Sims navigates changing times at the airport

(Above) Mason City Muncipal Airport Manager David Sims displays alternatives under consideration for construction of a new terminal.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

by Marianne Gasaway

Ups and downs are part of the business of the Mason City Airport, but David Sims has certainly had more than his share.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride, for sure,” said Sims, who was named the airport’s manager in late December 2019.  The Clear Lake resident stepped into the position as a $3 million taxiway relocation project to expand the airport’s parking apron began.  The Missouri-based airline, Air Choice One, was providing Essential Air Service and had announced it had reached a milestone by boarding over 8,000 passengers in 2019.  

Then came the pandemic and air travel, like most things, changed dramatically.

“It was surreal.  One day we had a terminal full of passengers and all of a sudden there was hardly anyone here,” said Sims.  Traffic was “almost non-existent” by September 2020.  In January 2021 Air Choice One, which had been serving the area since 2014, discontinued flights in and out of Mason City.

Then came the good news that SkyWest, operated by United Airlines, would begin service in Mason City March 1.  

In August 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation had requested proposals to provide airline service for Mason City and Fort Dodge.  SkyWest’s plan to return jet airline service to Mason City for the first time since Delta airlines in 2012 was recommended to the U.S. DOT by the board.  By May 2021 air travel at Mason City had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. The success was attributed to the new United Express flights between Mason City and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Things were flying high at the airport, so to speak.

A comprehensive plan to guide the facility for the next 50 years was being developed and plans for construction of a new terminal were being developed.Although work on the new comprehensive plan began before SkyWest became a carrier in Mason City, Sims 

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said Sky West’s jet service, as well as the need to address ADA compliance, state and local building codes and a host of other deficiencies spurred on the terminal project.

“When this (main terminal) was built in 1966, there weren’t things like passenger screening, or TSA, that require significant space.”  

The availability of federal funding was also a motivator for new construction or renovation of the existing terminal.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law in March 2020 included funding for airports affected by economic disruptions stemming from the pandemic. The Mason City Municipal Airport was awarded $2.41 million and the funds must be used by the spring of 2024.

Sims said that as the numbers began to come in for remodeling the terminal vs. new construction, the board determined the best fiscal decision would be to pursue a new terminal.

“The original intent was the remodel and rehabilitate the existing terminal, but estimates show there is only a $1 million or less difference to build new.”  

The entire project, including new construction, expansion of the parking lot and some adjustment to the airport’s runway apron, is $13-$14 million. Approximately $10 million of that cost is the new terminal building.  

The proposed new 22,500 square foot terminal will be located immediately west of the existing building.  One benefit of new construction is that the existing building can continue to be used with no interruption of service for air passengers.

Airport officials are only about one-month into the schematic process for the facility, but early plans show a single story terminal that is about 4,000 square feet larger and considerably more efficient than the current two-story building, which has no elevator.  A bus terminal space will continue to be offered, as well as an office for a rental car service, although that feature has not been used in recent years.  Sims said a restaurant will likely not be included in the design.  The expense of creating a commercial kitchen, combined with the underwhelming success rate of airport restaurants, is a deterrent.

“Avión Azul (currently located at the airport) has been extremely popular and we are thrilled to have them here, but they have been the exception,” said Sims.  “It is still being discussed.  We are trying to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.  Looking into the future, I don’t know if that is the best use of funds.”

The airport board will also consider whether the current terminal will be razed or reused.  According to Sims, the FAA requires any potential reuse of the facility to be aviation based.  

The City Council in Mason City recently approved the sale of about $5 million in general obligation bonds, with some of those funds earmarked for the construction of a new terminal building at the airport.  In addition to the CARES funding the airport already has in hand, this month Iowa Governor Reynolds announced a $100 million investment to modernize and strengthen Iowa’s air transportation system through the Iowa Commercial Aviation Infrastructure Fund.  Eligible projects under the program include terminal construction and renovations, parking structure construction and hangar construction.  Mason City is one of eight commercial airports eligible for the funding and will receive $1,574,795 based upon passenger numbers from 2019.

“I am a member of the Iowa Public Airport Association and we had been lobbying in Des Moines, but I didn’t know it was coming.  I was invited to Des Moines and was pleasantly surprised by the announcement.  I’ve given up predicting,” laughed Sims. “I am very thankful for a supportive mayor and Mason City Council, along with the airport board guiding the airport’s future.  These are exciting times.”

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