The city of Springfield approved the purchase of two fuel trucks that will service aircraft at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal airport in an effort to better serve business that have set up shop there over the past few years.
In addition, three staff members will be added to provide support to operations at the airport, which has seen a growth in clients and become a hub for advanced air mobility technology.
Springfield officials also recently authorized the city to enter into a preliminary agreement related to the design phase of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence that will be located at the airport.
The project is estimated at $8.2 million and will be a 30,000-square-foot, two-story facility that will accommodate university and government research as well as companies developing that technology that already have a presence at the airport.
A hangar will be built adjacent to the new facility. The center is expected to be used by both the Air Force and private industry.
Springfield has been awarded $6 million from the U.S. Department of Defense for the construction of that facility. Another $2 million will be covered by JobsOhio, and the rest will come from the City of Springfield.
Officials want to provide space at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport that will support manufacturers and operators of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL), also known as flying cars. It is a type of aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off and land vertically.
It will also support the five companies that are already working on advanced air mobility at the Springfield airport.
The ordinance regarding the project that was recently approved by Springfield city commissioners called for the authorization to enter into a Preliminary Agreement with Marker Inc. for the Preliminary Services/Design Development Services for the Design-Build construction of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence for an amount not to exceed $171,800.
The two other ordinances that were passed and related to the purchasing of the two fuel trucks, included the purchase of a 1,000 Gallon Avgas Refueler complete and delivered from SkyMark Refuelers, LLC, for an amount not to exceed $129,262.
The other was for the purchase of a 5,000 Gallon Jet Refueler complete and delivered from SkyMark Refuelers, LLC, for an amount not to exceed $262,857.