on our own would be very difficult,” Scheibner said.
In other business, the committee discussed creating a Master Plan for the airport, drawing up a contract for Scheibner, and talking to Dial-A-Ride about making stops at the airport, even though the airport is not within the city limits.
