On August 19, just in time for National Aviation Day, Mayor Toby Barker and officials from the Hattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport announced a $1.574 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Strategic Multi-Modal Investments Fund that will contribute to significant improvements at that site.
The grant, which was announced during a press conference at the airport on Academy Drive in the Hattiesburg-Forrest County Industrial Park, will allow for the rebuild of an existing taxiway that was originally constructed during World War II, along with the construction of a brand-new taxiway. The project includes a $334,989 match from the City of Hattiesburg for a total investment of $1.9 million.
“When we think of infrastructure, our transportation system and our economic development goals, Bobby L. Chain Airport plays a key role,” Barker said. “It is imperative that we, as a community, to continue to look for ways to invest in that asset.
“Every year, we’ve been able to make incremental progress in lighting, drainage, runways. But earlier this year, the City of Hattiesburg applied for (this grant) … that would create opportunities for new customers, that would further expand private hangar space at the airport and create opportunities for those new customers to base their operations out of our airport.”
The new taxiway at the airport will be intended to access an area designed for future hangar development, which will accommodate larger aircraft and is expected to stimulate private investment at the site. The taxiway expansion will create the opportunity for approximately 80,000 square feet of additional hangar space. The new lots along the taxiway will be subdivided, providing leasing opportunities for both new and existing tenants.
After 50 years, the ownership of these private developments will be transferred to the City of Hattiesburg.
“We are fortunate in Hattiesburg to have two airports that service the needs of our citizens and our economy,” Barker said. “A little over a month ago, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport about 10 miles north of us and its legacy of giving our citizens access to commercial air service.
“However, one airport with great importance to our economy right here in Hattiesburg is Bobby Chain Municipal Airport. It is the hub of private aviation here in southeast Mississippi, and plays an important role in our economy. It has been the home of air shows, a rival point for state and national political candidates and government officials, and a path for manufacturing executives to visit plants here in the industrial park.”
In addition to increasing hangar capacity, the project aims to improve overall airport efficiency and safety. Key infrastructure upgrades will include the removal and relocation of power lines, as well as enhancements to the airport’s water and sewer systems to support the new hangar facilities.
The additional hangar space will also enable the airport to be in a better position to support ongoing activities at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, as that base does not currently have a full airport on site.
“(This airport) is a great location, a launching point, for businesses in Hattiesburg and those who are coming to Hattiesburg to conduct business,” airport manager Chip Gibson said. “Over the years, we’ve emerged as an aeromedical hub – we’re home to Rescue 7 (medical helicopter), and then we’re also the primary choice for an airport (for local hospitals).
“We’re home to over 40 aircraft, and the bottom line in what this grant represents it that we’re out of space – we need more space to accommodate more aircraft to grow. Previous grants have always focused on maintenance – and that is to say that we’re just maintaining what we’ve got – but this will provide a means where we can have vertical growth, and that is to say new hangars that will accommodate additional aircraft.”
The grant was made possible with the help of several members of the Mississippi Legislature, including District 102 Representative Missy McGee, District 103 Representative Percy Watson, District 45 Senator Chris Johnson and District 34 Senator Juan Barnett. Nick Brown, who represents District 5 on Hattiesburg City Council, also assisted with seeking the matching funds.
“I’m very confident that in the future, we’ll have more of these grants because of the relationship that they’ve helped develop,” Gibson said.
National Aviation Day was established in 1939 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to celebrate the development of aviation. Roosevelt issued a proclamation that designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday to be honored each year on August 19.
