The Lebanon Municipal Airport in West Lebanon is requesting a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction on a new south apron and roughly 20 hangars as early as this May.
Airport manager Steve Miller said that the primary goal of the construction is to increase the income of the town. Building the new apron and adding the hangars, three of which will be for corporate jets, will generate more revenue through landing fees.
Plans for expanding the airport have been discussed in the town for the past three to four years, Miller said.
"There's not a ton of revenue generating from an airport this size," Miller said. "Most airports have landing fees, parking fees and concessions, but our airport has limited landing service."
The south apron is expected to take 60-90 days, and construction of the hangars will take another 100-120 days, with the hangars being moved in during December of this year.
The airport must request a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction because the project is expected to fill approximately five acres of wetlands.
The application for the permit had to be submitted in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This act regulates the discharge of dredge or fill materials into U.S. waters, including wetlands.
As a result of these standards, Miller said, the airport must give up 10 acres of developable land for every acre of wetland that it fills. For this project, the airport will have to set aside 50 acres, 28 of which will come from land it had put aside for a previous, uncompleted project it gained permission for in the 1990s. All 50 acres are on airport property.
"The town actually used to maintain the land, but that's just not possible anymore," Miller said.
A third party, separate from both the conservation commission and the town, will manage the land.
