By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Massive improvements to the runway at Rosecrans Memorial Airport hope to be underway soon city officials say.
The $28.6 million runway project will re do the primary runway at Rosecrans completely.
St. Joseph City Manager Bryan Carter says that means everything from digging up the old runway to brand new concrete.
"Everything ready to go to take on the C-130's that the 139th takes off and lands on them," Carter tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "As well as the private planes that come in and out that are so important to helping our business community."
Carter says most of the money for the project is covered thanks to help from the state as well as the air national guard along, but the city will be kicking in about half a million dollars to assist with the project.
Carter says people may not realize how important the airport is, not just because of the Air National Guard 139th Airlift Wing, but also the ways it benefits the city businesses.
"You know, modern business environment you need the ability to fly in or to fly out to get to various locations quickly, to do it in a way that you're not hassling with TSA, and all the planning that goes into a commercial flight," Carter explains. "And that airport gives us a great advantage on that front."
Carter says that's not all though, there are also improvements planned in the future for the current 1950 eras air traffic control tower.
"It has the problems that every old building has, it has leaks here and there, it's tough to heat and cool, but it also doesn't really align with some of the modern standards," Carter says. "When you're talking air traffic control, which is in the tower there, you're talking about something that modernizes, as everything does, over time and that building just being the age that it is really isn't meeting some of those standards."
Carter says improvements are also planned for storage of snow removal materials at the airport.