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Airport officials outline runway, fuel and tower plans as operations and training shift
Summary
Airport staff reported runway and fuel-farm upgrades, plans to pursue a federal contract tower and a multi-phase transition as MTSU relocates some flight training; staff said operations are near 91,000 annually and that flight-training operations have declined while overall operations have remained busy.
Airport staff updated the City Council on Feb. 13 about recent and planned projects at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, including fuel-farm upgrades, runway work, property acquisitions tied to runway protection zones, and a planned study for a federal contract control tower.
Chad Gherke, airport director, told the council the airport recently expanded fuel capacity (changes from 12,000 gallons of Avgas to additional Jet A capacity and environmental containment upgrades) and completed runway threshold relocation and pavement repairs. He said the airport is preparing for the future 0‑lead Avgas specification and that some additional pavement work near the T-hangars remains under design.
Gherke reported the airport recorded about 91,000 operations in the latest count and described a drop in flight-training operations (primarily University/MTSU activity) of roughly 10,000 operations as training moved partially to nearby airports. "We're in that 90,000 range of operations, which is a busy general aviation airport," he said, noting operations remain strong even as training patterns shift. The airport's Vertower monitoring shows a reduction in operations during key hours compared with 2021, which staff said correlates with fewer community complaints.
Gherke described efforts to clear approaches for Runway 36, including negotiations to acquire or otherwise protect properties in runway protection zones; he said six of eight affected properties have already been acquired and that the city has requested state financial assistance for additional purchases. He said Barge Design Services is designing plans to meet FAA standards for approach protection.
The airport is also studying sites for a federal contract tower; three candidate sites are under review and the FAA will study tower feasibility. Gherke said the airport is planning taxiway and hangar-area development (the "Foxtrot" area) to support charter services, hangar demand and aviation jobs, and he tied that economic focus to MTSU's phased relocation of some training operations to other airports.
Council members asked about daily operations and comparisons with similarly sized airports; staff said Murfreesboro's operations are comparable to some mid-sized general aviation airports and highlighted the need for continued grant advocacy at state and federal levels because general aviation funding has tightened.
Gherke asked the council to support continued financial planning and grant-seeking to sustain airport maintenance, development and prospective tower and hangar projects.
