Spokane Airport Board restoring Nick Mamer Memorial Clock, building new taxi lane

The Spokane Airport Board is moving forward with several improvements to Felts Field that include a building a new taxi lane and hangars as well as restoring the Nick Mamer Memorial Clock.

Larry Krauter, Spokane International Airport, Felts Field & Airport Business Park CEO, said there has been a considerable amount of demand for hangar space at Felts Field and that’s driving the proposed improvements.

The airport board created five lots in the midfield area at Felts Field for people to build hangars. All of the parcels are under lease, with hangers to be built later this year, he said.

An environmental review recently filed with the state Department of Ecology indicates plans for four 50-foot by 50-foot hangars and one 60-foot by 120-foot hangar.

The airport improvements include restoring the historic character of the Nick Mamer Memorial Clock. The 40-foot, art deco clock, built in 1939 to honor Spokane aviator Nick Mamer, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Restoration of the historic clock includes cleaning concrete and brass surfaces as well as replacing lights on the inside of the tower to illuminate the red circle hour indicators, according to the environmental review.

The airport board is also building a children’s play area surrounding the clock.

“The idea initially was to restore the (clock) but it has been on my mind for many years to have an aviation-themed playground area around the clock tower,” Krauter said. “There’s a nice grass area. It has great views of the airfield and is next to the Skyway Cafe. So, we decided to combine those projects.”

The airport board is working on a Felts Field master plan that addresses opportunity for growth at the airport in the next 20 years. The board is also developing concepts for a gateway project that includes new signage and landscaping at the airport’s entrance near Trent Avenue and Fancher Road.

The Felts Field improvements come as the airport board completed a $1.5 million fuel facility relocation project last year and the Historic Flight Foundation opened its aviation-themed museum in December.

Construction on the taxi lane, hangars and restoration of the Nick Mamer Memorial Clock are slated to begin in the summer.