Dane County Regional Airport to get more covered parking

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Barry Adams

Dane County officials unveiled a $20 million plan Thursday to add more parking at the Dane County Regional Airport.

The project, scheduled to begin this spring and completed by December, would add three levels of parking to the existing parking structure at the airport, add 1,500 parking spots and bring the airport’s covered parking capacity to 3,489 spots.

In 2013, 1.68 million passengers passed through the terminal, the second highest ridership rate in airport history. The project, paid for through parking revenue, is seen as instrumental in making not only the airport an easier place to use and navigate but as an economic development tool for the region.

“When you think about comparing the experience here to some of the larger airports in the Midwest, it is frankly very easy to fly in and out of,” said County Executive Joe Parisi. “You can park your car and you can be within yards of the front door and we want to make sure that experience remains the same for our passengers.”

Parisi was joined at the announcement by Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, and Paul Jadin, president of the Madison Region Economic Partnership, an economic development organization for an eight county area of southern Wisconsin.

The pair highlighted the use of the airport by growing technology companies like Epic Systems in Verona and Promega in Fitchburg and in its role of keeping emerging companies in the region.

“This is a wonderful addition to the Madison region economy,” Jadin said. “When you have a quality airport and the amenities that come with this kind of quality airport, it is much easier for us to lure business.”

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