Langlade County Airport or McDonalds Playland?
I have not been out to the Airport in years and was totally shocked when I visited there recently. The very first thing that I noticed when walking in, was all the little kids toys. It looks more like a daycare center than an airport. Why in the world would there be toys like this right in the lobby? It is ridiculous! This is a county owned building! Could you imagine walking into the courthouse and seeing toys all over?
I was also unimpressed with the laundry basket and uniforms hanging out in the open near the bathroom. I don’t see any reason why these items can’t be somewhere out of the public eye.
In years past, the airport always looked nice and well kept, like it should be. I don’t know what is going on here, but, I don’t think it should look like it does now.
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Thank you for sharing!
I am not familiar with who is responsible for the airport and who is in charge there. Can anyone inlighten me?
MIKE HARMA IS THE MANAGER, Airport Committee members: Chairman – James Jansen, Vern Cahak, Dave Solin. I THINK IT’S SAD THE AIRPORT LOOKS IN THIS CONDITION!! NEVER WAS THIS WAY WITH PAST MANAGERS!!
To the original poster: It says a lot when you say you haven’t been to the airport for years. It says to me that you are probably not a pilot? As a pilot, I’m very happy to see the play area at the airport. I have two small children and they are more than happy to play with the new toys they see there every time I’m trying to concentrate on planning the critical portions of my flight plan.
Also, I’ve been stuck at different airports for HOURS where there are no toys, play area, even crayons for my children to play with. I know that every airport doesn’t provide these extra perks so we pack an extra bag, taking up precious cargo space in our small airplane.
I consider myself lucky that the airport here in Antigo has the play area they do. I think they should advertise this airport as ‘children friendly’ to all pilots.
Really, what’s the big deal?
You don’t have to be pilot to know the airport is no place to play at.. prepared to take your children places as kids get bored easily…as a parent I always have things with to entertain my 5 yr old child and with past airport managers they always kept coloring books behind the counter for kids .. I do no see any other COUNTY funded or owned buildings that have “play areas” you wouldn’t see this at the courthouse or the resoucre center..
an airport is an airport not a place to run around play…I may not be a pilot but I am a taxpayer and a parent..
JKFK, sometimes you have to take your kids where they’ll be bored. A hospital isn’t a place to play, but before they remodeled, they had stuff for the kids to do in the walk-in waiting room. A car dealership isn’t a place to play, but they have stuff at Ford. If you haven’t noticed, the three places mentioned are all places where parents are under stress and don’t want to deal with “daddy/mommy can i…” etc.
At an airport, the parent has to be focused on how their flight is going to go. At the hospital, they could be waiting on life or death news, and I’m sure you wouldnt want your 2 year old jumping all over you. At a car dealership, it’s a long process to buy or rent a car, and kids get bored. So of course they have something for them to do.
Ford and the hospital aren’t funded with my tax dollars. I wouldn’t let my child play with toys at hospital …ever hear of germs!!!
Are you kidding me? A hospital is the cleanest place you can be. The longest I was in the waiting room was a little over 2 hours, and on 3 seperate occasions a janitor came in and disinfected everything.
And whether these things are funded with your tax dollars or not, it doesn’t really matter. The point of them having stuff for kids to do is to get them out of your hair while you take care of your stuff.
Do you even have children …give me a break!!!!!!!
Number 1…..The airport is a county building and should professional and clean. None of the other county/city buildings are cluttered with kids toys and laundry.
Number 2….If your kids are distracting and you are flying airplanes..leave the children at home.
Number 3….I know the past management kept the airport spotless and professional.
Number 4…..Hospitals is the cleanest place you can be ? Are you insane?? Do you know how many people die or nearly die from infections they contracted at hospitals ? I know from a 3 month long experience at Wausau and my friend is missing her leg from MRSA she contracted from Marshfield hospital. She will let you look at her stump then open your mouth and say that again.
No, I don’t have children. But I was a kid once too. When we would go to the car dealership and have to sit through 2-3 hours of paperwork, I was bored out of my mind. I don’t see why you’re reacting so strongly against this, it’s actually a good idea to have stuff for kids…
Well when you get some children then you can give me advice on that !! By the way did your parents ever hear of a babysitter or daycare..
Are you kidding me? Do you people even go to the airport? You have nothing better to do than complain about some toys that don’t even effect you? Yes, it is a county building, however, the airport manager has is own company. How do you know he didn’t pay for those things himself? Seriously, if it bothered that many people the the airpot committee would tell them not to have the toys there. Get over it.
