By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Improvements to Rosecrans Memorial Airport continue with St. Joseph City Council approval of a $7.9 million contract to build a new terminal.
Aviation General Manager Julius Rice says the improvements to the terminal and pending replacement of the air traffic control tower, combined with the reconstruction of the main runway should give St. Joseph a real boost.
“The potential for economic impact and economic development are going to be huge,” Rice tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “Whenever you invest in a brand-new, not just make an old runway look pretty, but literally a brand-new runway. We’re going to have new, modern-looking terminal building, a brand-new new state-of-the art air traffic control tower, and a maintenance facility for our equipment out at the airport.”
The improvements being made by the city coincide with the move by the Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing to relocate its headquarters from the south end of Rosecrans to its north end, away from the airport’s flood plain.
“There’s a lot of potential coming the way of the airport and these major projects are just really the tip of the iceberg,” according to Rice.
General contributions from the federal and state governments have financed much of the renovations at Rosecrans. Rice says the Air National Guard paid $18 million of the $28 million needed to build the new runway. Other federal and state funds have been secured with the city paying only $495,000 toward Rosecrans’ renovation.
“The city’s really only paying the matching funds,” Rice says. “We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars for millions of dollars’ worth of improvements, which I think is a great deal.”
The new airport terminal will replace a terminal build in 1952. It will take another big chunk of money to complete the financing of the new aviation complex. Rice estimates the city needs to secure $10.2 million to erect a new air traffic control tower.
The city also plans to build a new maintenance building.
Rice says such improvements get the attention of Washington.
“When the National Guard in D.C. sees that the community is investing in the airport, it makes it easier for them to make the decision (to invest) in new airplanes like the C-130 J models that they’re currently pursuing; makes it less likely that the 139th will be in jeopardy in the future when the community stands behind it,” according to Rice.
The 139th flies the C-130 H model plane. The Air Guard in St. Joseph hopes to upgrade soon to the C-130 J.
Rice points out once the 139th completes its move into a new headquarters, its old headquarters will available for the city to develop. Rice says city officials hope to lure new businesses to Rosecrans.