County Executive David Crowley appeared at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport with local leaders Friday morning to publicly ask the federal government to help convert the long-closed Concourse E into an international terminal.
The plan to convert the concourse for international flights is not new and dates to before the pandemic, and airport officials call the plans “shovel-ready.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel dipped significantly meaning our revenues were significantly reduced,” airport Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Summer Hegranes told OnMilwaukee last autumn. “Because of that, we had to delay several major capital improvements including the Concourse E project.
“The architectural plans are ready, but construction is delayed until our revenues return to a level that can support the project. There's no set date established for construction to begin.”
Hegranes reiterated the airport’s reminder to Milwaukeeans to fly in and out of Mitchell Airport.
“The more our community flies from their hometown airport, the sooner we can get projects like this off the ground,” she said.
Now Mitchell International Airport officials are pursuing federal funding via President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airport Terminals Program.
"It is a competitive program, so we are not confirming specific amounts," said the airport's Director of Public Affairs & Marketing, Harold Mester, C.M.
"However I can indicate that we would need a federal grant award in the tens of millions for the project to move forward. Without that funding, the project will not move forward."
If received, this federal grant would fund a project that the airport calls, “critical for accommodating international air service, ensuring operational safety, and fostering regional economic growth.”
The redevelopment plan calls for replacing two aging buildings with a state-of-the-art facility that could handle the airport’s increasing number of passengers.
“The current International Arrival Building is outdated, leading to inefficiencies and safety concerns,” a statement from the airport issued Friday said. “This grant would enable Milwaukee County to replace the existing E Concourse with a modern, two-gate facility that eliminates safety and efficiency issues, allows aircrafts to remain at the gate for subsequent departures, meets security standards, and enables expansion opportunities.”
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport says it generates $3 billion in economic activity and employs nearly 26,000 jobs that pay roughly $900 million in wages. Additionally, visitors who arrive through the airport generate revenue via spending and state and local tax revenues.
“A redeveloped international concourse at Mitchell International Airport is important for the future of our regional economy. We know that federal funding is critical for this economic development project to move forward,” said Crowley.
“I am proud of Milwaukee County’s strong partnership with the federal government, and it’s my hope that we receive these funds to enhance the Airport’s competitiveness, making it a more attractive option for airlines, businesses, and travelers, thereby supporting the region’s and state’s economic vitality. By making this project a reality, we will create jobs, open a new front door for visitors to our community, and provide major benefits to Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin for years to come.”
Airport Director Brian Dranzik said that if the funding is received, construction could begin in 2025.
“The overall airport experience is vitally important to meeting planners and leisure visitors alike, and this grant would help keep Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport’s offerings some of the best in its class,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, President and CEO, Visit Milwaukee. “The more nonstop routes we have and the better that overall experience becomes, the more convention business we can secure.
“And the more convention business we secure, the more we are supporting the recently expanded Baird Center, whose success creates a ripple effect across our tourism and hospitality industry, which supports over 27,000 jobs in Milwaukee County and generated over $2.3 billion in the County alone in 2023.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
