A local airport is showing off its facelift and is hoping to show passengers it can be a go-to place for flights. The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

The airport has officially finished the $4.8 million phase one of it's two phase renovation project. And one of the biggest changes travelers will find is safety.

A crowd gathered at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport with applause for the completion of a new and improved facility on Tuesday.

"It's beautiful. There's a lot more room, a lot more space for the passengers to sit in the waiting area," Pamela Speckiem of Eau Claire said.

"It's really quite impressive compared to the old airport," Eau Claire County Board member John Prince said.

Airport Manager Charity Speich says the 69-year-old airport is now more secure and spacious.
She says her plan was to prove to skeptics that a smaller regional airport can serve travelers.

"We weren't really a customer, user-friendly facility before and we really needed to enhance our image to the public and tell the public we're a legitimate, real airport," Speich said.

Speich says Senator Kohl and Representative Obey helped get funding for the project through the Federal Aviation Administration. She says that helped make it possible to finish these updates more quickly.

“We originally planned to do many more phases, about four, but we were able to do some re-designing and some funding became available that allowed us to shrink it,” Speich said.

Eau Claire County Board Chair Gregg Moore says having a larger, more modern airport is a great way to lure more visitors to the region.

“I think it gives a real good diverse transportation system. We've got a good highway system and now we've got even better air travel opportunities here in the Chippewa Valley,” Moore said.

And travelers agreed.

“It looks a lot more modern. It's definitely more up-to-date," Speckiem said.

Phase two of the renovation project is set to start in June of 2010 and Speich says their goal is to be finished sometime in 2011. In that phase the airport will get a passenger boarding bridge, a new baggage carousel and more. Speich says about 40,000-50,000 people use the airport every year.