Landing more airport traffic

Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer An aerial view of the Chesterfield County Airport's runway

One of the most strategically important "gateways" to Chesterfield County is in line for a much-needed facelift.

Officials hope planned upgrades to the Chesterfield County Airport, which contributes approximately $16 million annually to the local economy, will make it an even more effective element of the county's future economic development efforts.

"The airport has been there a long time, the county has grown, and we haven't made a lot of changes," said Will Davis, director of Chesterfield Economic Development. "For people coming into the airport on business, this is their first view of Chesterfield. The first impression is a lasting impression, so we need to make sure it's a good experience."

More than $59,000 in grant money, plus an additional $14,000 from the county's capital improvements program, has helped launch an overhaul of the airport entrance at the intersection of Route 10 and Whitepine Road. A committee comprised of representatives from the state, county, airport and general public is working with Richmondbased Timmons Group to evaluate possible improvements and formulate a master plan.

Image courtesy of Timmons Group The proposed upgrades at the airport (above) will include enhanced signage, landscaping and possibly an abstract sculpture at the entrance. The photo on the left shows what the entrance currently looks like.

The project's first phase will include replacement of the airport entrance's small, outdated signage with a more eye-catching alternative, as well as upgraded lighting and landscaping. The installation of an abstract, aviation-related sculpture has also been discussed and included in Timmons' renderings.

"This is the executive airport for the Richmond area. When this project is finished, the entranceway will be up to standard with the rest of the airport," said Mike Mickel, president and CEO of Dominion Aviation, which has handled fixed-base operations at the Chesterfield airport since 1991.

Added airport manager Tom Trudeau: "We kind of feel like the airport is hidden in the trees unless you know it's there. On its face, this doesn't sound like much, but it's pretty grandiose."

Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer

Neal Beasley, a horticultural specialist and landscape designer with Timmons Group, said his company's objective is to enhance the total visitor experience to the airport complex and adjacent industrial park.

One idea under consideration is the installation of a multi-purpose trail that can be tied into the existing biking lane along Route 10, as well as a picnic area near the terminal where people can watch planes arrive and depart.

Reedy Creek, which winds through the property near the airport complex, is also an integral part of Timmons' attempt to make the project attractive and useful to residents who aren't airport customers.

"From a design perspective, we're looking beyond the person who comes in at 5 a.m., parks his car and flies out of town," Beasley said. "We could've just come in and planted some pretty stuff, put up a cheap sign and been done with it. But this is a significant project."

The timetable for the completion is heavily dependent on how quickly county officials can get their hands on $1.5 million in federal grant and stimulus money to fund the upgrades.

The airport improvements are just one piece of the county's long-term plan for the valuable land adjacent to the intersection of routes 288 and 10. Further additions could include hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues catering to pilots, businessmen or government officials visiting the nearby county administration complex.

Of course, county residents living near the airport also could balk at any attempt to increase air and ground traffic in their neighborhood.

"That's a big part of comprehensive planning: What do you want this corridor to look like in 10 or 20 years?" Davis said. "The airport is a true economic driver, and it's wellpositioned for growth, but all the pieces have to fit together."

Long before any dirt is moved at the Route 10 entrance, another renovation project is scheduled to begin this month at the airport.

Federal funds will cover 95 percent of the anticipated $2.1 million price tag to repair the existing asphalt taxiways and build an additional connecting road at the north end of the runway.

"Asphalt loses its elasticity over time and starts to crack. When we're done, we hope to have at least another 20 years of life in the taxiways," Trudeau said.

The taxiways, which connect the runway to the terminal building and aircraft hangars, were overlaid with asphalt in the late 1970s but haven't been touched since. At an airport that annually handles 82,000 arrivals and departures, according to a terminal study by the Federal Aviation Administration, the repairs are necessary to head off any future safety concerns from pilots who frequent Chesterfield.

"It's not that bad yet, but give it a few more years, and it will be," Mickel said.

The additional taxiway will replace one that was eliminated when the runway was repaved several years ago. Adding another entry/exit point to the runway will improve safety and manage traffic more efficiently.

As an added benefit, the taxiway maintenance project will allow the airport to accommodate larger, heavier planes to depart with full fuel loads. Increasing the number of destinations that can be reached nonstop from Chesterfield should only make the airport more attractive to a wider range of business customers.

Target and JCPenney are among the companies that currently fly executives in and out of the Richmond area via the Chesterfield airport.