SAND SPRINGS — Last spring, the Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics Commission approved a $520 million, five‑year program to improve the state’s airports.
The comprehensive initiative funds 176 total infrastructure developments, including at the William R. Pogue Municipal Airport in Sand Springs.
Running from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031, the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics’ (ODAA) Airport Construction Program (ACP) pools federal, state, and local funds to accelerate aviation business growth and enhance safety measures statewide. The strategy targets infrastructure needs to attract new commercial investment and transform airports into stronger economic drivers for local communities, while ensuring aviation facilities support the state’s transportation needs.
“This plan represents a bold, pro-growth vision for Oklahoma and continues our leap into the global aerospace economy,” said Grayson Ardies, ODAA executive director. “We’re not just maintaining runways; we’re building a world-class network capable of supporting next-generation commercial aircraft and pioneering aerospace industry operations to drive our state’s economy for decades.”
As part of a long-term improvement program, Sand Springs will launch a pavement rehabilitation plan to reinforce its runway and the west parallel taxiway. Designed to immediately follow upcoming terminal and hangar upgrades on the airport’s west side, the pavement project will be executed in two targeted phases between 2029 and 2031 to minimize airfield disruptions. The FAA will fund about $8.1 million, while ODAA and the City of Sand Springs will each provide $450,000 in matching funds to the project.
The terminal project involves the remodel of the Northwest Fixed Base Operator and Terminal building for the City of Sand Springs with comprehensive plans covering accessibility, life safety, architectural layouts, electrical, lighting, and mechanical systems.
Total project value of $1.74 million, is funded partly through the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP).
Airport Manager Erica Elpers said former Airport Manager Ken Madison helped get the terminal project rolling.
“This hangar building had been empty for about five years and the Sand Springs Home owned it and was periodically renting it out or leasing it out to other companies,” she said. “And (former airport manager) Ken Madison brought it to the city manager, Mike Carter, attention, and we got with the Home and we finally were able to talk to them and make a deal so that the city would be able to purchase it because it had sat empty for so long.”
Elpers said the terminal building project includes adding an elevator to the two-story facility.
“An elevator is going to be going in because this facility's two stories and it doesn't have an elevator,” she said. “So, we're going to get that to code for that. So, we're planning on moving our facility, our offices over to the new terminal building and running the airport out of that.”
Elpers said the remodeling will take 8 to 10 months to complete.
She added the City hasn’t decided what to do with the old terminal building once remodeling is finished.
“We're not sure yet,” Elpers said. “There's been a lot of people interested in this old terminal building, but that is something that the airport board and then the city manager and obviously the city council will have to think of and determine what they would like done with this old terminal building. It was originally a hangar, so there's options to convert it or if we were to sell it or rent it out, there are options to make this back into a hangar.”
Elpers said the remodeled terminal will make it more appealing to pilots and passengers. “We'll step into the 21st century if you shall, and it'll just be a nice little area to gather, not only for the pilots and the passengers,” she said. “But I think it'll be a good area for the Sand Springs community to come up and look and just have a more of a warm welcome into looking at airplanes and watching airplanes land. So, we're expecting it to just grow this airport and get ready for the next chapter.”