Pittsfield city airport to get two new hangars

By Editor | July 13, 2026 |

By BETH ZUMWALT

According to Federal Aviation Agency standards, every airport must have a certain amount of planes that call that airport home. For the Penstone Airport at Pittsfield, that number is nine.
And due to lack of hangar space, the number of aircraft registered to the airport is always hovering around that number.
But that could change with the addition of two new hangers.
The Pittsfield City Council heard a proposal at their July 7 meeting to acquire two portable hangers from the Springfield Airport.
“Our FAA engineer called me and said that Springfield was getting rid of two of their portable hangers,” Gary Mendenhall, mayor, said. “He thought they would be perfect for us.”
Mendenhall immediately put a plan together to acquire the hangers.
“We have a list of people wanting hanger space. Some have been waiting a year,” Mendenhall said. “These are free except we have to pay for the take down and transport them. But, they are portable.They are made to be taken down and transported.”
Mendenhall said he had contacted a few contractors from the Springfield area that he felt would be capable of performing the task.
Although he has not been given a timeline, Mendenhall said he assumes the Springfield authorities will want the hangers gone sooner rather than later.
“Hopefully, we can have them here by fall,” he said.
The additional hanger space means more planes can declare Pittsfield-Penstone Airport their home and keep the airport above the threshold to continue to receive federal dollars for the upkeep of the airport. Currently, the airport receives approximately $150,000 per year in federal monies just for the airport.
This year, the city is spending its federal dollars on new lighting for the runways and planning to save some to add a taxi way from the end of the runway back to the hanger. Currently, aircraft have to use the runway and the FAA discourages this practice.
Th city is also looking for new members for the Pittsfield Historical Preservation Committee. The nine member board has recently had a few resignations/retirements and would like to have three or four people to join the board.
Anyone interested should contact Mendenhall at city hall.
Also at the meeting, the finance committee presented a balanced budget for review with passage expected at the July 21 meeting.
The street and alley committee also announced the work at the intersection of Fayette and Clarksville Road is nearly completed.
North Mississippi Street, from Washington to Adams, will be closed Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon for a Lift Like Jesse event. Jesse Davidsmeyer was an avid weight lifter and a senior at Pittsfield High School when he died in an auto accident May 24, 2025. His family has a foundation that helps fund extra curricular activities in the Pikeland School District.