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Nathan Coleman

$2 million grant goes to Zephyrhills airport

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Funding continues to fly into the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

The office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th congressional district, announced last month that the airport had received a $2 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, near Interstate 4 and Interstate 75, is the only publicly owned and operated airport in Pasco County. The airport currently has a waiting list for hangar space, according to Airport Manager Nathan Coleman. The airport’s 172 enclosed spots include 137 T-hangars, 25 half-hangars and 10 shade spots. (File)

Funds will go toward pavement repairs and new LED lighting at Taxiway B, which hasn’t seen upgrades in about 20 years, according to Airport Manager Nathan Coleman.

Taxiway B is situated off the main causeway, and connects to the fuel pumps and the southeast side of the airfield. It is one of the airport’s five taxiways.

Coleman said the taxiway improvement project has been in development for more than two years, as engineering firms AVCON Engineering and AID (American Infrastructure Development) aided the airport with the planning and grant application process.

The $2 million grant — along with supplemental federal Department of Transportation funds — should cover about 98 percent of the project, with the airport contributing the remaining 2 percent of funding. “It’s a really good deal for the airport,” Coleman said.

The grant was available through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which funds various types of airport infrastructure projects, including runways, taxiways, and airport signage, lighting and markings.

Airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP funding each year, based on passenger volume. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, then the FAA can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The federal funding will go toward pavement and lighting improvements at Taxiway B, which hasn’t been updated in about 20 years. The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport was one of four airports in Florida to receive funding for infrastructure improvements, joining Key West International Airport ($9 million), Orlando International Airport ($16 million) and Tampa International Airport ($9.3 million). (Courtesy of Zephyrhills Municipal Airport)

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is one of four airports in Florida to receive funding for infrastructure improvements, joining Key West International Airport ($9 million), Orlando International Airport ($16 million) and Tampa International Airport ($9.3 million).

Nationwide, the FAA is awarding $290.6 million in airport infrastructure grants to 105 airports in 38 states.

Those federal funds are critical, Coleman said, particularly for smaller, general aviation airports that mainly attract single-engine planes as opposed to large, commercial aircrafts.

“It’s just a great way for us to be able to maintain our infrastructure,” the airport manager said. “I give tons of credit to (FAA and DOT) because without their help, it’d be hard for little airports like ourselves to really thrive and make it.”

Since 2011, the municipal airport has secured just under $9 million in federal funds. That includes a sizable $4.5 million federal grant in 2012, to repave Runway 4-22, which later became Runway 5-23.

Aside from the Taxiway B improvements, other major projects are slated over the next several years.

Coleman expects to rehab Taxiway A in 2019, and have a design plan in place for a new terminal building by 2021.

More long-term plans call for the installation of a taxiway along Runway 01-19, plus roadway additions to the southwest end of the airport.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, near Interstate 4 and Interstate 75, is the only publicly owned and operated airport in Pasco County.

The airport currently has a waiting list for hangar space, Coleman said. The airport’s 172 enclosed spots include 137 T-hangars, 25 half-hangars and 10 shade spots.

Last year, a new hangar was constructed at the airport, for the first time in 16 years. The 10,000-square-foot hangar, owned by Thomas and Keith Morrell of TKM Aviation, is located on the northwest portion of the airport property.

Published August 2, 2017

New hangar coming to Zephyrhills Airport

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A new hanger is being constructed at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport for the first time in 16 years.

The 10,000-square-foot hangar, located on the northwest portion of the airport property, broke ground on June 22.

Canco General Contractors expects to complete the hangar by late October.

The new hangar is owned by Thomas and Keith Morrell of TKM Aviation.

The new business hangar broke ground on June 22. From left, Keith Morrell, John Prahl, Scott McBride, Melonie Monson and Thomas Morrell. (Photos courtesy of TKM Aviation)
The new business hangar broke ground on June 22. From left, Keith Morrell, John Prahl, Scott McBride, Melonie Monson and Thomas Morrell.
(Photos courtesy of TKM Aviation)

They recently signed a 30-year lease with the City of Zephyrhills for roughly $360 per month to use the land where the hangar is being constructed.

The hangar will primarily house the company’s small piston aircraft mechanic, maintenance and inspection shop, Thomas Morrell said.

“One of the primary reasons we picked Zephyrhills to open a business was there was no real maintenance on the field — there was not really a shop there that could be on-call if needed where pilots could come in if they had an issue,” Morrell said. “There wasn’t really anybody (at the airport) that could take on that work, and we noticed that there was a need,” he added.

Morrell continued: “Zephyrhills has the lowest fuel prices in the region, so they get a lot of traffic from people flying their airplanes, and you never know what’s going to happen; you try to take off, something breaks and, ‘Hey, you need a mechanic there,’ and that’s what we can offer.”

Nathan Coleman, deputy airport manager, called the new hangar a “big advantage” for the city’s airport going forward.

TKM Aviation is building a new business hangar on the northwest portion of Zephyrhills Municipal Airport’s property. It will house the company’s small piston aircraft mechanic, maintenance and inspection shop.
TKM Aviation is building a new business hangar on the northwest portion of Zephyrhills Municipal Airport’s property. It will house the company’s small piston aircraft mechanic, maintenance and inspection shop.

“Each airport is very beneficial when they have a maintenance facility down on the field,” Coleman said. “When commuter traffic or transit traffic comes in, if they have a problem, they’ll actually have a facility to go to.”

Coleman believes the economy is the main culprit for why a new business hangar hasn’t been built at the airport since JJ Aeronautics came aboard in 2000. He noted most of the hangars at the airport are city-owned and rented out by private airplane owners.

“It is exciting, to get a new business hangar here,” Coleman said.

TKM Aviation has been operating out of the airport’s Aerocenter, where they’ve leased space since Aug. 2015.

“We (always) intended to build a hangar, but there wasn’t a whole lot of available property or available hangar space at that point…so we went ahead and got our business rolling,” Morrell said.

TKM Aviation has been operating out of the Aerocenter at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport since August of 2015.
TKM Aviation has been operating out of the Aerocenter at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport since August of 2015.

“We’ve just been in the process of getting contractors secured, getting permits and doing all the things it takes to build (the hangar),” he added.

While the new facility will mainly serve as a small plane maintenance shop, Morrell didn’t rule out the possibility of also subletting any unused space.

“If once we’re established in there, and we realize we can utilize some of the space for hangar rentals, then we will be open to doing that,” he said.

The company also is looking to open an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic School at the airport, and is considering adding more mechanics to its staff of two full-timers.

“If we start getting an increase in traffic and appointments, and we get more airplanes coming in with clients, then we’ll definitely have to add more mechanics,” Morrell said. “If we get to the point where we can start the mechanic school like we are pursuing, then we’ll definitely have to hire several more people to help run and facilitate that.”

Published July 13, 2016