Representatives of the City of Clinton and the Clinton Airport Association hosted a groundbreaking on Wednesday, November 15th, for a new terminal building at Clinton Regional Airport. The new building, funded almost entirely through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and contracted through local business Westport Construction Company, is slated for completion in late summer of 2024.
City Administrator Christy Maggi welcomed the crowd first, thanking the people in attendance and explaining that these or similar improvements to Clinton’s airport is a project hoped for and worked towards for approximately 10 years, encompassing many agencies and individuals before receiving the needed funding just this year. Maggi then introduced City of Clinton Mayor Carla Moberly for further remarks.
Moberly stated that she had hoped for a new terminal building for the Clinton airport during her tenure as a Clinton City Council member long before her election as mayor. She explained that constructing the new building will cost $2 million–far beyond the budget of the city alone. Fortunately, the city was able to obtain a grant from the FAA for $1.9 million, making the new building a possibility at last. She thanked all current city council members by name and stated that the accomplishment was due in great part to assistance from Missouri Highways and Transportation Commissioner Gregg Smith, a Clinton resident and a former member of the Clinton City Council himself.
Smith stated his own excitement to see the project funded at last and able to begin, emphasizing the importance of airports as a function of transportation and their benefit to the communities they serve. Smith, a business owner himself, stated that he is especially pleased to know that construction of the building will be entrusted to Westport Construction of Clinton, thus providing yet another local economic benefit.
City Administrator Christy Maggi spoke again following Smith’s remarks, thanking the members of the Clinton Airport Advisory Board by name: Chris Walker, Craig Thompson, Dan Huey, Rod Balke, and Dan Wallace. Maggi also recognized Tom Powers, attending from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT); Brett Holt, attending from Garver Engineering, a company which has consulted for the Clinton airport since July of 2011; subcontractor Integrity engineering, who was not able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony; and Westport Construction representatives John Hunter, Russell Hunter, Tammy Fickle, Brett Fickle, and the project manager for construction of the new terminal, Don Wheeler. Maggi added her own appreciation that a local company will be responsible for the terminal’s construction.
Maggi also added her gratitude for the service provided by the Clinton Airport Association, an organization of volunteers who donate their time to assist with airport maintenance, currently managed by six board members: Board President Jeff Stone, former airport manager Wallace White, Stanton Shoemaker, Larry Norcross, Chris Walker, and Jeff Lowe. White described some of the history of Clinton Regional Airport and the relatively recent change to make Airport Manager a paid position. Clinton’s first “official” airport manager was Jim Houchens, who took up that role in 2012. White held the position 5 years before retiring earlier this year.
Moberly closed the event by speaking once again of the incredible benefit the airport improvements will provide to “the economic health of this community and this county. So much of [economic consideration] is not local anymore; it’s national and it’s international.” Moberly made the observation that companies considering expansion to an area such as Clinton “don’t drive anymore; they get in their jets and they run up here for the day and do their work, and then they turn around and go back home that night.” She stated the improvement to the airport is “absolutely one of the most important things we have for economic development, and I hope the community understands what a big deal this is to have this and these improvements as we push…to make this city stronger.”
Following Moberly’s remarks, she, Maggi, and White ceremoniously broke ground with shovels, and attendees were invited to tour the airport facility and to enjoy refreshments generously provided by Garver Engineering.
When approached for comment, Airport Manager Joel Long shared that he is “definitely excited to see a project of this size become realized after so many years of planning.” Long, who became the airport manager only recently in April 2023, graciously made a point of deferring all credit for the project’s accomplishment to his predecessors, calling himself “the lucky beneficiary of others’ hard work.”
Clinton Director of Economic Development Mark Dawson, when similarly approached for comment, agreed the airport’s improvements will be beneficial to Clinton’s economic development, and that he looks forward to seeing the results.