This is just par for the course in Antigo. People crabbing about something that will never affect them in any way, shape, or form. They just need something to bellyache about.
Yes I realize that it has a FBO but have you ever heard of professionalism. Its still COUNTY owned! I have been out to the airport too numerous too count. So please don’t even try to judge me on that!! I am in full support of improving our airport! I am entitled to my opinion too. I feel it does not look appropriate to a business to look like that especially one that is funded with tax money as well as the airport managers pay check!!xoxo
For once Voice we agree!!!
I’ve been to the airport 4 times in the 12 years I’ve lived here, and it always looked nice for its size, you can’t expect it to be spotless. I don’t know how you think the airport can improve JKFK, this is a small town with a small demand for flights in and out. Even airports in Wausau and Appleton which have commercial lines are considered “pit stop” airports, so a town 1/10th (if not more) the size of appleton doesn’t really have a chance for something major.
Wow 4 times in 12 years….blah blah! Never used the word spotless, I never said anything about the size either! But if you went to the courthouse or any other county building and saw the uniforms dirty laundry basket in plain view or a pile of toys. What would that say!!I am a believer that this town needs improvement and a county airport should show we are professionals that the companies will come in here! So please read this blog carefully before you go putting words in my mouth!xoxo
If you think that companies will come running once the airport cleans up it’s lounge. Call them and tell them this. If you go to the airport all of the time tell Mike that you don’t like looking at this stuff. I haven’t been to the airport in a long time, but I was there on a almost daily basis years ago and I know that even when there wasn’t kids toys in the lounge or laundry there, businesses didn’t come running. My other suggestion is if you don’t like looking at it, don’t go there. Plain and simple.
Leaky roof, Mold growing on the side of windows, garbage overflowing and smelling, offensive graffiti on the bathroom stall, or broken windows might be something worth complaining about.. But Children’s toys on the floor? and a landry baskets with CLEAN clothes? Oh mercy. I am sure Langlade County Airport is operating within FAA Guidelines. You really have no argument..
The Court House HAS children’s toys. I had my daughter play with them while I was looking up court records. They were in plain site when I was there. I am sure the extra $30.00 spent in toys doesn’t compare to all the money we spend for Police protection in our county and never get it. You get robbed in White Lake, Parrish, Pearson, Elcho, or Langlade. Good luck.
That is true that if I don’t like it I don’t go there cause last time I was there it was a joke…think I’ll wait for new management before I go back. So thanks for the tip Kim…much appreciated.
Are you kidding me?! You people are scrutinizing someone for voicing their opinion. Isn’t that the whole point of these pages? Clearly it does affect them. They have been to the airport on numerous occasions and think it looks like a pigsty. I don’t think it’s that difficult to pick up a few toys and laundry. Especiallly when the public is invited to a fly-in at the airport. It should be kept looking professional and clean at all times.
I agree it should be looking professional. And having stuff for kids to do makes it even more professional. Honestly, if for some reason you flew into Antigo with your kid(s) where there is basically nothing to do for kids except the parks in the summer, wouldn’t you want your kid to have at least something to do? It doesn’t seem like much, but a set of lego’s can keep a kid going for hours.
Simpleminded is right JKFK, you do have no argument. How foolish the airport is for doing their laundry and providing things for kids to do.
I agree with Wisgirl fully. Hospitals are not the cleanest places. And any one to think otherwise is a fool. Emergency wards are in fact, the dirtiest of all. I was an inspector for a hopital in the past. Durring a visit to the doctor at the clinic here in town, I did a little inspection on the exam room pror to the doc coming in. A layer of dust on the pictures, a dirty film above the entrance of the trash can that the doctor used, and then touched me after, A dark ring along the outside of the floors near the walls, which tells me that they are not getting scrubbed very well, and not to mention, I was told by a cleaning person there, that they never actually extract or clean the carpets there. they just spray some chemical, and use abuffing pad to scrubb them. yet the germs are still left behind. Does this make any sense? There was more stuff to claim wrong, but I wont get into that. I do think though that as a parent, if you are working for a county funded business. you should not be bringing your child to work. As well as any job really. I bet it looks real nice when a customer come through the place and sees all the toys and children. It would make me wonder also, Mcdonalds playland? Leave the kids home or find a sitter!
