ERMA – For decades, local officials have tried to bring businesses to the Cape May County Airport, with what could generously be called mixed results. Now, big things are happening at the sprawling complex, with more on the horizon.
Cape May County, which owns the airport and runs some of the buildings at the site, recently broke ground on a $6-million project improving roads, parking areas and one of the airport entrances. Plans call for major renovations to the Lower Township Public Safety Building at the site. It will house the county’s 911 central dispatch facility under the county Office of Emergency Management.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority, which operates the airport under a long-term, $1-a-year agreement with the county, has new tenants signing leases for a new building and also sees things getting better and better there.
County plans call for the demolition of the former Everlon building next year, with the idea of eventually building a campus for high-tech companies at the site.
The huge existing building, most easily described as encompassing two football fields, has been out of use for years. The former fabric plant produced material for car interiors.
All told, the projects mark tens of millions of dollars in new investment at the airport, and those most familiar with the site say things have already changed for the better.
James Salmon, a spokesman for the DRBA, stressed his organization’s close working relationship with Cape May County.
“One of the reasons you’ve seen so much activity there is everybody’s rowing in the same direction,” he said.
Decades in the works
The airport began as a training center for pilots during World War II. According to the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, located in a historic hangar that commemorates the airport’s history, at least 42 airmen died during training as dive bombers at the air station.
After the war, the site became a civilian airport and was deeded to Cape May County. For a time it was the site of both an active commercial air service and a light industrial area.
But near the close of the 20th century, many of the buildings were empty. The county tried several initiatives to revitalize the airport, trying to draw year-round jobs to the area.
In 1999, the DRBA assumed operations at the airport. The bi-state authority oversees the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Its Airport Division also operates airports in Millville, Wilmington, Del., Delaware Airpark, and a Civil Air Terminal.
The two-runway, 996-acre Cape May Airport between Breakwater and Fulling Mill roads in Lower Township hosts about 35,000 take-offs and landings annually.
Because there is no tower, a more exact figure is not available. The combined airport operations for the DRBA break even, and authority officials say the Cape May Airport is close to doing so as well, although that doesn’t include the capital put into the facility.
Over the years, some $22 million in grants and DRBA money has gone toward improvements at the airport, Salmon said. That includes about $2 million in construction costs for a new 15,000-square-foot light industrial building completed this year at 251 Ranger Road.
Last month, the DRBA announced four new tenants, including some expanding from other areas at the complex.
The county and DRBA officials say to expect another announcement soon. Tenants signed up include SRL Floor Covering, Surfside Custom Marine Canvas, George’s Auto Repair and a gym and training facility. The floor covering company is doubling its space at the airport, and DRBA officials say the auto repair place will bring a committed customer base.
“Working with Cape May County officials, we’re focused on creating an environment where businesses can flourish at Cape May Airport,” said Thomas J. Cook, executive director of the DRBA. “The airport is currently undergoing a significant transformation to improve infrastructure and add facilities that will attract new companies, facilitate the growth of its existing tenants, and create new job opportunities for the residents of Cape May County. We’re just getting started.”
Victor Ferzetti, chief financial officer for the DRBA, said in a recent interview that Cape May Brewing Company had had a big impact on the site.
The start-up has seen tremendous growth since it opened at the airport in 2011, undergoing several expansions and drawing new faces to the facility.
Ferzetti said plans call for concentrating consumer oriented and retail operations near the Hornet Road entrance. That will include improvements to the road, drainage, and parking. That’s also where the county enters.
Many Moving Parts
After about a year of planning, work is underway on a project worth close to $6 million covering several improvements, including revamping Hornet Road, according to Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster.
“We’re making it a grand entrance to the airport. There are up-and-coming businesses there,” Foster said.
That includes transforming the two-lane road into a boulevard, and improvements to Breakwater Road, which leads to the building that houses Cape May Brewing Company’s tasting room. But that contract is a catch-all for a lot of needed work, Foster said.
That includes improvements to several parking areas, including one at Lower Township’s Public Safety Building, installing streetlights and sidewalks to connect the airport’s two museums to other attractions, and drainage work.
Foster expects the work to be completed by summer’s end. He said it’s a large project, but one long overdue.
“As long as I’ve been with the county, there’s been very little work on the infrastructure at the airport,” he said.
The current main entrance to the airport, at Lexington Road, leads to several county buildings, the Erma Volunteer Fire Company and the Public Safety Building.
County plans presented at recent meetings show the airport divided into a commercial district, government services district, the historic district and the redevelopment area, among others.
Signs will lead visitors from the commercial center toward the museums, Naval Air Station Wildwood and the neighboring Forgotten Warriors Vietnam Museum. Both are near the airport headquarters, which includes the Flight Deck Diner, another area of the airport officials say seems to be drawing new customers.
Another project is set to upgrade the Lower Township Public Safety Building, to include the county 911 center.
Looking to the future
Carole Mattessich, Cape May County’s economic development coordinator, said no discussion about the airport could be completed without discussing unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, better known as drones.
Last year, the DRBA announced that the airport would participate in a test of a new digital system aimed at avoiding collisions between drones and general aviation aircraft, and in December, startup company Luftronix announced the airport would be its first location in the United States.
The vision is to create a network of high-tech companies in Cape May County, with the airport as the hub. In addition to hosting UAS symposiums, the county also hosts monthly forums on drones.
“They come in from all over the region” to attend the monthly meetings, Mattessich said. “We have a core group with a good number of innovators.”
In a few years, she hopes, the site of the former Everlon building will look very different.
“On our wish-list is to have some kind of tech village there. It will be a tremendous economic boost for the entire county,” she said.
In the search for good-paying, year-round jobs, some things about Cape May County make for a tough sell for potential industries, Mattessich said.
For instance, it’s surrounded by water, and the prevalence of wetlands makes it tough to expand infrastructure to meet specific needs. But she said for many UAS companies; those are attributes. For instance, drones may not be flown over people or buildings under current FAA regulations. That means having an ocean or bay nearby makes for an excellent testing ground. Plus, the quality of life in the region is a draw, she said.
“It was our first shot at going out and romancing an industry,” she said. “With fortune on our side and a lot of hard work, we will be able to increase the number of high-paying, year-round jobs that are available to our residents.”
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.
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