State’s Rebuild Illinois program covers 90 percent of multi-element infrastructure overhaul.
MT. VERNON, Ill. — May 8, 2026 — The Mt. Vernon Airport Authority and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning at Mt. Vernon Outland Airport (MVN) to mark the completion of a $977,348 parking lot and entry road rehabilitation — a comprehensive infrastructure project funded primarily through Governor JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program.
The work rehabilitated the airport’s main terminal parking lot, aircraft feeder roads, and Firebaugh Drive on the airfield’s western side. It also included replacement of original 1975-era concrete curbing, crack-sealing and seal-coating of Aviation Drive, and the installation of protective bollards around the parking lot’s light poles. The contract was carried out by E.T. Simonds Construction Company of Carbondale and engineered by Hanson Professional Services Inc., the airport’s longtime consulting engineering firm.
The Illinois Department of Transportation administered the funding, which covered 90 percent of the cost and left a 10% local match for the Airport Authority. Without state participation, the project would have consumed several years of the authority’s annual bonding capacity and forced the work to be phased over many seasons.
“A mile and a half of runway leads to anywhere in the world, but roadways and parking lots complete the connections,” said Chris Collins, Director of Mt. Vernon Outland Airport.
“We are extremely grateful and thankful for Governor Pritzker, the state legislature, and IDOT for helping us do this. Without this funding, we would have had to phase the work out over years and put off other needs,” Collins said.
Keeping the airport open during construction was a central challenge for the project team. E.T. Simonds completed the work in seven phased stages over roughly four weeks, coordinating closely with Hanson’s engineering staff and the airport’s maintenance team to sequence parking closures and minimize disruption to travelers, tenants, and the on-site Bonnie Café.
“The parking lot looked terrible before we started… old, cracked asphalt patched in places with a lot of seal coat where they tried to seal cracks over the years,” said Jim McPhail of E.T. Simonds Construction. “It’s a big improvement for the Mt. Vernon Airport Authority.”
Mt. Vernon Airport Authority Board Chairman Mike Ancona used the occasion to thank both state partners and the local community for their support of the airport.
“Our airport has come a long way in the last 20 years, and it’s good to know that our community sees this airport as an asset,” Ancona said. “We are ranked in this state as one of the foremost small airports in Illinois.”
Representing the state at the ceremony were BJ Murray, Section Chief of IDOT’s Marine and Aviation Transportation Program, and Todd Dugan, Aviation Annual Program Planning Specialist with the Division of Aeronautics. They were joined by Barry Stolz, Regional Aviation Lead and Assistant Vice President at Hanson Professional Services Inc.; Jefferson County Board Chairman Cliff Lindemann; Mt. Vernon Mayor John Lewis; City Manager Nathan McKenna; City Councilman Joe Gloisci; and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jamie Storey, along with members of the Mt. Vernon Airport Authority Board of Commissioners.
The ceremony opened with a moment of silence for Tony Iriti, longtime Executive Director of the Jefferson County Development Corporation, who passed away earlier this week. Collins remembered Iriti for his deep understanding of aviation’s role in regional economic development and his unwavering belief in the airport’s importance to the community.
Mt. Vernon Outland Airport supports approximately 30,000 aircraft operations each year, sells more than 200,000 gallons of aviation fuel annually, and contributes an estimated $40.2 million in annual economic impact to the region.
Mt. Vernon Outland Airport also welcomes more than 100,000 visitors through Bonnie Café each year.