park, just 36 miles to the north on Lake Erie. The airport caters to tourists throughout the year. Norwalk-Huron is even closer to Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, home to Ohio’s largest indoor water park. Adding to the tourist draw, at the eastern end of Runway 10/28, is Summit Motorsports Park, a drag racing facility that draws a lot of jet traffic when it hosts National events. BETTER RELATIONS Scott Sparks, Airport Manager with Norwalk-Huron County Airport and a former 35-year Senior NonCommissioned Officer for the United States Air Force with a degree in Aviation Management from The Ohio State University started as a volunteer Airport Manager in March 2021.After taking the reins, Sparks saw great potential for his airport and began to lobby County Commissioners, emphasizing the airport’s capabilities and possibilities. His efforts paid off after convincing them that regional airports are, and can be, local economic engines, and reminding them that any forthcoming funding from the county would be supplemented by federal (FAA) and state (ODOT) monies. “I can say that this year has been extraordinary regarding our relationship with the county,” Sparks reports.“They know we have potential out here and they’re very supportive.” Last fall, the commissioners reviewed the airport’s ten-year, capital improvement, master plan, which is projected to cost a total of $6 million by 2032. Its projects include: runway, taxiway, and apron design, rehabilitation, and construction; airfield lighting rehabilitation design and implementation; design and construction of perimeter wildlife fencing; design and bid for an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) to collect and process weather data, such as wind speed and direction, visibility, temperature, and cloud coverage; design and bid for a Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), a system of lights that help pilots guide their aircraft onto the runway during landing; and a bid for hangar design and construction. A NEW AGENDA This current year has been one of renewal and momentum. “We just finished a project,” Sparks shares. “We had a crack sealing and marking of our 139 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 01 NORWALK-HURON COUNTY AIRPORT
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