Big plans for the Decorah Airport

New hangars would be built here

Members of the Decorah Airport Commission say they are working to make some much-needed imporvements to the airport.

"We need hangars out there," says Commission member David Bakken.  He says the current hangars "have outlived their useful life" and have roofs that often leak, forcing airplane owners to put plastic tarps over their planes.

Plans call for three new hangars to be built on the east end of the current hangars along Highway 9.  Bakken says the airport currently has eight airplane owners who want hanger space, but none is available.  The new hangars will also accomodate bigger and better airplanes to attract more business travelers.

ANother issue is the pilot lounge, which is serviceable inside, but hardly projects a modern image from the outside.  Plans call for relocating the loung to an addition on the west side of the current maintenance building.

State and federal funds will help to pay for the projects.  A current project to replace an underground fuel tank with an above ground fuel tank is getting 85 percent of its funding from the state, leaving Decorah to pay just $21,000.  The hangar project would get half of its funding from state or federal sources, leaving $117,000 for the city to pay.

Bakken says the improvements will make the airport a better facility, but it will still be a Level 2 facility serving a small town.  "This is not 'Decorah International Airport'," he stresses.

Leaking roofs are a problem now

The pilot lounge