MV Airport approves new hangar policy

MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon Outland Airport will soon have a new policy governing the use of its 32 individual T-hangar units.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Mount Vernon Airport Authority Board of Commissioners approved a new general aircraft storage policy and corresponding lease agreement. The new policy, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, takes into account FAA regulations, immediate local needs, and future goals, said Airport Director Chris Collins.

“The airport just needed a management plan moving forward for these (hangar) units, because it’s very unlikely another unit will be built any time soon because of the cost involved,” Collins said. “We just need to manage the 32 we own using tougher, stricter FAA guidelines. We’re just trying to address all of the trends and local needs.”

The previous lease agreement/policy had been in use for at least a decade, and Collins said that there were several reasons why an updated policy was needed.

For one thing, construction costs have tripled over the past few years, and it’s even more difficult for hangars to pay for themselves through the revenue they generate.

Also, certain aircraft with large wingspans, namely the Cirrus SR 22, can only fit in the airport’s 12 eastern most units. The airport currently has five SR 22 aircraft and a sixth one is on the way. For that reason, a clause needed to be added to the policy giving these kinds of planes priority on the waiting list once a hangar becomes available, Collins said.

“This new policy (also) has some language inside it requiring that aircraft stored in the hangars be in an air-worthy condition, which is FAA phraseology for flyable,” Collins said. “And the policy also has some additional insurance language.”

The airport formed a special committee to study the new policy issue before a new plan was brought before the Airport Board on Oct. 14. This committee looked at the airport’s existing lease agreement, along with other agreements at other airports. All of this information was then taken into account to create the new Mount Vernon Airport hangar policy and lease agreement, Collins said.

Collins said the new policy should allow the airport to better manage its hangars. Currently, the airport is in the process of drafting letters to all the hangar tenants, notifying them of the new policy. The new policy will not involve any additional rental costs, Collins said.

Also on Oct. 14, the Airport Board heard an update on the project to build a new snow removal equipment building. A pre-construction meeting was held Sept. 16, at which time airport officials received more information on funding.

Right now, the airport has $709,000 in funding set aside to help pay for the new building, but that will likely not be enough to cover the project when the concrete approaches are factored in. However, it is also possible that another $150,000 to $290,000 in state funds might be freed up for the project in the future. A meeting is set for Nov. 12 with IDOT officials to learn more about that issue. The architect has also started a preliminary design of the new building.

Other Airport Board actions on Oct. 14 included:

• The board heard an update on solar projects.

• The board approved moving forward with a lease-back agreement for a twin-engine training plane.

• The board approved a $13,750 contract with Brian Rightnowar HVAC to replace the HVAC system in the airport’s fixed base operations building.