From a new terminal building to new runway lights and a modernized air traffic control tower, Monroe County Airport officials hope to raise and secure more than $20 million in local, state and federal funding to prepare the facility for the next decades.
Meanwhile, local business and education leaders expect an updated airport to bolster economic development and to support the intensifying entanglements between Bloomington and the national security complex at and around Crane.
However, the community’s size and location have their limits: For example, the airport’s director said despite planned upgrades, regular commercial flights out of Bloomington remain unlikely.
The most visually striking aspect of the airport’s plans is a flashy terminal building. A rendering shows a modern design with lots of glass — though Airport Director Carlos Laverty cautions that the designs are merely conceptual and plenty of work, including seeking community input — still has to happen before the project can get off the ground.
A conceptual rendering of a terminal building for the Monroe County Airport.
Airport officials initially considered going after a state grant for the estimated $15 million project, but Laverty said they abandoned that approach in part because of time constraints. Instead, he said, the airport will launch a capital campaign to raise the funds, though it may take five years to complete the structure.
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