Construction has begun on a $48 million hangar project at Spanish Fork Airport in Utah, led by Barco Construction. The project includes the development of a new Utah Aviation Business Park, Main Street Flight Center, and expansion of the airfield to accommodate more planes. The effort aims to beautify Main Street and bring in new tenants like Flight Academy, providing opportunities for employment and business growth in the Spanish Fork area.
Photo courtesy of Utah Aviation
Site prep is well under way for a hangar development project at Spanish Fork Airport.
Construction has begun in Utah on a $48 million hangar development project at Spanish Fork Airport. The effort is the latest partnership between the facility and Utah Aviation.
"Spanish Fork Airport has a need for growth, as the Utah County area continues to grow," Utah Aviation Project Manager Devan Cahoon said. "This expansion will allow for more planes on the airfield and give more opportunities for travel in and out of Spanish Fork. The project also will beautify Main Street, where the airport sits.
"We are bringing in Flight Academy as one of the main tenants. They will be operating their flight school, as well as bringing plane manufacturing to the airport, which will provide many employment opportunities."
Photo courtesy of Utah Aviation
Cruiser Aircraft USA also will serve as an anchor tenant.
The official name of the completed effort will be Utah Aviation Business Park, with this portion to be known as Main Street Flight Center.
A groundbreaking ceremony to recognize the project took place in May.
"We had huge support from city employees, contractors and all our subs," Cahoon said. "Spanish Fork City Mayor Mike Mendenhall spoke, as well as Brandon Wilson and Steve Wilson, the owners of Utah Aviation. We had more than100 people come out.
"Steve Wilson has worked on the airfield for 18 years and is a major part of this project coming about," Cahoon continued. "He has worked with the airport in building more than 40 hangars prior to this project and has more than 25 years of experience developing commercial space throughout Utah."
Cahoon said positioning the new development on Main Street is significant.
"These hangars are one-of-a-kind, and a huge opportunity for Utah Aviation and all the involved contractors to work on historic Spanish Fork Main Street. This is a huge step for Spanish Fork City and Spanish Fork Airport to work together to complete and beautify Spanish Fork Main Street in a way that complements both the city and airport."
In the previous six years, Utah Aviation has invested tens of millions of dollars to build 51 hangars at the airport. Completed hangars have ranged from 3,600 to 21,000 sq. ft.
The current project will feature more than two dozen hangars, ranging from $800,000 to $5 million, at 4,900 to 54,000 sq. ft. They will accommodate various aircraft types and uses.
"The owners of the hangars have the option to do many types of tenant improvements," Cahoon said. "Kitchens, temporary living quarters, event venue spaces and many other options exist for those who want to use their hangar for more than just storing planes.
"Flight Academy is a great example of different types of uses for these hangars. They'll be doing flight schools, manufacturing, maintenance and classroom space for the needs of their business. Others will be storing their private places used for business and recreational purposes. We have all types of hangar owners eager to get into their new spaces."
Cahoon said bringing businesses to Spanish Fork is vital to the area.
"We live in Spanish Fork, so we are heavily invested in the strength and growth of the community. It continues to grow along with the rest of Utah County. We love working with city of Spanish Fork leaders because we know we can provide the best possible outcome on any project. They understand our needs and expectations, and they continue to bring business after business to the community, providing countless jobs and growth opportunities."
The hangar development got under way in July 2024. Barco Construction serves as the contractor.
"Barco Construction is well known in the community and the state," Cahoon said. "They have extensive experience erecting and completing hangars and metal structures.
"Wilson Excavation will be performing all the dirt work and ground prep. They are very well equipped and have done many projects in Spanish Fork and across Utah. From Hobby Lobby and Texas Roadhouse to large road projects and city utility installations, they can do it all and are already going guns blazing."
According to Cahoon, the main concern for workers right now is water.
Photo courtesy of Utah Aviation
"They are currently installing the main sewer line that runs along Main Street, and there's a canal that workers had to reroute water from as they move south along the road. This has slowed things a bit, but steady progress has been made, even with the water challenges."
Crews also are focused on grading the first 500 ft. on the west side of Main Street. This is where the largest hangars will be erected. Once this portion is completed, Barco will begin the prep process on the hangars further west.
Before the project started, the ground was mostly sagebrush and gravel. Only minor demolition was needed.
In addition, because of Utah's weather patterns, Cahoon said workers have been mindful of the forecast.
"It's a race to pave before Oct. 15. We will push as hard as we can to get as far as we can on the project. Depending on the progress made, wintertime will most likely be spent putting up the building we are able to get the foundations in for."
Equipment on site includes several large backhoes; several front-end loaders; a dozer; water trucks; and smaller machinery such as mini-excavators and skid steers.
"During this phase of the project, we've needed several hundred yards of gravel, which has been installed around the huge concrete sewer pipes. The pipes are 6 ft. tall on the inside and require large equipment and careful operators to install correctly and safely."
Cahoon said working on the project is a tremendous honor for the Utah Aviation team.
"Spanish Fork Main Street is a heavily used roadway. For us to be a part of completing and beautifying this section is an honor we don't take lightly. This has been a vision of Steve Wilson's for many years, and for us to be able to bring it to life in such an amazing partnership with the airport is a dream come true." CEG
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