The Camdenton Board of Aldermen have agreed to give the revamped Camdenton city airport the new name of "Camdenton Lake of the Ozarks Regional Airport at Veterans Memorial Field."
The name was chosen after local residents objected to the removal of "memorial" from the airport's name.
The airport was originally named the Camdenton Memorial Airport in the late 1940s, as a way of honoring local World War II veterans, according to Jeff Hancock of Camdenton.
Because the $7.6 million revamping project includes improvements to both the apron and hangar areas and an extension of the runway, the airport's name with the FAA has also been changed. For that reason, personnel with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) suggested it was also a good time for the city to change the official name.
The addition of the words "Lake of the Ozarks" to the official name was the town's way of identifying the facility as providing service to the entire region, Hancock said.
In early October, the board approved the name change to "Camdenton/Lake of the Ozarks Regional Airport."
But shortly after the new name was announced, several residents appeared before the board to object the removal of "Memorial" from the name. Aldermen voted to send the issue back to the Airport Advisory Board and to accept the board's recommendation.
The new name will be registered with the FAA, but the words "At Veterans Memorial Field" will be left off those official documents. Those words will be included on new outdoor signage at the location.
In addition to the official name change, the airport's FAA identifier has also been changed from "H-21" to "OZS" in recognition of its location at Lake of the Ozarks.
The revamping of the airport, along with the 1,000-foot runway extension, is being handled in three phases with the construction paid for by a series of aviation grants from the federal government and MoDOT. The first phase was completed last summer at a cost of $370,000 and included the rebuilding and expansion of the apron area and several hangars.
Phase two of the project will include an environmental study and the purchase of additional land needed to expand the runway.
The final phase - the actual construction of the runway extension - is expected to be completed in 2016.