The terminal of Concord’s
airport has received a much-needed makeover, finally moving beyond an infamous putdown from Hillary Clinton.
“I’m certainly looking to put that
behind me,” said airport manager David Rolla when reminded of Clinton’s comments about the airport having “dead bugs in the light fixture” that
was featured in a 2007 New Yorker
article.
No more. Furniture, flooring, lights and fixtures have been replaced in the lobby and pilot lounge, plus new paint in the bathroom. The building has also gotten electrical upgrades, improved Wi-Fi and smart TVs.
“People have been able to have meetings in there – you can project your presentation from your laptop or your phone onto the TV,” Rolla said.
That may not sound earth-shaking but this building, in many ways the public facade of Concord Municipal Airport, dates back to 1937, so entering the 21st century is welcome.
The upgrades were paid with $20,000 from the city and a matching investment from Joseph Alosa, a longtime pilot and chairman of the City of Concord Airport Advisory Committee.
“I am deeply grateful for the generosity of the Alosa family … and also that the city saw fit to do the improvements,” Rolla said.
“The regular pilots at the airport, they absolutely love the new space. It’s also better for people that this is the first taste they’re getting of the city. Having an improved facility for them to come in and say – ‘Yeah, alright’ … that’s the message we want to send,” Rolla said.
For airports like Concord and 12 others in New Hampshire that are eligible, federal funding exists for runway and safety improvements. The usual formula is 90 percent federal, 5 percent state and 5 percent city money.
That formula will be used to upgrade the airport’s 6,000-foot taxiway this year, Rolla said. The pavement will be ground up and re-paved and new lights will be added to improve safety.
However, airport improvement funds are always in short supply, Rolla said, and civilian buildings like the
Concord airport terminal usually are hard pressed to get them.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313, dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
