City of Springfield Holds Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate New Hangars at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport

Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate New Hangars at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport

SPRINGFIELD, OH - On Tuesday, Oct. 31, The City of Springfield, in conjunction with Clark State Community College held a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony to celebrate the addition of 10 new hangars to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, including Clark State's new hangar formally known as Ohio Center for Precision Agriculture. 

“The addition of the hangars allows the City of Springfield to bring in larger jets and increase traffic,” said Tom Franzen, assistant city manager and director of economic development. “We are excited about the possibilities to come and the economic activity that this will drive to our city.”

The cost of the additional hangars was $1.2 million, which was funded through a variety of sources, including $492,500 from Ohio’s capital budget process, $300,000 from the Springfield Port Authority, a reimbursement of $231,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration and $190,000 from the City of Springfield. 

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) industry was an area of focus for the new hangars.  One of the hangars is dedicated to Clark State Community College’s precision agriculture program. 

In addition to the hangars, the City of Springfield recently completed a ramp expansion to accommodate the projected growth plans of Spectra Jet, a Part 145  aircraft repair station, specializing in Bombardier Learjets and Challengers. The addition of the hangars and related airport improvements was due in large part to the the City of Springfield and its partnership with the Dayton Development Coalition, Clark State Community College and the Springfield Clark County CIC. Other regional colleges and universities’ efforts to make Ohio the destination choice for all unmanned aerial systems researchers, developers, manufacturers, suppliers, trainers and educators. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has shown that the airport provides a significant economic benefit for the City of Springfield by directly impacting close to 700 jobs and more than $40 million in payroll. ODOT also stated that the airport is indirectly tied to 1,450 jobs and $78.5 million in payroll.

“This is an exciting time for the City of Springfield,” said Franzen. “The increased business traffic will continue to benefit our community for years to come.”

For more information on these projects, please visit www.springfieldohio.gov.