If you haven’t been out to the Perry Municipal Airport for a while, you’re likely in for a bit of a shock. That’s because of the prominent new hangar being constructed on the west side of the facility, which stands out from the surrounding buildings.

Matt Stone, the manager for the fixed-based operator (FBO) Walter Aviation, says the hangar went up quickly once construction got going, and the contractors Jensen Builders expect to be finished with the entire project by mid-to-late October. Additionally, Stone says one aspect of the project will be done this week and ready for use. “They actually just poured half of the new taxiway, so we’re hoping by maybe early next week we’ll be able to be done and people will be able to use the taxiway. The new hangar’s going to be a 100 x 100 building, so we’ll be able to fit all of our airplanes plus some more of our customers’ in there. It should be really, really nice. It’s got a really nice, big door, which for airplane geeks, that’s awesome!”

The next phase of the airport makeover will be the new fuel facility, which will include a larger tank that’s expected to save the City a lot of money. The last part will be the runway extension, though that’s still in the land acquisition phase so it’s not expected to begin for at least another year.