Airport receives $350k, new name
San Marcos Daily Record
David Short, Executive Editor
August 5, 2014
It’s now official. San Marcos Municipal Airport is now San Marcos Regional Airport, a name change that better reflects the facilities mission and purpose in Central Texas. The change has been in the works for some time but had to wait for final approval from both the Federal Aviation Administration and Texas Department of Transportation.
“The new name and corresponding logo are part of the overall branding effort laid out in the airport’s business plan,” Cassidy Berenato, director of marketing and administration, said. “We surveyed airport tenants and users and spoke extensively with stakeholders in the community before choosing ‘San Marcos Regional’ as the name. We’ve received a ton of fantastic press over the past year thanks in large part to the AOPA Regional Fly-in and Redbird’s $1.00 AvGas promotion. Pilots are more familiar with our airport now more than ever.”
And with that familiarity has come more demand for hangar space at the fast-growing airport. One of two major projects that will begin in early 2015 will be more hangars.
“The demand for hangars at San Marcos Regional Airport is off the charts. We have a long wait-list and receive calls almost daily from pilots who want to base here,” Berenato said.
Recognizing the ongoing growth and how the city, through Texas Aviation Partners which manages the airport under contract with the city, has handled the growth, TxDOT last week awarded $350,000 to the airport for additional security fencing and access gates.
“The main goal of the fence is to increase safety. Requiring a code to access the Aircraft Operating Area prevents accidental incursions and limits the number of vehicles operating among aircraft,” Berenato said.
At the same time, the city is “contributing almost $100,000 for parking lot construction.”
“Public parking has been sorely needed at the airport for a long time,” Berenato said. “It makes a lot of sense for us to complete these projects side-by-side.”