Holmes County Airport Clears Rental Buildings to Make Way for Expansion

Three rental buildings adjacent to Holmes County Airport have been razed, clearing the ground for new hangar construction the Airport Authority hopes to have under roof before winter sets in. The demolition came after the structures sustained heavy wind damage and their tenant, Hox Recycling, vacated the site near Millersburg.

Airport Authority board member Roc Baker presented the project's progress to the Holmes County Commissioners on March 23, calling the tenant departure a cleaner exit than expected. "We originally thought they were going to leave and force us to clean up all of the stuff they had collected, but they have removed that and we are delighted," Baker said. Hox Recycling took all collected material when it moved out, leaving the site ready for demolition rather than a costly cleanup.

Holmes County Planning Commissioner Arnie Oliver moved quickly once the buildings were vacated, putting plans in place that allowed the three wind-damaged structures to be razed. Oliver also flagged a potential funding path: state demolition and county beautification grants currently have available funds, and he indicated the airport site would qualify. "We have a couple of homes we aren't doing with the current grant that we've kicked out, but the county has been awarded this grant, so you would definitely be entitled to use those funds to take this property down," Oliver told commissioners.

Baker said the authority wants the demolition to go all the way to bare dirt so the footprint is ready for hangar construction. The authority has already held design meetings and worked through preliminary layouts. "We looked at preliminary things and made adjustments where it made sense," Baker said. "If that proceeds along, we'd like to have walls up by the time snow flies this winter. We're looking at least at having a roof on by the end of 2026."

Commissioner Dave Hall noted the timeline will depend on how quickly the county wants to move the bid process forward. The next step is bringing in a contractor to write specifications for the remaining demolition, develop a cost estimate, and issue a formal request for bid.

The hangar expansion fits into a broader $3 million modernization effort the commissioners formally set in motion in December 2025, when they approved design-build negotiations with Weaver Commercial Contractors Inc. for both a new hangar and a partial terminal upgrade at the 200-acre airport two miles southwest of Millersburg. The stated goals are straightforward: more aircraft storage capacity and a facility that is more inviting for pilots flying into Holmes County.