- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
- | single page
|
A strategic plan for the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission and County Industrial Foundation, or CHIEF, calls for expanding the commercial and recreational use of Woodmont Lodge near Hancock. (File photo / March 3, 2013) |
Hagerstown Regional Airport and the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base both have a place in Washington County’s history, and officials at each facility want them to play a part in the county’s economic future.
Along with those facilities, Woodmont Lodge, which has hosted presidents, was identified in the report as a potential for upscale lodging.
The 665-acre airport is identified as a “primary opportunity area” in the economic development strategic plan developed for the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission and County Industrial Foundation, or CHIEF. The report identified the airport as a hub for further development of aircraft and aviation technologies and services.
Hagerstown has an aviation history dating to World War I, when Giuseppe Bellanca built two aircraft while working for a city manufacturer.
In 1928, the Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Co. purchased 60 acres on the site of what is now Hagerstown Regional Airport. The airport and tenant companies expanded over the decades, particularly with the arrival of Fairchild in the 1930s and the onset of World War II. While Fairchild is gone, the airport continues to attract aviation-related businesses.
Hagerstown has the second-longest public-use runway in Maryland at 7,000 feet, behind Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Urbanomics President Kenneth Creveling said at a Jan. 26 public presentation of the economic development strategic plan. While most people think of airports as places to board flights, Creveling said it has the potential to expand its aircraft servicing, training and technology base.
“The number we’ve been using is somewhere around 600,” Airport Director Phil Ridenour said when asked about employment at the airport. However, the Maryland Aviation Administration conducted a recent survey and he said the figure could be considerably higher.
“I don’t think people realize what a job generator the airport is,” Ridenour said.
It is home to 18 businesses either on or near airport grounds, the largest of which are defense contractor Sierra Nevada and Rider Jet Center, the airport’s fixed-base operator, he said.
Several other aircraft service and maintenance companies also operate at the airfield, Ridenour said.
The strategic plan also notes the close proximity of other large employers, such as Citi and Lehigh Phoenix, and the airport’s capacity to expand into facilities such as the former Fairchild Aircraft plant, marketed as the Top Flight Air Industrial Park.
‘Broad mix of industries’
The airport and surrounding area are “suitable for a broad mix of industries, including business and financial services, information technology and advanced manufacturing,” the strategic plan said.
Ridenour recently told the Washington County Board of Commissioners that the airport has contracted with AvPorts in Dulles, Va., to develop a comprehensive marketing plan aimed at attracting more aviation-related commercial and industrial development and additional air service. The study is supposed to be completed by May, he said.
Allegiant Air runs flights to Florida from Hagerstown and Ridenour met last week with airline officials to discuss adding more flights to more destinations, such as Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Sun Air International runs commuter flights to Dulles International Airport, he said.
Ongoing projects include the construction of three 40-by-40-foot hangars for general aviation aircraft storage and an 18,000-square-foot office, classroom and workshop facility for the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, Ridenour said.
PIA trains students to receive Federal Aviation Administration airframe and powerplant certifications, said Steven Sabold, the director of admissions for the institute’s four campuses. As baby boomers are reaching retirement age, there will be a great demand for aircraft technicians to replace them, Sabold said recently.
Replacing the air traffic control tower should be a priority project, the Urbanomics report said. The expansion of the main runway several years ago, new tower height specifications and limited views of the airfield “all contribute to the need for a new tower,” the report said.
Along with those facilities, Woodmont Lodge, which has hosted presidents, was identified in the report as a potential for upscale lodging.
The 665-acre airport is identified as a “primary opportunity area” in the economic development strategic plan developed for the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission and County Industrial Foundation, or CHIEF. The report identified the airport as a hub for further development of aircraft and aviation technologies and services.
Hagerstown has an aviation history dating to World War I, when Giuseppe Bellanca built two aircraft while working for a city manufacturer.
In 1928, the Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Co. purchased 60 acres on the site of what is now Hagerstown Regional Airport. The airport and tenant companies expanded over the decades, particularly with the arrival of Fairchild in the 1930s and the onset of World War II. While Fairchild is gone, the airport continues to attract aviation-related businesses.
Hagerstown has the second-longest public-use runway in Maryland at 7,000 feet, behind Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Urbanomics President Kenneth Creveling said at a Jan. 26 public presentation of the economic development strategic plan. While most people think of airports as places to board flights, Creveling said it has the potential to expand its aircraft servicing, training and technology base.
“The number we’ve been using is somewhere around 600,” Airport Director Phil Ridenour said when asked about employment at the airport. However, the Maryland Aviation Administration conducted a recent survey and he said the figure could be considerably higher.
“I don’t think people realize what a job generator the airport is,” Ridenour said.
It is home to 18 businesses either on or near airport grounds, the largest of which are defense contractor Sierra Nevada and Rider Jet Center, the airport’s fixed-base operator, he said.
Several other aircraft service and maintenance companies also operate at the airfield, Ridenour said.
The strategic plan also notes the close proximity of other large employers, such as Citi and Lehigh Phoenix, and the airport’s capacity to expand into facilities such as the former Fairchild Aircraft plant, marketed as the Top Flight Air Industrial Park.
‘Broad mix of industries’
The airport and surrounding area are “suitable for a broad mix of industries, including business and financial services, information technology and advanced manufacturing,” the strategic plan said.
Ridenour recently told the Washington County Board of Commissioners that the airport has contracted with AvPorts in Dulles, Va., to develop a comprehensive marketing plan aimed at attracting more aviation-related commercial and industrial development and additional air service. The study is supposed to be completed by May, he said.
Allegiant Air runs flights to Florida from Hagerstown and Ridenour met last week with airline officials to discuss adding more flights to more destinations, such as Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Sun Air International runs commuter flights to Dulles International Airport, he said.
Ongoing projects include the construction of three 40-by-40-foot hangars for general aviation aircraft storage and an 18,000-square-foot office, classroom and workshop facility for the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, Ridenour said.
PIA trains students to receive Federal Aviation Administration airframe and powerplant certifications, said Steven Sabold, the director of admissions for the institute’s four campuses. As baby boomers are reaching retirement age, there will be a great demand for aircraft technicians to replace them, Sabold said recently.
Replacing the air traffic control tower should be a priority project, the Urbanomics report said. The expansion of the main runway several years ago, new tower height specifications and limited views of the airfield “all contribute to the need for a new tower,” the report said.
