WILLMAR -- Willmar Municipal Airport Manager Steve Wright will resign at the end of December after serving five years in the position. Wright submitted his resignation to Mel Odens, city public works director.
Wright will take a position as airport properties specialist at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wis., where he will handle leases with airlines, hangar owners and others who use the nation's 50th busiest airport.
"Every user has a lease attached to it,'' said Wright. "Each airline that pulls into a gate has an agreement for the use of that gate, so there is a lot of paperwork and a lot of different things involved.''
Wright described General Mitchell as a medium hub airport serving airlines such as Northwest and Midwest, cargo carriers, private companies and others. "There is a diverse mix of aviation users at the airport,'' he said.
Wright said he decided now was a good time to leave because much of the major paperwork for constructing Willmar's new airport is complete.
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"I was trying to assess where (the project) is at because I don't want to leave Willmar without the project being firm on its feet,'' he said.
Wright said he also considered the connection to family members and those of his wife, Jennifer, in the northeastern Illinois and Milwaukee region. "For us it's a great move to get closer to family,'' said Wright. The couple has a year-old son, Elijah.
Wright said he's appreciated and enjoyed his time in Willmar.
"Everybody extended their arms open out to us when we first arrived, and now we feel like we've formed some life-long friends out here in Willmar,'' he said. "It's a great town to let your kids grow up in. We really are going to be sad to leave here.''
Wright said he is one of only a few guys in the country who can say they've participated in construction of a new airport. He praised the city for taking on the project.
"It's been a long project, taking on the construction, the acquisition, now the relocation to the new place,'' he said.
"It's a big project for a small town to take on. It's going to be a great tool to utilize in the next seventy-five to a hundred years. It is an exciting time. I was very grateful I had the opportunity to serve here.''
City officials and the Airport Commission will be evaluating the need for continuing the full-time airport manager position.
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City Administrator Michael Schmit said some Airport Commission members have said a full-time manager may not be needed because the city has completed most of the new airport acquisition and construction, while others think a full-time manager is needed now more than ever.
"I asked the Airport Commission to talk about this at their next meeting,'' he said.
"Hopefully they'll forward to me their ideas and recommendations. And then we'll decide what we need to do, as in any case when we have a vacancy in these key positions.''
