AIR POWER PARK GETS A BIG BOOST
Hampton gets $700K in funds from the federal government
HAMPTON — A time ago, Hampton’s Air Power Park had three Ajax missiles — two were repainted white, remounted and now flank the entrance.
A third rocketed to Isle of Wight in November. Also spiffing up the park are intrepretive panels and a colonnade with a restored central mast, new flagpoles and flags, each representing the six military branches and NASA.
They are among the newest additions at the park on Mercury Boulevard, but the latest boost is a $707,008 federal grant the city announced Wednesday. It’s money that will go a long way toward fixing drainage problems, grading the land and repairing infrastructure, officials said. The funding comes from the Office of Economic Adjustment at the Department of Defense.
“We are all jumping stumps. It allows us to proceed. Without it, we could not proceed as we wanted to,” Allen Hoilman, curator at the Hampton History Museum. “This is some confirmation from higher authorities that we are on the right path … making a clear case what we are doing is worthwhile.”
The grant will cover half of the cost to stabilize the grounds and save it from flooding and erosion that happens during an average rainstorm. The 15-acre parcel is adjacent to Newmarket Creek wetlands. When it rains, water from the creek spills over and doesn’t drain. It results in muddy grass and pools of water around the artifacts, and the only solution is to wait until it evaporates, Hoilman said.
Officials also plan to install a new rail along the Newmarket Creek shoreline that will complement the 2.25-mile “Waterwalk” nature trail, and a handicap accessible kayak launch with the floating dock. This phase of work
should be complete in 2021.
Air Power Park opened in 1966 and featured multiple vintage aircrafts, most on loan from NASA Langley, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force or the National Museum of Naval Aviation. The agreements required officials to maintain the displays and keep them in optimal condition. Over the years, displays had rusted or had faded or peeling paint.
In 2017, the city’s Park, Recreation and Leisure department began managing the site and started a multi-phase renovation project. Hampton set aside $3 million from the fiscal 2019 capital improvement plan toward upgrades and repairs. Since, city hired a contractor, who has repainted and cleaned more than a dozen aircraft displays. The park which remained open throughout most renovations, showcased newly restored aircraft such as “Little Joe” and the “Corporal” missile during the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing July 2019.
Future projects will be renovations to the unique geodesic dome building that houses more than 325 models of aircraft, spacecraft and nautical vessels, and a new themed playground, which should be completed in a few years, Hoilman said.
Even during the pandemic shutdown, while the main Air Power Park build closed, the grounds remained open to the public. Hoilman is convinced the park has some of its best attendance, perhaps because people were looking for something to do.
“Our visitation at Air Power park increase. It’s anecdotal and having worked out there two or three times a week, I could tell there were more bodies in the park, more parked cars,” he said.