Plan For New Airport Ready To Take Off, Osceola Mayor Says
by October 21, 2014 3:11 pm 92 views
A central Arkansas engineering firm will help the city of Osceola build its new airport, Mayor Dickie Kennemore said Tuesday.
The Osceola City Council voted Monday night to hire Garver Engineering of North Little Rock to start developing the plan for the airport.
Kennemore announced in July that the city was looking to build the airport south of town. The airport, which is expected to cost around $10 million to build, will be modeled after the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) at Highfill.
Before the airport is done, Kennemore said there will likely be a four-year process from start to finish. First, there has to be a plan developed to pay for the project. From there, the engineers develop the blueprints for the airport and a site is selected.
The last part of the puzzle involves an option to buy the land for the airport, Kennemore said. Several locations on U.S. 61 and Arkansas 140 are under consideration for the site.
The city currently has an airport along Arkansas 140, east of town. The airport has a 3,800-foot runway, but cannot land large corporate or business jets.
In the past, corporate and business jets have had to fly into Blytheville, West Memphis or Memphis with business owners having to drive into Osceola, Kennemore said.
The larger runway at the new airport will help to alleviate the issue, Kennemore contends.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Kennemore said the city has seen a little bit of a renaissance since the announcement of Big River Steel opening a $1.3 billion steel mill south of town.
Company officials and Gov. Mike Beebe broke ground in September for the project, which is expected to hire 2,000 construction workers and another 500 or so workers for the mill once production starts.
The town is close to a major interstate (I-55), has access to the Mississippi River and is within driving distance of six states.
Kennemore, who also works in the real estate business, said the added interest in his town has helped other areas like housing with the development of 36 rental units as well as retail.
“This has been the best 60 days I have had in the past 20 years,” Kennemore said.