By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A state budget passed by the Missouri Legislature contains funding for needed improvements at Rosecrans Memorial Airport
Seven million dollars is designated at Rosecrans for an airplane maintenance hangar, to help ensure the Air National Guard's 139th Airlift Group can get the new modern J model planes
St. Joseph City Manager Bryan Carter says the current hangar is technically large enough to fit the J model, but it does not meet federal standards.
"So one of the pieces that we can do to improve our position for that J Model is to have a hangar facility that meets those required specs and really in a way kind of checks that extra box on the scoresheet that would be used for the C-130 J's," Carter tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.
The budget also designates four million dollars in funding to move the fuel farm from the north end, where the 139th has moved, to a more accessible area for other planes
Carter says the new hanger is crucial to help qualify the 139th for new C-130 J model planes
"The C-130 Js are going through that allocation process, they use all kinds of criteria that they look at and determine what site is going to be the best equipped to upgrade from the C-130 H to the C-130 J," Carter explains. "And one of the boxes we don't check right now is that technically large enough hangar."
The state budget is awaiting approval from Governor Mike Parson.
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