investment opportunities,” Mayor Young notes, indicating strong demand from aviation enthusiasts and businesses. The runway project involves replacing the problematic north-south runway with a new east-west configuration, freeing up valuable development land. “When the east-west runway is completed, we have the entire length of that old north-south runway that would be available for hangars, aviation-related businesses, really anything that the FAA deems acceptable,” Westhoff explains. The airport already heralds tourism potential through the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, another STAR Bond success story, which opened in 2023 and houses “Muriel,” the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft identical to Earhart’s final flight plane. The museum attracts visitors from across the country and internationally, generating economic activity that goes beyond aviation. “It really seems like everybody’s kind of waiting for that runway,” Westhoff observes.“With the wait list for the hangars 29 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 ATCHISON, KS
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