New $3.13 million maintenance hangar dedicated at Merrill Airport, filling vital regional gap

On Friday, August 14, 2026, local, state, and federal officials gathered at the Merrill Municipal Airport for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate a new, state-of-the-art $3.13 million aircraft maintenance hangar. Located at 1701 Champagne Drive — immediately north of the NTC Public Safety Center of Excellence and next to the new airport terminal building — the 100-foot by 100-foot facility officially establishes the Merrill Airport as a crucial aviation maintenance hub in North Central Wisconsin, addressing a major service void in the region.
The ceremony began with opening remarks from Airport Commission Chairman Gary Schwartz, who used a map to illustrate the critical need for the facility. Schwartz highlighted that within a 100-mile radius (200-mile diameter) of Merrill — an area covering approximately 6,280 square miles — there are virtually no full-time aircraft maintenance facilities of this scale.
“This circle has 6,280 square miles in it, and we’re the one,” Schwartz remarked, emphasizing the geographic importance of the project. “It’s an important project that we’re doing here.”
Schwartz further explained the unique value of the facility: “An aviation maintenance and repair shop is very hard to find in the United States. The fact that we have that service based at the Merrill Airport makes Merrill a unique gem in the industry, and a destination for pilots throughout Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. With our facility now being used as a training school for future mechanics, it showcases how important this airport is to our community.”

A collaborative “team effort” to secure funding

The project, which began design in March 2024 and saw its construction contract signed in July 2025, represents a total investment of $3.13 million. Funding was secured through a multi-tiered partnership combining federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) dollars, bipartisan infrastructure law (IIJA) grant funds, state funds, tax increment financing (TIF), and municipal contributions.
Merrill Mayor Steve Hass noted that these diverse funding sources made the decision to build much easier.
“We were able to use funds from the federal and state government and our tax increment financing to pay for the project to keep expenses to the taxpayer at a minimum,” Mayor Hass said. “The planned sale of the former terminal building will also be used to offset the costs.”
Schwartz emphasized that completing a municipal project of this magnitude required extensive, coordinated teamwork. “In business, you could go out and build a building. Doesn’t work that way in government,” Schwartz said. “It started at the commission. It went to the city administrator. It went to the mayor. It went to the council. It went to BOA [Bureau of Aeronautics]. It went to FAA [Federal Aviation Administration]. And then it went to Congressman Tiffany to help get over the finish line. That’s the team.”
Congressman Tom Tiffany, who was on hand to cut the ribbon, commended Schwartz’s relentless advocacy in working through federal regulatory hurdles to secure the necessary funding allocations. Tiffany recalled their initial discussions three to four years prior regarding the airport’s challenges.
“There’s one that was the straw that stirred the drink, and that’s Gary Schwartz,” Congressman Tiffany said, praising Schwartz’s persistence. Tiffany described Wisconsin’s network of airports as a “treasure” and noted that the new hangar makes Merrill “this hub now for maintenance ... a real asset to our state as well as North Central Wisconsin.”

State-of-the-art technical specifications
Karl Kemper, President and Engineering Project Manager of Becher Hoppe Associates — the engineering firm that has partnered with the Merrill Airport since 1955 — provided the technical background on the new facility.
The hangar boasts impressive physical and structural capabilities designed to meet modern aviation demands:
• Dimensions: The hangar is 100 feet wide by 100 feet deep, allowing for the simultaneous staging of multiple small aircraft.

• Hangar door: The door measures 80 feet wide by 24 feet tall, enabling the facility to accommodate medium-sized corporate jets during severe weather. The door weighs 24,000 pounds, while the main hangar framework weighs 82,000 pounds, bringing the total structural weight of the frame and door to 106,000 pounds.
• Climate & safety systems: The hangar features energy-efficient in-floor heating with supplemental forced air, alongside a snow-melt system built into the concrete apron outside to maintain traction in winter. It is fully ventilated and protected by a complete sprinkler system.
• Maintenance utilities: The structure includes an office, bathroom, mechanical room, and a mezzanine for parts and supply storage. It is also structurally reinforced to support an overhead crane for aircraft gear swaps and engine removals.
The new facility houses Park City Aviation, a central hub for aviation repairs, providing vital “breathing room” for the operation led by Airport Manager and mechanic Rich McCullough. McCullough provides aircraft maintenance in the building, which will now also double as an educational facility.

Serving the community and training the future workforce

Local leaders highlighted that the airport is far more than a recreational facility. Mayor Hass emphasized the airport’s direct role in bolstering the local economy by attracting businesses, visitors, and new economic opportunities to the city.
“For a long time, many people have viewed the airport as a country club for those who own planes. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Mayor Hass said. “Just like our parks, an airport is an asset to our city ... If we want Merrill to keep growing and moving in a positive direction, having an airport like this is vital.”
In addition to serving active pilots, the facility will directly support workforce development. The hangar will serve as a school for apprentice students learning the art of aircraft repair. This training program is part of the Youth Apprentice Program based out of local high schools, including Merrill.
Karla Knorr, Director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Aeronautics, applauded Merrill’s commitment to training future technicians. “Investing in our youth is so incredibly important, because that is a huge need for us as aviation maintenance,” Knorr said, praising the long-term investment.
The critical nature of the airport was also echoed by representatives of LifeLink III, a nonprofit air medical transport provider that conducts over 4,000 critical care emergency flights annually across Wisconsin and Minnesota. LifeLink III utilizes Merrill Airport for fuel stops, emergency weather landings, and ground ambulance rendezvous to transport critical care patients to regional hospitals.
“This facility, this project, represents a lot more than just a building,” a LifeLink III spokesperson said, noting that a robust regional airport directly “plays a role in saving lives.”

Dedication and ribbon-cutting
The ceremony concluded with the official ribbon-cutting outside the new facility, framed by a parked LifeLink III helicopter and a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.
The event drew a wide array of local and state figures, including Congressman Tom Tiffany, Merrill City Council members Alderman Mike Caylor, Alderperson LaDonna Fermanich, Alderman Andrew Caylor, and Alderman Mark Wiex, alongside City Administrator Rod Akey, Merrill Mayor Steve Hass, representatives from the Merrill Fire Department, and general contractor Urban Construction.
With the ribbon officially cut, local pilots and residents expressed optimism that the facility will secure Merrill’s position as a vital economic and safety hub for decades to come.