Council Considers Proposal for New Hangar at Airport

Mayor Brooke Fair, the Willow Springs Board of Aldermen, and other City representatives met with members of the Willow Springs Municipal Airport Board at the airport on March 18. Board member Tom White gave the group a tour of the grounds and specifically identified two potential construction sites for the construction of a privately owned airport hangar. The Airport Board first approached the City Council about the project at the January meeting. 

 

A pilot who plans to relocate back to Willow Springs, Lindall Baker, hopes to relocate his airplane to the city airport. Currently, there are no available hangars to store the plane, so Baker has proposed to construct one at his own cost. 

The City Council is involved in the decision because the airport is property owned by the City. At the previous meeting, Councilman Troy Yonker was curious about the space available for the construction of a new hangar, hence the official tour. 

 

Back at City Council chambers that evening, the Council continued their discussion. Baker provided photos to the Council of other hangars he has constructed at other airports, but has not presented an official plan to the City of the hangar he would like to build here. Though there are no preventative concerns about the specific construction sites, there are concerns about the overall future of the airport.

 

Councilman Yonker expressed concerns about the liability the City would face if funding for the airport were to become unavailable, preventing the building’s owner from using it. City Attorney Zane Privette echoed these concerns along with the inherent risk of liability for the City with a privately owned hangar on City property.

 

The Council unanimously decided the necessary first step was to draft a lease agreement for Baker’s consideration. There will be no decision on the construction of the private hangar until site plans have been reviewed.

Moreover, Council members unanimously agreed to review all current lease agreements with existing privately-owned hangars.