The Katama Airfield commission and the Edgartown board of selectmen have accepted gifts of steel building components, an aircraft hangar door, and design services to replace the dilapidated World War II–era hangar
The gift, valued at $190,000, will be purchased with funds by Katama Airfield Trust, an endowed preservation fund that assists in the historic preservation and operational needs of the airfield. Last year, Edgartown voters approved $950,000 to engineer, demolish, expand, and build a new hangar at the Katama Airfield. The town purchased the 90-acre grass airfield in the 1980s.
The trust anticipated that the funds approved at last year’s town meeting and at the ballot box would be used for the steel and construction costs of the hangar, and trust funds would be used for foundation construction, landscaping, and furnishings. But the trust decided to use its funds for the steel, door, and designs, to “expedite the project.”
The airport generates revenue through $10-per-day parking fees and $800 for a yearly parking pass. The airfield has approximately 1,000 landings a year, according to airfield manager Alissa Dasilva.