ASHLAND — The Ashland County Airport Authority is getting closer to building a new terminal, but a road connecting the airport with U.S. Route 42 is “on hold,” according to the authority’s president.
Ashland County commissioners on Tuesday submitted grant money toward the purchase of a property that will eventually house a new, 4,000 square-foot terminal.
The 1-acre property closed in September for $350,000, according to real estate records. A Federal Aviation Administration grant covered most of the expense; the airport authority provided 5% of the cost.
That 5% match, or $19,480, is what the commissioners approved on Tuesday.
The authority has estimated the terminal to cost $1.3 million, but the bidding process hasn’t started yet, said Ken VanDuyne, the airport authority’s president. He said he hopes bidding to start in March for a summer construction date.
The team hopes the new terminal to be move-in ready by February 2025.
The new terminal, VanDuyne said, will feature a flight school, equipped with three flight simulators, two or three offices for trainers. The building will also feature a pilot lounge and a community room large enough to host groups of up to 30 people.
“That community room will give us the flexibility to use it during the day and night,” VanDuyne said.
The school, he said, could be considered what’s known as a part 141 flight school.
The FAA regulates flight schools under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. “Part 141” outlines a “structured training program and syllabus.”
“Part 141 pilot schools may be able to provide a greater variety of training aids and require dedicated training facilities, flight instructor oversight, and FAA-approved course curricula. Colleges and universities, which may offer aviation degrees, often provide pilot training under part 141,” reads an FAA description of the flight school.
VanDuyne said the airport authority has verbal commitment from a school but declined to offer additional details.
“We have an individual who is interested in getting (a part 141 flight school) started and developed. So we’re in pursuit of that, it’s in our goals,” he said.
The connector road
The authority has worked since 2020 to get a road between the airport and U.S. Route 42 built. When officials began working on the project, estimates for constructing a half-mile road were at around $400,000.
“They’re telling us it’s going to be well over $1 million now,” VanDuyne said. “We can’t do that right now. So it’s probably on hold.”
The airport authority received a $75,000 grant from the FAA in August 2022, which covered the cost of engineering the road. VanDuyne said the engineering consultant for the project is finishing it up.
“We’re still waiting on the engineering consultant to do the final details so it’s ready for bidding. But we probably won’t put it out to bid,” he said.