One of the most 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 part of the county’s 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.”
Target and JCPenney are among the companies that fly executives in and out of the Richmond area via the Chesterfield airport, which 82,000 arrivals and departures each year.
More than $59,000 in grant money, plus $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 of representatives from the state, county, airport and general public is working with the Richmond-based Timmons Group to evaluate possible improvements and formulate a master plan.
The timetable for the completion is heavily dependent on how quickly county officials can get their hands on the remaining $1.5 million in federal grant and stimulus money needed to fund the upgrades.
The first phase will replace the airport entrance’s small, outdated signage with a more eye-catching alternative, as well as add upgraded lighting and landscaping. The installation of an abstract, aviation-related sculpture has 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 chief executive 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.”
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 the attempt to make the project attractive and useful to residents who aren’t airport customers, according to Timmons landscape designer Neal Beasley.
“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 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, businesspeople or government officials visiting the nearby county administration complex.
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 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,” said Trudeau, the airport manager.
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.
This story first ran in the Chesterfield Observer, which is an RBS news partner.
