Dec. 9—Mason City Municipal Airport is undergoing significant renovations, and the city of Clear Lake is stepping in to help.

The airport has been busy with a variety of different projects, one of which is decommissioning the wastewater lagoon system currently in use for sanitary sewer purposes.

Mason City airport will partner with the city of Clear Lake to extend its wastewater collection system out to the airport, allowing for the lagoon system to be decommissioned for good.

The project is estimated to cost $712,000, and is being funded through money given to the airport via the CARES Act. The portion of the wastewater collection system being extended in Clear Lake is estimated to cost less than $10,000.

Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory said he anticipates bid letting to occur in early 2022, with an aim to begin construction in May and wrap up by September.

Members of Clear Lake city government spoke highly of the ongoing projects at the airport, and praised the opportunity to partner with another government entity on the project.

"This CARES Act funding is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Flory said. "I think it's a great, great project. One of those unique opportunities of government entities working together... it's nice to be able to help out other governments when we have these opportunities."

"This is a great little collaboration between multiple government entities," council member Bennett Smith said. "Very positive for all of North Iowa, really."

The wastewater changes are just one of the many ongoing projects currently being undertaken at the Mason City Municipal Airport, the largest of which is an expansion of the terminal currently being used.

The airport is currently looking at either renovating the current terminal, or building an entirely new terminal. This project is being advanced largely to accommodate United Airlines' service through SkyWest Airlines there, which offers daily, 50-person flights to and from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

"The current terminal is not big enough to handle the capacity from United's service," Mason City Airport manager David Sims explained. "It just can't handle 50 passengers."

While the expansion project is still in the planning phase, it's estimated to cost between $8 to $14 million, depending on whether a new building is constructed.

The airport has received $12 million in federal funding for the expansion project, but work must be completed by May of 2024 to receive those funds.

The Clear Lake City Council unanimously approved the agreement with Mason City Municipal Airport.

Zachary Dupont covers politics and business development for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at 641-421-0533 or [email protected]. Follow Zachary on Twitter at @ZachNDupont

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