“I think it’s important for us to look at the Springfield-Beckley Airport as an asset for us, not only in terms of employment, but also economic development,” Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop said at the city meeting approving grant funds.
The Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport is home to the Ohio Air National Guard bases, two maintenance repair stations, Select-Tech Geo-Spatial and Airpark Ohio. It also hosts the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE), which supports the research, development and testing electric vertical takeoff/landing (eVTOL) aircraft and other vehicles used in the advanced air mobility industry.
Eligible projects for the grant are those related to enhancing airport safety, security, capacity and environmental concerns, according to the FAA.
The city also approved a contract with Performance Site Development not to exceed approximately $1.6 million to reconstruct the taxiway.
The Springfield airport was named airport of the year by the Ohio Aviation Association in 2023 for its advances in technology. The airport has been a test site for technology like home drone delivery of packages for retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
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