Springfield, Ohio (Oct. 21, 2016) — The city of Springfield has contracted with Woolpert to provide a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Master Plan and an Airport Layout Plan for the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. The plan will outline and detail the existing configuration of the airport as well as how it will evolve over the next 15-20 years.
The project is primarily funded by the FAA, with additional funding support from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the city of Springfield.
Woolpert will evaluate existing and future airport infrastructure needs, including roadways, runways, taxiways, navigational aids and buildings. It also will look at the airport’s administrative functions, finances, economic development opportunities, environment and wildlife management, modernization and sustainability, facility alternatives and implementation, and public outreach.
Chris Snyder, Woolpert project manager, said airports today face many challenges. In addition to identifying and developing growth opportunities, Snyder said airports must always consider the continued cost and manpower to maintain existing infrastructure with limited financial budgets.
As an industry-leading airport planning, engineering and geospatial consulting firm, Woolpert has worked with more than 1,500 airports and military air bases around the world and is actively engaged with the FAA and its processes. The firm also is known for its work providing unmanned aerial system (UAS) or drone capabilities to private companies as well as local, state and federal government clients.
The 178th Wing, a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard (ANG), stationed at the airport, transformed from a Fighter Wing to an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. It supports the Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems Combat sorties abroad and is home to a NASIC unit connected to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Airport Manager Don Smith said the airport is ramping up its support of UAS flight activity, especially with the Air Force Research Lab and various educational/research partners, and is trying to attract more UAS activity to the airport. Sinclair Community College is a teaming partner with Woolpert on the Master Plan project, lending its expertise to the UAS planning aspects.
“We’re intent to stay on the leading edge of this technology,” Smith said.
Snyder agreed, adding that he’s looking forward to working with the city to maximize the vast potential of the airport.
“It will be exciting to lay out the future of the airport and help grow and maintain this vibrant facility,” Snyder said.
The project will get underway this month and is expected to be complete by mid-2018.
About Woolpert
Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolpert’s mission is to help its clients progress—and become more progressive. For over 100 years and with 23 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. The firm currently is doing business in all 50 states and in five foreign countries. For more information, visit woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.
