Our chapter was founded in 1968 and since that time it had been holding meetings and events at the FBO or in various members’ hangars. As time went on and the chapter grew, it became clear that we needed our own dedicated place to gather and call home.

In mid-2017 an opportunity came along when the City of Watertown came into possession of a row of 5 hangars, known as the Stiles Hangars, when their long-term leases ended and the buildings ownership reverted back to the City. Chapter 320 held a meeting of its members and voted to approve that of the Chapter’s Board of Directors approach the City with the intent to purchase one of the Stiles hangars. The hangars were slated to be auctioned off in a general auction, but the graciously City agreed to pull one of the hangars out of the auction and sell it to Chapter 320 at a very reasonable price. With that, our Chapter was on the road to hangar ownership for the first time.

 

At that time, the Chapter did not have the funds to purchase the hangar outright, and since hangars are a non-traditional property without a deed, no banks or lenders were willing to loan money for an aircraft hangar. Not easily deterred, three members of the Chapter stepped up and personally guaranteed a note with the Bank of Lake Mills. We are eternally grateful to these three members: Wayne Duris, John Puttre, and Eric Wegner for without them and their commitment to this chapter, the dream of a Chapter hangar would have died there and then.
 

In spring of 2018 the Chapter purchased the hangar and signed a lease with the City. It was a 50 year old pole building that needed more than a little help and we set to work on cleaning, refurbishing and updating it. Plans were drawn up on how to lay it out and build it out to best suit our needs. We were happy to have it but it soon became evident that there were some major challenges in operating that facility as our Chapter hangar. The main obstacle and issue was its location. Situated deep inside the fence we were not visible to the public, and being in the middle of two other rows of hangars there was no room for our 60+ members to park without blocking the taxiways and other hangars.

 

One positive attribute that it did possess was that it had nice bi-fold doors on each end. You literally could open them both up and drive right through. After much discussion and strategizing on how to best maximize this asset’s potential, it was decided to split it in half into two separate units. We would then sell the two units, preferably to two of our chapter members. The proceed from those sales would then be parlayed into a new, purpose-built facility at a better location on the field. The plan was discussed with, and approved by, the Airport Commission.

 

Not enough can be said about the cooperation, support, and advocacy that we received from the Airport Commission members, Wisconsin Aviation, and the City of Watertown over the years. There are a lot of moving parts and it takes a lot of people who believe in recreational aviation and are dedicated to building a vibrant airport to make all this happen. We split and sold the two hangars to chapter members who are thrilled to have them. Now we are well underway in building our new home which will serve our members and the community for decades to come. Check out our progress on the new hangar in that section of our website. We welcome anybody flying through the area to stop in at KRYV and say hello.

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                                                                      ~ Eric Wegner