Steve Rodman, left, and Jonathan Myers talk about restoring the Vermilion Regional Airport tower that was going to be demolished at the airport off Bowman Avenue. Plans call for using the tower for a museum and aviation education space.
The tower was slated for demolition, with a contractor ready to go. But airport commissioner Bill Ingram had a vision for the tower to be lit up at night once again and be a focal point to bring the airport back to its heyday.
“It’s part of Danville’s heritage,” Ingram said.
Coming on board to help make Ingram’s vision a reality is another local pilot, Jonathan Myers, and restorer Steve Rodman.
Rodman said in another six months to a year, someone will be able to come to the tower and be impressed with the progress to see life in it again.
Myers said plans for the tower are two-fold — a museum about the airport and the area’s aviation history and an aviation education space for high school students and others to learn more about aviation and careers.
“It was ignored for 20-plus years,” Ingram said about the tower.
The Vermilion Regional Airport opened in 1948. It’s a publicly-owned, public-use, general aviation airport four miles northeast of Danville on North Bowman Avenue. The control tower was decommissioned 33 years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration and, in years following, deeded to the Vermilion Regional Airport Authority.
There hasn’t been a need for air traffic control here in years.
The tower was built in the late 1970s and within about five years of its construction was one of the first to be shut down after a national controllers' strike. At that time, commuter airlines were flying out of Danville and there was a college aviation program in the “good times,” Ingram said.
The tower has three levels and the top cab. It also has an elevator shaft, but never had an elevator.
The tower wasn’t maintained and was to be demolished earlier this year. The airport commission voted to proceed with the demolition.
DEMOLITION DELAYED
At a commission meeting earlier this year, airport manager Bob Gagnon said different ideas were pursued with the tower, such as opening a restaurant, but nothing panned out. Even a couple of people were allowed to live in the tower over the years, Ingram said.
The commissioners delayed the demolition of the tower to see if there was interest in keeping it on site.
A few months ago, Rodman was invited to speak before the board to discuss restoration possibilities with private donations and volunteers. A restoration plan was prepared within 30 days and demolition was halted.
Ingram, who has long been in aviation, said he would’ve hated to see the tower go.
Anyone flying in and out of Danville, such as for new industry and bringing in new jobs, would see the non-operational and non-impressive control tower, he said.
THINK POSITIVE
If the tower is neat and cleaned up, it’d be more inspiring and people could even go up inside it at night and look at the city at night, he added.
“This can be good,” Ingram. In his wildest dreams he’d also like to see a restaurant or sandwich and coffee shop at the airport where locals can go and talk about crops and watch airplanes take off and come in.
“You have to think positive,” he added.
Today there are about 100 airplanes based out of the airport and corporate business planes still fly in and out, in addition to a daily UPS flight. There also remain other operations at the airport and other restoration work, including a rare German fighter plane being restored, Ingram said.
“There’s a lot going on,” Ingram said.
Ingram and Rodman wore hazmat suits upon first entering the tower to start the clean-up process due to all the layers of bird droppings and nests and other debris inside because of a hole in the roof for years. The tower had its heating and air conditioning unit taken, leaving a hole in the tower’s roof for decades. The instrumentation and copper also were removed.
Myers, who has been flying since he was 14, said they’ve had about five to six Dumpsters full of debris removed already.
“I had to re-establish the gutter system,” Ingram added about the water coming in. “It was a mess.”
“I’d never been in it before. It looks about 100 percent better than it did,” Ingram said of the clean-up inside already.
The tower isn’t going to fall down, he added,
“That thing is built like a bridge,” he said.
Myers said there’s a lot of potential with the tower.
Two main components being focused on are a museum about the airport and local aviation, and youth aviation education.
Myers is talking to Oakwood High School officials about starting a high school flying club and would like to involve other area students, such as at Bismarck, Schlarman Academy and other high schools.
Myers said what cooler way to learn about aviation than 40 feet up and at the airport?
“Aviation is very expensive,” Myers added.
He said there are careers with aviation other than being a pilot, such as maintenance and operations and mechanics, and more young people could be exposed to aviation at an early age with a local aviation program.
The clean-up of the tower is being done with all private donations; no funding from the airport, right now.
Cost estimates for restoration still are being determined.
IDEAS FOR RESTORATION
Rodman, who also is a local musician, said he’d love to do some music fundraisers out at the airport for the restoration.
Steps for restoration include putting a new roof on the tower and having Bismarck Community Fire Protection District power wash the structure. Lighting is being restored, and they will evaluate the space and how best to use it.
Other work will include redoing a bathroom inside the tower, possibly putting in more windows and new dropped ceilings, painting the outside of the tower and changing the outside fencing.
Rodman also already is thinking about display cases to show off old tower and airport photos.
They want to make the tower an asset.
“We are getting there,” Rodman said. “There’s a lot of history out here.”
“We’re going to bring it back to life. It’s a special thing.”
Myers added, “We have a real nice airport for a community our size and we’re striving to make it a little better.”
Rodman said more volunteer help is welcome to restore the tower.
Rodman said even if someone wants to help for a few hours or over many days, it will help.
- Source: http://www.commercial-news.com
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