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Lee's Summit renames airport, adds hangars and pursues FAA control tower; city touts community use and school aviation program
Summary
Officials described the rebranding to Kansas City Lee's Summit Regional Airport, hangar expansions including a 40,000-sq-ft hangar and a 44,000-sq-ft interim terminal, pursuit of an FAA contract tower, and a planned aviation partnership with LSR7 schools.
Lee's Summit officials and airport manager Joel Arrington used the April 3 town hall to outline an expansion program at the city's airport, including a formal name change, new hangars and efforts to secure a federal air-traffic-control tower.
Name, hangars and terminal: "We have renamed it to the Kansas City Lee's Summit Regional Airport," Council member Cinda Raider said, and Arrington detailed physical projects: Hangar 1 provides full-service fuel and is about 40,000 square feet; Hangar 2, described as an interim terminal, is roughly 44,000 square feet and will include an observation lounge for the public and facilities capable of handling larger corporate aircraft.
FAA tower process: Arrington said the airport has applied to the FAA contract tower program and meets minimum criteria. He explained the likely funding arrangement: the city would construct the control-tower facility while the FAA would pay the salaries of the air-traffic controllers and staff. "Our biggest obstacle...is gonna be the funding of that tower," Arrington said.
Community access and education: Arrington and Raider emphasized that the facilities include public features: an observation lounge in Hangar 2 and community-accessible spaces. Raider highlighted a partnership with the LSR7 School District to create an aviation program for students.
Noise-management and operations: Arrington said staff produced a "fly friendly" brochure asking pilots to avoid late-night operations and to change training-flight profiles to reduce overflight of neighborhoods. He described voluntary measures such as asking pilots not to operate between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and changing turn points to keep aircraft south of certain roads when practicable.
Timeline: Hangar 2 and interim terminal work was described as expected to be operational midyear; Arrington said further terminal construction will begin in summer.
