The local airport has a new name, announced with a press release and ceremony Wednesday celebrating the airport and its new manager, Lori Curless. The newly titled Crawfordsville Regional Airport is an effort to better reflect the resource’s true benefits, said the release.
“We clearly understand the importance of this transportation amenity to the Central Indiana region,” said Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton. “We have been connecting communities to statewide and national markets for a few years now, so it was only logical the airport’s name better reflected this regional economic development asset.”
The airport’s history is a long one, dating back to 1944 when the city purchased a 151-acre farm, four miles south of town. It had no runways, just an open grassy area. The farmhouse served as the terminal building for 50 years. It was during this period that a number of improvements were made including a paved runway, a row of ten hangars, one individual hangar, and some aviation fuel tanks. Over the years, more acreage was acquired, taxiways added, the runway extended, and additional hangars constructed.
“We recognized early on that improvements were needed in order to grow our presence, increase airfield operations, and attract corporate aircraft,” said John York, President, Crawfordsville Board of Aviation Commissioners.
In the last couple of decades, major improvements were made to elevate the service level of the airport from just accommodating small propeller-driven planes to large corporate jets. Those improvements included the construction of the new terminal, a large concrete apron for aircraft parking, and navigation aids required for larger aircraft such as runway lights, LED taxiway lighting, runway end identification lights, navigation lights, current local weather information, and instrument approaches for all-weather use of the airport. The most important improvements were adding 1,000 additional feet to both the runway and taxiway, which now provides a total length of 5,505 feet. “We boast one of the longest runways among Indy metro area regional airports,” said Curless, “and with easy access to Lafayette and Central Indiana, it’s a better option for executive travel.”
According to the release, the airport’s economic impact to the community today is an impressive $80 million a year. It supports 255 local jobs at a total payroll of $13 million per year. In addition, it has been awarded FAA and INDOT grants totaling $3.2 million in the past seven years to support its development.
