An Airport Diamond in the Rough

Improving and Leveraging Airport Assets to Guarantee a Gleaming Path Ahead

 

You do not have to ask Jim Corrigan, Executive Director of the Craig Field Airport and Industrial Authority, twice about what his prime objective is for what was a former military-operated airport and now a full-scale aviation gem.

“We are leveraging our assets here at the airport in Selma, Dallas County, an economic region already identified as an opportunity zone.”

Focusing on the distinct advantages that Craig Field Airport can lay claim to has been an economic strategy that is starting to pay off for Corrigan. Boasting the longest serving runway in the State of Alabama and a newly-minted state-of-the-art traffic control tower as well as plenty of land airside and industrially-based acreage to play with, this dynamic little airport is an enviable and growing aviation hub.

It is not a stretch to say, as a direct result of Corrigan’s tireless efforts, that Craig Field Airport has now grown to represent a regional economic engine. The airport has the tailwind behind it to serve as an unmatched gateway to the beautiful and economically diverse region of Selma and Dallas County.

The Route Back from Economic Decline to Aviation Growth

Once largely neglected after the military base shutdown, Corrigan has taken on the awesome responsibility of ensuring that the airport’s assets are utilized to their full capacity while maximizing its economic potential in the interest of regional expansion.

After spending 21 years flying for Delta Airlines following his transition from the military, coming “home” to direct the future of the airport that is so close to his heart represented a prime opportunity for Corrigan.

“We are a general aviation airport,” Corrigan begins. “Before the military base closed in 1977, there had been two working 8,000-foot runways, but when a military [operation] is closed, a general aviation airport can not afford to keep two runways open.”

Corrigan points out that with the closure of the Craig Airfield Base, the region unfortunately faced an economic downturn for some time. When it came time for Corrigan to take over airport duties, it was helpful, however, that he just so happened to hold close ties to the airport and was familiar with the economic setbacks of the past. He had been stationed at Craig Field at the beginning of his aviation career and flew F-16s for 23 years. With an insider’s knowledge of the airport’s past, he possessed a clear understanding of just where his vision could take Criag Field long term.

Equipped with a high-ranking military background and aviation in his DNA, he viewed taking over the airport as a golden opportunity to navigate a clear course forward.

Taking Off by Leveraging Airport Assets

After taking over the airport reins and determined to utilize the assets the airport already has to work with, Corrigan set plans in motion to take this once underutilized ‘diamond in the rough’ to the visible gem it represents today.

“The airport has 18 airplanes that are housed in our T hangars and even a maintenance operation, Resicum International. This is a new business with an aviation branch, Aeropro, which opened here and they do maintenance. They have their 145 certifications and are licensed to service serious airplanes.”

Corrigan also highlights that Resicum offers avionics training certification in addition to A & P mechanics training.

He also points out that “We do have a military fuel contract, so we can cater to the military here, and they like the long runway as well as the uncongested airspace around here.”

Corrigan lists other assets, including a large parking area, as well as approximately 1,800 acres at the airport off the abandoned runway.

“The airport also has an industrial park.” “I own the rail spur that comes through our park and we are only one of a few industrial parks that have rail service and one of the only ones that has all three- rail spur, industrial land, and an airfield.”

Projecting ahead, Corrigan muses that eventually, an intermodal distribution operation could even be a possibility.

“I want to leverage these assets to make the biggest bang for the buck for the Selma, Dallas County economy,” he states with determination.

He articulates that “A home run would be if we were able to land a maintenance repair operation.” Such a wish is well within Corrigan’s grasp. He maintains a very close relationship with key entities that he established links with as soon as he took over airport operations, including the Mayor of Selma, the probate judges, and the County Commission.

“The good news is that both the probate judge, the County Commissioner, and the city council, along with the mayor realize just how key Craig Field is to the economic development of the region.”

“If a company were to show interest, they can come to an airport served by rail, and it has the facilities that they need logistically,” he relays.

“I have lost track of how many times I have spoken to different groups downtown and been part of the mayor’s conferences, and I have even spoken to the Federal EDA and the Federal EPA on how important the airport is for economic growth.”

