DOVER – After ten long years, DelDOT and the Department of Defense have signed a new joint use agreement for Dover Air Force Base, preparing Dover for the next 50 years of air travel.
The agreement was signed Thursday at an event at the Civil Air Terminal attended by Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Nicole Majeski, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and several other local figures.
Ms. Majeski shone a spotlight on Stephanie Johnson, Director of the Department of Resilience and Sustainability, who was the driving force behind the new agreement that will last a monumental 50 years.
Previous agreements had a term of only 20 years and were therefore not long enough for aviation-related companies to establish themselves with Dover as a hub.
Mrs Johnson spoke about the path that was taken to sign the deal on Thursday.
“I had been in my position in planning for a year and felt like everything was good and settled. I went to Drew (Boyce, then DelDOT’s planning director) and said, ‘Hey, I need a challenge. Give me something,'” Ms. Johnson said.
“And he looked at me and said, ‘I have something for you.’ I had no idea what a challenge this would really be.”
Ms. Johnson later highlighted several other benefits of the new agreement to Daily State News, including a significant increase in the number of flights allowed and the elimination of the previous requirement to provide 72 hours’ notice before the start of commercial flights.
Dover’s Civil Air Terminal will also have its own three-letter name, but this has not yet been decided.
There was also cause for celebration on the military side.
“I told people right away that I had heard about this mythical sharing agreement that was in the works,” said 436th Airlift Wing Commander Col. William C. McDonald: “Thank you to everyone for your hard work in getting this across the finish line because it means so much to the base and the community.”
The US senators present also spoke.
“And that’s what’s going to come out of this: tons of jobs and economic opportunity,” Senator Carper said. “There’s nothing, nothing we can do for the people that gives me more satisfaction. I think I speak for Chris (Coons) and Lisa (Blunt Rochester) in making sure (the people of Dover) have the opportunity to feed themselves, feed their families and be responsible citizens.”
Senator Coons said, “This is an incredible benefit. We have literally paved the way with a brand new, state-of-the-art runway that has a 50-year lifespan. We have laid the foundation with a workforce that comes to Dover to serve, whether active duty or reserve, and then sees how wonderful Dover is as a community, how supportive Kent County is, and what a great place Delaware is.”
“We have the potential here to build on a long-term foundation and achieve truly remarkable economic development.”
Mrs. Majeski and Colonel McDonald signed the agreement in front of two double-decker airplanes directly behind the terminal, marking the first step in Dover’s continued development in this industry.
The Civil Air Terminal is located at 2199 Horsepond Rd.
