Lake Twp. wants to ground idea to close airport

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MILLBURY — The Lake Township trustees are concerned that the City of Toledo may be interested in clipping the wings of the executive airport.

The Toledo Executive Airfield, formerly known as Metcalf Field, is located physically in Lake Township, just behind the administration building off Ohio 795. The airport, however, is operated by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Trustees Ken Gilsdorf and Richard Welling said that Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, in his 2023 State of the City address, mentioned decommissioning the airport and getting a lithium battery plant built on the site. A request for comment from the mayor’s office was not returned.

The township and the city have a Joint Economic Development District contract, Welling said.

“We have a 30-year JEDD agreement with them that basically preserves the airport and develops the western section of it,” he said. “But since the new mayor came in, we’ve never had any meetings with him.”

The two trustees said they also have not been able to set up a meeting to discuss this new development with the airport.

Welling said the airport is well used and historical.

“This is an historic airport. Charles Lindbergh flew in here with the Spirit of St. Louis. Amelia Earhart flew in here,” Welling said. “It’s only five years shy of being 100 years old.”

It’s also busy, Gilsdorf said.

“Not counting the 180th (fighter wing out of Toledo), there’s more planes that come out of this airport than there is out of Toledo Express,” he said.

Celebrities and dignitaries also use the small airfield, they said.

Welling questioned building a lithium production plant adjacent to the Lake Local Schools campus — which has a $36 million new elementary under construction.

According to the Toledo Executive Airport website, it is primarily used for corporate aviation, premium air freight services, law enforcement, flight training and privately owned aircraft. It is an FAA designated reliever airport to Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.

The Toledo Airport Committee was established June 22, 1927 and tasked with raising funds to establish an airport in Toledo, and on June 3, 1928, the Transcontinental Airport of Toledo Inc. (a private enterprise) opened. It soon became the second largest airport east of the Rocky Mountains. However, when the Great Depression hit, airport traffic decreased significantly and the Transcontinental Airport of Toledo Inc. ultimately closed.

The City of Toledo acquired the rights to the airfield, renamed it Toledo Municipal Airport. The airport became a general aviation airport under the name Metcalf Field. In 1973, The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority acquired the airport. In 2011, the port authority renamed the airport to Toledo Executive Airport.

Tenants at Toledo Executive Airport include:

Glass City Aviation Services, LLC

Air America Aviation Services

Blue Horizons Flying Club, Inc.

EAA Chapter 582

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