New Hangar To Be Built At Ocean County Airport In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — The Ocean County Airport will get a new T-Hangar building, which county officials believe will pay for itself overtime. The Ocean County Board of Freeholders announced Tuesday they awarded a contract for the construction with a completion date of next summer.

"The project will essentially pay for itself through rental, service and operating fees collected by the county from aircraft owners,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari.

The new building will be about 20,000 square feet and consist of 12 units, along with two large-end units that can be used as helicopter pods.

County officials received six bids and awarded the contract to the lowest qualified bidder: Gary Kubiak & Son of Robbinsville for $2.8 million. The company also built an Ocean County-owned T-Hangar building in 1999.

This will be the fifth T-Hangar site at the Ocean County Airport. The 2012 Memorandum of Agreement between the county and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission allows for up to 12 T-Hangar sites on the airfield.

“These hangars are very important to the airport,” Vicari said. “Many visitors to Ocean County own second homes here and are looking for a place to keep their private planes.”

The Ocean County Airport provides a central location for several public-safety services and accommodates various aircrafts. Some tenants include the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Civil Air Patrol, the Ocean Air Support Squadron and emergency medical transport.

Including all pending projects for which funds are encumbered, the airport has seen just under $39 million in total capital improvement funding, of which $29.4 million was provided through grants from the Federal Aviation Administration, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and other entities.

“This new hangar will not result in additional air traffic,” Vicari said. “It will provide a place for airplanes that are on the waiting list for a hangar spot.”

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