Located south of the Fort Dodge Regional Airport terminal and parking lot are the hangars where airplanes are stored.

There will be a lot of construction activity in that area this spring and summer. Already, crews from Jensen Builders Ltd., of Fort Dodge, are building three new hangars.

Early this month, the airport received a federal grant that will pay for construction of another new large hangar. It will replace an old one that is in such bad shape that it is not in use any more.

The total estimated cost of the project is $973,500. The federal grant will cover $876,150 of that amount, leaving the city to provide a local match of $97,350.

Now obviously, most local residents don’t have airplanes that need hangar space, so they won’t benefit directly from this investment. But the planned new hangars will be one element in helping the community prosper, and that will help residents in the long term.

Here is how Rhonda Chambers, the airport’s director of aviation, once explained it to The Messenger:

“New hangars can attract new businesses to our region who utilize aviation in their business plan. Aircraft hangars are also needed for transit business aircraft as those companies visit our region for new development opportunities or retainage of existing businesses.”

So new hangars are a component of making our airport functional. A good, functioning airport is a key element in attracting and supporting businesses, not to mention leisure travelers, in the community.

That in turn helps make the community a more prosperous place for everyone.

The federal government didn’t just decide to hand the local airport about $1 million. A lot of work went on behind the scenes to make it possible for Fort Dodge to get that grant.

We thank the Fort Dodge Regional Airport Commission, Chambers, and her staff for doing the hard work to keep the facility in top-notch condition.