CAMDENTON, Mo. — Camdenton’s Board of Aldermen faced a crowded room Thursday, Nov. 18, as two controversial issues prompted people to attend and speak at its regularly scheduled meeting.
The first controversy is the recent airport name-change from Camdenton Memorial Airport to Camdenton Lake of the Ozarks Regional Airport, the name recommended by the Airport Advisory Board appointed by the Aldermen. In light of the proposed runway expansion required to host corporate air traffic accustomed to larger aircraft, the Advisory Board suggested adding the word “regional” to reflect the airport’s improved capacity. It also suggested dropping the word “memorial,” a word that Alderman Osborn noted is in use at approximately 40 small Missouri airports. “Lake of the Ozarks” was added as a descriptor to attract those pilots searching for airports in the Lake region.
At both the Nov. 4 and 18 meetings, opponents offered their opinion regarding the name change. The chief objection stems from eliminating the word “memorial.” According to Max Fisher, after World War II, the Camdenton Airport was dedicated 65 years ago to fallen soldiers, and he believes changing the name betrays that honor to them. He also expressed his opinion that changing the airport’s name will provoke the “power of the purse,” advising the Board not to “give them any reason not to do business with you.”
A representative for the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation of Camden County Board of Directors read a resolution calling for the airport’s name to be changed again to include the word “memorial,” and Lance Kellogg, Camdenton VFW Post 5923 Commander, said it is a “shameful thing that’s happening here.” He advocated leaving the word “memorial” in the name of the airport: one of the first to suggest that the word simply needs to be added back in to what had been agreed upon in earlier Alderman meetings.
Supporters of the airport’s new name included Kim Krostue. Krostue is a member of the Camdenton Chamber of Commerce, and he praised the efforts of the Chamber, City, Airport Manager, and Aldermen for moving “the City in the right direction.” Jack Chapman, representing the Airport Advisory Board, reaffirmed his support for the name change, noting that a name change gets the “attention of pilots” and will associate the airport with a major attraction, the Lake. Chapman also restated his support for a marker that explains the history of the airport and honors veterans and fallen heroes of both wars.
Proponents and opponents alike agreed that a tribute should be erected—although the name for that differed, some calling it a marker, others a plaque. Max Fisher used the word “monument.” Alderman Rector was one who emphasized the need for some form of tribute, and the Airport Manager, Corey Leuwerke, stated his support for a monument.
Alderman Steve Eden stated that the significance of the word “memorial” was unknown at the time the Board made its decision; Mayor McNabb agreed. Alderman Osborn, an Alderman representative on the Airport Advisory Board, explained that her research into the use of the word “memorial” had not revealed the significance felt by those who had come to speak against leaving the word “memorial” out of the airport’s name.
Alderman Eden sought Board discussion on two other points: first, he asked if the Board should send the name-change controversy back to the Airport Advisory Board for reconsideration, and second, he stated that Camdenton must be willing to “update things to include all veterans,” not just those from World War I and II. No one disagreed with Eden’s proposal that all veterans and fallen heroes, from World War I to the present day, should be honored. The Board also decided to send the name change back to the Airport Advisory Board, but without specific direction to include or exclude the word “memorial” and/or add a specific name for the airfield using the word “memorial” in the name.
