Huntingburg Airport is an asset for the local economy

Huntingburg Airport is taking steps to attract new businesses to the area while planning for future growth. Last Friday airport manager Travis McQueen submitted the “Indiana Shovel Ready Program” application with minutes to spare before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. If selected, Huntingburg Airport would be listed on the IEDC Site Locator Web site and any future development projects at the airport would receive fast-track permitting from all Indiana regulatory agencies.

The shovel ready application was an initiative of the Economic Development Committee of the Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce. Committee member and chamber of commerce Executive Director Nick Stevens said, “We thought it would be a good way to attract new businesses, but we had no idea it would be so much work. The [completed] application ended up being 213 pages, with most of them printed on both sides.”

Some of the items included in the application were: a phase I environmental study, a 50-year title search, several different maps of the site, identification of all utility services and infrastructure provisions, and letters of support from community leaders.

“We had to make five printed copies of the complete application,” explained McQueen. “We were making copies on Friday morning. In the afternoon we had them here on the table, getting them into the binders. I left the airport a little after 3:00 and was at Greenwood by 4:00.”

Fortunately for McQueen, he had access to an airplane, as seems particularly fitting for this delivery. “When we rolled into the IEDC office in downtown Indy, they told us we made it on time…we didn’t tell him how we did it.”

The IEDC staff will now evaluate Huntingburg Airport’s application, with notification due by November 18^th. “Even if we’re not selected as shovel ready, this has been a valuable exercise,” said Stevens. “If any new businesses come calling, we have all our information ready and available.”

The shovel ready application is only part of the story however, as the Dubois County Airport Authority is also making plans to lengthen the runway in the near future.

“Traffic counts are the main driver,” explained McQueen. “We are between 900 and 1,000 jet operations a year, and the recognized threshold is about 500. We’re looking to lengthen the runway from 5,000 to 6,500 feet.”

The longer runway would provide greater efficiency, allowing planes to carry more fuel, passengers, and cargo, and extending the range of flights originating from Huntingburg Airport. It would also allow larger aircraft, medium and large business jets, to use the airport, and means greater safety margins for all planes.

“Are we in favor of the longer runway? Absolutely!” says Dubois County Flight Services (DCFS) General Manager Steve Wagner. DCFS is the corporate flight division of Jasper Engines and Transmissions. “There’s not a pilot alive, and probably more than a few dead ones, who wouldn’t appreciate a longer runway,” quipped Wagner. “In addition to the increased safety factor, a longer runway would open the airport to international jets, because they don’t fly small ones. And international flights mean we can do more international business.”

“We’re waiting for our Environmental Assessment (EA) to be completed by our engineer (Woolpert) so the board can make a decision on the final runway selection” said airport manager Travis McQueen. “INDOT has patiently worked with us during this EA process, while at the same time determining the location and scope of their highway plans. Whatever INDOT decides, we (the airport) need to be ready with our runway plans.”

Huntingburg Airport serves as the aviation hub for several Dubois County corporations. In addition to Jasper Engines and Transmissions, Kimball International, OFS Brands, Best Home Furnishings, and Master Brand all have hangar facilities, aircraft, and staff based at the airport.

Kurt Vonderheide, Director of Travel and Guest Relations for Kimball International, said, “We’ve had operations at Huntingburg Airport for more than 30 years. It’s a valuable resource for our growth, bringing our customers closer to us, and allowing our people to go out and meet with customers, suppliers, and our own people who work in other places. Travis [McQueen] and his staff do a great job keeping the airport open and in good shape. In the winter they’re out there at all hours clearing the runway of ice and snow so we can continue flying. We definitely support the plans for the longer runway. For a smaller community we’re fortunate to have an airport like this, and the people who do a great job operating it.”

Of the shovel ready application Steve Wagner of DCFS said, “Great move! We have a platform here for any business, but I’d love to see a manufacturer in the aviation industry [locate] here. Any kind of manufacturing would bring jobs and have an impact on economic development. We have a great package to offer, with rail service close by, interstate 64, and we’re only a few miles from a port on the Ohio River. The biggest stumbling block is the lack of a good north-south interstate, otherwise we’ve got everything going here, and the airport is the hub of it all.”

McQueen agrees with Wagner about wanting to attract an aviation business to the airport. “There’s a state statute that exempts businesses from all property taxes on improvements on airport property, as long as the business is aviation related. I want to see one or more companies take advantage of this opportunity.”

“We’ve done the hard work. We’re just waiting for the IEDC to make their decision [regarding the shovel ready application]”, commented Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nick Stevens. “We think we have a great asset here, and hopefully the IEDC will agree and put us on their map.”

Thanks to Travis McQueen, the airport manager, for providing the photos and diagrams for this article.