Sedgwick County appraiser speaks out after spike in county property valuations
15 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you have ever wondered how vital an airport can be to a Kansas town, no matter how big or small, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has the answer.
For example, Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport supports 20,583 jobs and has an economic output of $6.1 billion.
Other AirportsJobs SupportedEconomic OutputTopeka Regional1,774$199.9 millionSalina Regional640$31.9 millionGarden City Regional232$44.5 millionGreat Bend Municipal137$22.2 millionHays Regional170$22 millionGoodland Municipal128$29.8 millionCourtesy KDOT Division of Aviation
“Every airport serves a unique and important role for their community,” Bob Brock, KDOT director of aviation, said in a news release. “It is this uniqueness that makes credible data on individual airports even more important to local, state and national decision-makers.”
KDOT’s Division of Aviation worked with industry experts to get a close-up look at all 140 public-use airports across Kansas and put the details on a new website. The data includes the economic impact on the community, the condition of the runways and which ones need improvements.
Click here for KDOT’s Aviation website. You can choose between the pavement management tool and economic impact on the website.
“With this combination of data for every airport, KDOT expects significant improvement in projects that deliver the most positive impact for the community as well as increased capacity to complete projects more efficiently,” Brock said.
Communities and airport operators can also use KDOT’s Aviation website to get information about applying for grants, including through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program, which has helped with more than 800 airport improvement projects over the past 22 years.