Capital Infrastructure Plans Soaring Ahead

Tackling the infrastructure left behind after the airport temporarily closed its doors in the late 1970s, Corrigan has torn down old buildings and built up the lands around the airport, preparing the groundwork for future businesses to move in.

“My job is to improve airport assets; tear down the old, and make room for new growth.”

“If a business wants to move in I do have 41,000 square foot or 28,000 square foot hangars resale,” he states.

“I am not going to, however, lease a hangar to a company with five employees but rather bring in a business that is labor intensive so again we can have the biggest bang for our buck,” he continues.

“I know that it is important to bring business here and to hire locally. That is also one of our goals- I keep polishing the diamond.”

“We have a full-time grant writer and now have about $8.7 million that have either come through or are on the way here for improvements to this facility; we are ready for business.”

One crucial development at the airport that helped it better reach its potential is the addition of Advanced ATC, an air traffic control academy. With their arrival, they built a control tower that is advantageous for the airport’s future.

“I have now controlled airspace five miles around up to 2,500 feet.” “There are a lot of companies that won’t come into an airfield base because of insurance requirements unless there is a control tower,” he adds.

Corrigan mentions that air traffic controllers are now trained on the airport grounds.The air traffic control tower has also had a spin-off effect for Resicum’s aviation branch, allowing them to expand flight training as they ramp up their operations adding new aircraft and students.

“We are trying to do the right things to make us ripe for a company to want to come in here and establish a business,” he explains.

Some of the infrastructure money is also invested into routing a main water line to the airport’s main hangar. Upgrading the ATC building was also high up on the list of infrastructure priorities for Corrigan.

“We received $2.8 million from the state to renovate the building which is now a top-of-the-line air traffic control academy with state-of-the-art line simulators.”

Corrigan wants to pour an additional $3 million into renovating a dorm building using a federal EDA grant to complement the ATC facility.

“I also have two EPA brownfield grants from the federal EPA to tear down four buildings on the flight line and to remove a huge gymnasium that just fell into disrepair that is right in the front yard of the air traffic control academy.

The buildings will go down this summer and then be turned into grass field areas. This work coincides with the awarding of an additional $1.2 million grant to renovate the five-and-a-half-mile rail spur.

Airside, Corrigan is looking at additional infrastructure projects for the airport.

“I have taxiway renovation phase one starting in August, and phase two will start in October.” This project gears towards alleviating some of the current strain on the taxiway when larger planes land. The renovations are estimated to cost $1.6 and $1.7 million, respectively, and will provide much-needed benefits for the airport in the long run.

“Having a huge runway is a great asset. You do not want to end up overstressing your taxiways,” he sums up. The airport is also looking to resurface the hangar asphalt as part of its master plan over the next few years.

A View Down the Flight Path Ahead

With such a clear path carved out and many competing tasks to get there, it is a wonder that Corrigan has the energy left to think about anything else.

To the contrary, Corrigan has also set his sights on playing a key role in encouraging youth in the region to be directly engaged in the aviation industry and learn about career opportunities open to them with enough grit and determination.

“Senator Robert Stewart got us $2 million to start a black belt aviation coalition intended to educate kids in the black belt that have never experienced aviation, and this is opening them up for a life-changing experience,” he notes. “We had 650 youth from sixth grade to 12th grade that gained exposure to the Air Force, Navy, Army recruiters, and we brought in military airplanes, civilian airplanes.”

“They got to talk to air traffic controllers and to pilots and to maintainers,” Corrigan elaborates.

By partnering with nearby educational centers, including Wallace Community College, students can train in flight mechanics or apply to the air traffic control training program based at Craig Field.

“We are focusing on the youth, and that is one of my priorities here over the next 18 months.”

As for other priorities on his wishlist for the airport, Corrigan is quick to point out that getting the word out about the airport’s current capabilities and great potential remains paramount.

“We will continue to tell people the assets that are here and what we have to offer, and we are actively trying to market ourselves,” he concludes confidently.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Craig Field Airport

What: A general aviation airport and former military base of operations focused firmly on infrastructure upgrades and future economic potential.

Where: Selma, Alabama