Leaders hope airport will help local economy take off

Airport, seaplane base create a unique experience
By: 
Carol Ryczek

What can a 3,900-foot strip of asphalt do? In the right place, with the right kind of maintenance, it can do a lot, according to Shawano Mayor Bruce Milavitz.

“As a pilot, it opens up a lot of destinations. As a community member, it means a lot of excitement and growth. And as an official, it gives the city the opportunity for future development and growth,” said Milavitz, a who pilots his own plane and serves as treasurer for the Shawano Municipal Airport.

The airport is celebrating the completion of the reconstruction of Runway 1230, a 3,900-foot asphalt entry and exit to the 13,000 to 19,000 private and commercial planes and helicopters that use the airport every year. A re-dedication will be held at the airport Aug. 21.

Shawano Municipal Airport is a joint project of the City of Shawano and Shawano County, with a board of commissioners who do the oversight and planning.

The runway improvement, as well as the construction of a new terminal in 2019, are part of an effort to make the airport a focus of economic development, said Peter Thillman, chief economic development officer at Shawano County Economic Progress, Inc.

“We have a real special airport here,” Thillman said. “It’s one of the few in the country that has an airport and a seaplane port. There is tremendous opportunity there — a unique asset for the community.”

“We want to attract people from all over,” Milavitz said. “We have restaurants, hotels with walking distance, a courtesy car. There is a marina within walking distance. They can fly in, get a courtesy vehicle, rent a boat to go a restaurant,” he said.

He added that the recently remodeled terminal makes it attractive for businesses to bring in investors or clients.

The impact of the airport reaches beyond its chain-link boundary, Thillman said.

As more industries and retail stores count on “just-in-time inventory,” where items are delivered as needed and not stored, a local airport becomes even more valuable, Thillman said.

The airport in Little Chute, near Appleton, already hosts aircraft maintenance facilities. Amazon located a large distribution center in nearby Greenville to take advantage of the airport’s resources. Other airports can expect a growing interest from shipping companies, and Shawano could be one of those, he said.

From a convenience standpoint, he said, having an upgraded, modern airport in Shawano will help businesses bring in potential employees or schedule face-to-face meetings.

Because tourism is such a strong part of Shawano’s economy, a long-range plan for the airport needs to spotlight the ways the airport can be a tourist asset, he said. One option might be reaching out to seaplane owners. Although many seaplanes can also land at a conventional airport, the combination of airport and seaplane base is so unusual that it can be a focus for new tourism venture, Thillman said.

Even the airport itself can be an attraction, Milavitz said.

“Flight school, scenic flights — fly around the lake,” he said. Tourists can see the airport as a place with family activities. An airport doesn’t automatically mean tourists leave the area, he said, but that local people and tourists have an attraction right here.

“I’m passionate about the fact that our community has this airport,” Milavitz said.

Future plans are being developed, Milavitz said, and will emphasize the opportunities to expand businesses near the airport as well as the convenience of a having a general aviation airport.

At Shawano, pilots can land for free. They have access to specialized fuel 24 hours a day; they have access to the terminal with wireless internet, a lounge, a conference room and a courtesy car.

Future development plans call for an extension of 1,000 more feet to Runway 1230, he said. The additional length would make the runway more accessible for corporate jets but still under the 5,000-foot threshold that would require more regulation.

Although some small jets can land at Shawano now, the runway addition will open up the airport to many more commercial aircraft, he said.

“People want to be able to bring a corporate jet in,” Milavitz said. “We can do that for a few, but only a few, now.”

He said he would also like to see more hangar development and construction of “condo” hangars, where a small residence is built above or next to the hangar.

That concept is something that Thillman supports.

“If you have your airplane here, you aren’t going to want to park it outside. And you’re going to be spending your money here,” he said.