SHALERSVILLE TWP. − Portage County Regional Airport has kicked off its first major capital project since the county took over as its sponsor.
Airport and county officials launched the “Shift/Reconstruct Taxiway B and Taxiway Connectors A2, B1, and B2 project” with a July 7 ceremony.
Robert P. Hartigan, director of the airport, said Taxiway B will be rebuilt about 100 feet to the north. It will be the same size and length as the existing taxiway, but the effort will create better runway separation, meeting FAA standards. It also will upgrade drainage, LED lighting, markings and signage.
The ceremony took place on the existing taxiway, a deteriorating asphalt strip with weeds growing through the cracks. Hartigan said it might date to the 1960s, when the airport was founded.
“As you can tell, this is desperately needed here at the airport,” he said.
The pricetag is estimated at $3.05 million, and 95% will be funded by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. A 5% match will be provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation − meaning that no local match will be required.
“As the first major capital project under direct county sponsorship, and with strong support from both the FAA and the Ohio Department of Transportation, it reflects our commitment to aviation safety and positioning the airport as a true economic engine for our region,” Hartigan said.
Airport takeover
Portage County commissioners voted to take over the airport in 2023, dissolving the volunteer board that requested a county takeover two years earlier. The one-runway facility is located off State Route 44 north of Ravenna.
The airport board believed county management would put the airport in a better position to obtain federal funding with county support and sees the facility as a tool for economic development.
The board also told commissioners in 2021 that it’s impossible for an airport operator to make a profit. Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett said that had been something commissioners had been looking into since at least 2019.
Chris Gilmore, a past president of the board, and airport board members told commissioners in 2021 that the airport’s budget was frequently wiped out by repairs. That prevented the airport from being able to leverage the kind of funding needed for major upgrades.
“We’re a dog without a bark, without teeth, without anything,” Gilmore said.
Hartigan, hired in 2023 to oversee the airport, said other projects are planned in the future, including an eventual runway expansion.
Commissioners hail opportunity
Portage County commissioners and a former member of the board hailed the project as a source of future growth.
“This has been a chore and a decade in the making,” said former Commissioner Tony Badalamenti. “This is a diamond in the rough in the state of Ohio.”
Commissioner Mike Tinlin said the county takeover was necessary so the airport could be used for economic development.
“All we need to do is make it grow,” he said.
Commissioner Jill Crawford said the $3 million project represented a “major investment” in the small airport.
Christian-Bennett said the county sponsorship had been years in the making, and involved hiring a consulting group to advise commissioners of the process and to assess the airport.
“They saw it as a diamond in the rough, but said it had great potential,” she said.
Hartigan thanked State Rep. Heidi Workman for helping secure the matching funds from the state.
“I see it as an incredible economic development opportunity,” Workman said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage County officials kick off $3 million upgrade at airport
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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By Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
