The Lebanon City Council was provided a high-level overview of the Floyd W Jones Airport Master Plan during the Thursday night meeting. Coffman and Associates Airport Planner Scott Nugent said there were open forums to get input from the public, they had to determine what type of facilities they had, and what was needed, determine what type of aircraft currently uses the airport, and a future use forecast. The master plan has a contingency for a one-thousand-foot extension of the runway, which would require some thought to be given on what to do about Fremont Road….

There is also an option of a road just to the west. Over a decade ago there were disagreements about the airport master plan that included a runway extension to accommodate industry with larger aircraft, but it appears that with advancements in many of the newer aircraft that have a quicker takeoff, a 5-thousand-foot runway is just as feasible as a 6-thousand foot runway. The airport master plan doesn’t commit the City of Lebanon or MoDot to fund. Some of the other considerations in the master plan include maintanance, adding hangers, noise contours, and safety zones. When asked about the consideration of building a new airport in a different location, Nugent said the cost could add up to a billion dollars. The Airport Master Plan will have to be approved in a vote by City Council before it goes to the Missouri Department of Transportation for final approval.