Don Elliott, a 29-year veteran employee of Columbia Regional Airport, was named the new airport manager last week after serving as interim manager since October, Columbia Public Works spokeswoman Jill Stedem said.
The change comes after he replaced previous manager Andrew Schneider last year due to unspecified reasons, and comes at a pivotal time for the airport, which currently is undergoing improvements, Stedem said.
With these changes, Columbia will soon be able to accommodate increased airport traffic due to a $34 million runway improvement, as well as additional operational improvements, Stedem said.
She said the Federal Aviation Administration-funded improvements would increase the length of both the primary and crosswind runways as well as replace the fencing around the whole airport and add increased parking availability.
She also said the airport advisory board will begin accepting bids for the runway renovation later this year, assuming no delays occur.
The runway renovation will cost about $34 million. Stedem said Columbia will only assume about $1.7 million of that cost, or 5 percent, with the FAA covering the remainder.
“Funding for the 5 percent comes from the existing transportation sales tax,” Stedem said. “When you spend money in Columbia, you already pay tax toward this, which then goes to the airport, Columbia transit and street improvement projects.”
The grants the FAA gives airports are for capital improvements only, and Columbia has qualified multiple times for these grants, so they will use enough of the grant money to cover about 95 percent of the total expenditures.
According to the airport master plan, Columbia Regional has two options available for operational expansions outside the FAA grants that cover capital expenditures.
The airport can either be expanded through the south or the north end, with the south end expansion being the most widely accepted, according to the airport advisory board.
The south end is the most viable, Stedem said, and will cost less than the north expansion, at about $17 million. She also said the money for this will not be FAA funded, so the Columbia City Council is looking into ways to fund it.
City Council recently raised the idea of increasing the Columbia lodging tax to 7 percent from its current rate of 4 percent, which would increase revenue about $400,000 a year, mainly funding the improvements, Columbia communications Director Toni Messina said.
The proposal might not mean consumers can expect an immediate increase in lodging tax, however, as the tax hike would have to go through the legislative process, and if approved, the tax would increase by a maximum of 3 percent.
“The council agreed only to move forward to seek legislative approval … there would be a maximum of 7 percent tax, but possibly 5 percent or 6 percent, nothing is decided at this point,” Messina said.
Included in the south end renovations are increased spaces available for car rentals, additional baggage claim areas, more restrooms and a new restaurant, according to the master plan.
The renovations could continue for many years, with no date set as to when the airport will be completely upgraded, according to the airport advisory board.
One problem with the airport is its size, which restricts the accommodation of larger aircrafts and larger crowds flying in and out of Columbia directly, Stedem said.
“We’ve worked with consultants to bring in additional airlines to the market, and it’s been stagnant for some time,” Stedem said. “We’re hopeful we will be able to bring additional airline service to Columbia in the future.”