McFarlane Aviation to start expansion project after county commissioners approved plans

McFarlane Aviation hopes to break ground on an expansion project before winter hits, after Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved its construction plans during their weekly meeting on Wednesday.

The light aircraft parts manufacturing business has been in operation since 1979 said General Manager Dan McFarlane. And the company has been steadily growing, necessitating the upcoming expansion.

“This is just a continuation of some slow growth,” McFarlane said. “We keep adding new products and expanding the reach of our product lines. We sell aircraft parts around the country and have distributors worldwide, and there’s a growing demand for new products.”

Currently the company houses just fewer than 60 employees in its 44,000-square-foot space, McFarlane said. This project will add a 24,000-square-foot industrial building, allowing for the addition of several dozen new employees over the course of the next few years.

The new construction will take place on a lot adjacent to the company’s current operation at 696 East 1700 Road, near Vinland, McFarlane said. Additional parking for new employees will also be added.

Construction should last around six months, McFarlane said. Allowing the company to start moving into the new building sometime in May.

At the meeting commissioners also unanimously approved the county’s annual purchase of crack seal material, a rubberized product used to patch openings on hard-surface roads.

Commissioners meet at 4 p.m. each Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meetings are open to the public.

The commission’s full agendas can be found online at www.douglascountyks.org/commission/meetings.