I guess that would be the type of response a person would get from someone with the name simpleminded, professional and FAA guidelines are totally different. Nothing wrong with “clean” laundry but a tote of dirty out in public view of a county owned business, I guess whatever…if you are into tackiness…AWESOME! Bucket of legos – ok but a pile of toys is what I saw and did not look professional…oxo ME
What I don’t understand is why everyone thinks its necessary to beat up an airport that nobody travels to, and that unless your on a school tour, a pilot or just curious will ever visit. Antigo, and Langlade County – no matter what you care to think about either is not a real destination area. There are not a significant amount of prospective business owners flying into the airport. I have been there on days when the governor flew in, and it was spotless. I would love to walk into any one of your homes without giving you notice and see if there are toys laying around, and dirty clothes not neatly placed in your laundry rooms. The point is – when this claim was made could have been moments after a child was done playing, or right before that dirty clothes bin was taken to be washed. Lets not accuse people of things when we are going on pure speculation. Have some respect, open your minds, and if you want, go down there yourself and address your concerns like grown ups. And, I would like everyone on here to realize that our airport is seriously underfunded (yearly operating budget) when compared to other municipal airports. If this issue is that large, we should take more tax dollars and hire a cleaning company. I bet that would go over really well.
Here is a FYI for ya, the comment was made duriing last years fly in!!And yes you can stop by my home anytime I have a 5 yr old that makes messes sometimes but I also work my ass off to keep my home neat and clean…so if nobody ever goes to the airport then they should have all the time they need to keep it up..no need for a cleaning crew! MY COMMENTS WERE NOT SPECULATION! thanks
Sounds like the people complaining about something so trivial are the same people that won’t allow employees to wear jeans on casual Fridays! This is Antigo, for God’s sake…Langlade County Airport, county-owned or not, is not JFK or O’Hare airports.
I for one, am glad to hear that someone new is soon to be Airport Manager! Let’s see how he feels about the toys & laundry. And maybe he will be better liked by aircraft owners and actually get some business coming back in there!
I have been to the airport and met the new manager and office assistant both very nice people, they have done an AWESOME job cleaning it and he is both very informative and helpful! Glad the county brought back some good people! I still realize that you may “need” some toys during flight planning so I will leave it at that!
If Mike Harma wouldn’t have snubbed JKFK this blog would not be here.
You don’t walk into a mans business and tell him how to run it and not get snubbed. Just because you worked for a previous manager at the airport doesn’t give you the right to stick your big nose into someones business.
I too have met the new manager and his wife and yes they are nice people and I’m sure they will do a good job running the airport.
Of course they just happen to be JKFK’S very good friends.
The only change I’ve seen is that the uniform cloths bag has been removed because the new management doesn’t have uniforms. As far as the toys are concerned they still exist and keep the new managers kids somewhat occupied as he babysits for them as the previous manager did.
I think JKFK needs to get a life.
Maybe if Mr. Harma didn’t “snub” people, he would have done better here and been able to keep his business going.
As for sticking noses into someone’s “business”, I think you need to remember that the Airport is not only someone’s business, but, that person is also paid by TAXPAYERS as the manager.
If you were treated rudely by someone at their business, especially if there was a government position involved, you would certainly have the right to post your complaints and/or concerns. That is supposed to be what this site is for.
wow if i grew wings i could fly….i know that tax payer money is used to fund the airport but so is the courthouse dss and the health care center the pool get funds so does the schools we have here should they not have toys. i never knew we had that much airport business that someone could snub someone.. how many planes fly in and out of here a day????
as for the mess of toys on fly in day is that not a family day for kids to get free plane rides do you think the toys might be there to help with the time it takes for there turn to come up
I feel that everyone here is really missing the point. I am sure that other businesses and government owned buildings do have toys available and the purpose behind it being for customers or patrons who come in. I would assume from what is being said here that the toys at the airport were meant for the purpose of entertaining Mr. Harma’s children, NOT just for use by customers or pilots children, etc. To me, this isn’t right, I’m sad to hear that the new manager is repeating this (although I understand why). How many people can take their kids to work with them. Do the people at the courthouse and police station get to bring their kids to work with them, I don’t think so.
The airport manager is an independent contractor and if he wants to start a child care center he can. As far as the kids, they are not there every day and when they are they are well behaved. This airport is one of the few places in this county that is almost self supporting. I think that as long as the airport runways are taken care of and I can get fuel the airport manager can do anything he wants to. When we get a scheduled airline coming in here every day I might revise my thinking, until then I think we have a great airport and the only people I hear complain are the ones that don’t even fly.