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Residents attend Columbia Regional Airport’s first master plan meeting since 2009

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COLUMBIA − The Columbia Regional Airport (COU) held two open houses on Thursday, inviting the public to learn more about its master plan.

The last time COU presented a master plan was in 2009.

Airport manager Mike Parks said the COU has spent the last 15 years accomplishing the goals of its last master plan. 

“This [new master plan] is going to look at the future projects and future growth of the airport,” Parks said.

Kansas City-based engineering and consulting firm Burns & McDonnell was contracted to prepare the master plan. 

Tom Dowse, an engineer at Burns & McDonnell who is serving as project manager, said the goal of presenting a master plan so close to the 2022 opening of COU’s new terminal is to gather feedback.

The feedback Dowse’s team gets from the master plan meetings will be implemented in about a year, he said. 

“We have to go through the forecasting process,” Dowse said. “Within the next six to 12 months, we’ll start to identify different alternatives that make sense for the airport.” 

The plan includes an in-depth study of the airport that evaluates the development needs to meet future demands, according to a press release from COU. It also includes evaluating the existing capacity of the airport, considering the impacts of aviation trends and identifying future airport needs. 

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The result of the assessment will help develop alternatives aligned with the goals of COU. Once alternatives are selected, the team will prepare a plan to guide future improvements to the airport.

Curt Cunningham said he’s lived in Columbia since 1985. Despite living here nearly 40 years, he said he doesn’t use the airport in Columbia.

“Unfortunately whoever’s in charge doesn’t allow me or anyone else who actually is from mid-Missouri to go anywhere except Chicago or Dallas,” Cunningham said. “We feel like we’re handcuffed on that concept of going somewhere besides Chicago and Dallas. I don’t understand the importance of those places and those two places only for quite a few years now.” 

Gary Thompson, a longtime Columbia resident and frequent COU passenger, said he’s seen a lot of changes with the airport industry. 

“We’re laying out plans for the next 10 to 20 years for the airport and looking at the trends and looking at the needs at the people that the airport serves and developing the needs that the airport serves and meeting those needs,” he said. 

In November, the Columbia City Council approved an agreement to bring a new food option to COU.

“The Market” will feature Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology with ready-to-eat food, drinks, souvenirs and travel essentials. Using the technology, customers can shop without a cashier.

Parks said the construction for the Amazon technology is expected to begin soon.

“We recently had a contract executed with Jackson Brothers and North so we anticipate the construction to begin on that area of the terminal probably here in the next 30 days or so,” Parks said. 

KOMU 8 Reporter Christian Riley Dutcher contributed to this report.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: Mid-Missouri

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