New Hangar expands options at Waseca Municipal Airport

The first airport in this area was south of Waseca, privately owned and built in the 1930s. That has since closed, leaving the Waseca Municipal Airport, which started operations in 1974 two miles west of town. According to airport director of engineering Nate Willey, the airport currently serves as home base for 26 single engine aircraft. The airport handles up to 12,500 aircraft arrivals and departures each year. Because the airport isn’t privately owned, the governing body is a board consisting of five members. Four are from the general public, one is also a city council member.

APX Construction Group is headquartered in Mankato. After submitting the successful bid last spring, APX began working on a new hangar out at the Waseca Municipal Airport. Mark Indrelie has been with APX for the last year and a half. Construction was originally begun in April, but with all the spring rain, the expected completion date has been delayed from mid-September to “the latter half of October.”

Director of engineering Willey has been with the airport for the past three and a half years. Willey said, “This construction project has been in the works for a long time. The new hangar has been funded by 95 percent entitlement grants and 5 percent by the airport.” Willey says he is very pleased the hangar construction is underway; the new building’s stalls will be 45 feet by 55 feet, and will add options for aircraft owners looking for spaces to store their planes.

Frustrated with the rain, superintendent Indrelie had difficulties especially in the spring, “We have a set schedule to follow, so we only have so many days to build it.” This week he was waiting for paint. In the next few weeks, he’ll be waiting for steel to arrive. Proud of his company, Indrelie said, “At APX we like to hire local when we can.” Which helps Waseca residents looking for work. Indrelie likes Waseca so much he sometimes “forgets” his lunch so he can dine in town.

Area plane owners are already expressing interest in the new hangar bays. Said Willey, “Of the four new spots, two might already be spoken for–but there are others available.” When asked about up and coming projects, Willey says the plan is to update some of the runway lights next year. He hopes that project, too, might be at least partially funded with grants. But with 12,500 yearly operations out at the Waseca Municipal Airport, Willey could be busy for a while. He says the intent is to build other hangars in the future, but that no date has been set for those projects. 

Anyone looking for hangar space to rent is invited to reach out to Willey at 507-835-9716.