Ridgeland-claude-dean-airport

3 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 ude rt e AT A GLANCE RIDGELAND CLAUDE DEAN AIRPORT WHAT: Regional airport with military roots WHERE: Jasper County, SC WEBSITE: https://www.jaspercountysc.gov/ridgeland-claude-dean-airport U p on some of the highest land in Jasper County, South &DUROLQD \RX ZLOO ˉQG WKH TXDLQW WRZQ RI 5LGJHODQG WUDFLQJ its history back to the coming of the railroad in 1902. Today \RX FDQ ˉQG LW DORQJ ,QWHUVWDWH RU ˊ\ LQWR WKH 5LGJHODQG &ODXGH Dean Airport. Tracing its history back to 1938 and a 69-acre parcel of land in which a small group of aviation enthusiasts convinced a friendly IDUPHU WR OHW WKHP FRQYHUW LQWR DQ DLUˉHOG LW ZRXOG QRW EH XQWLO World War Two that the county decided to construct an airport. With the help of the State of South Carolina, a paved and lighted E\ IRRW UXQZD\ ZDV EXLOW LQ ,Q WKH QDPH ZDV changed to the Ridgeland -Claude Dean Airport in honor of World War II veteran and its long-time airport manager Claude Dean. This brings us to the present when the airport has been through a period of unprecedented growth and continues to modernize as it becomes the Lowcountry’s connection to the entire Eastern Seaboard. A statewide survey estimated that the annual impact RI 5LGJHODQG &ODXGH 'HDQ ZDV LQ ZKLOH LW KDG jumped to $8.3 million according to 2018 records. “The original airport had a 2172-foot runway with no taxi lanes,” says Danny Lucas, Director of Development Services for Jasper County, and acting Airport Manager. “Since then, we have been dealing with obstructions and land issues – everything from WHOHSKRQH SROHV WR D VFKRRO EXLOW ULJKW QH[W GRRU DQG D IRRW drop-off on the other edge. So, there were a number of built-in hazards. In 2014 the county decided to get serious about the airport and after consulting with engineers and looking at other locations, they decided to expand the current airport.” “At the time we had 70 acres, one runway, and 42 privately owned KDQJDUV 7KH FRXQW\ DFTXLUHG DSSUR[LPDWHO\ DGGLWLRQDO DFUHV DORQJ ZLWK DERXW QDYLJDWLRQ HDVHPHQWV DQG WKHQ FRQVWUXFWHG