GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.-
A Colorado airport on the Western Slope will now be known by a new name.
The board of the Walker Field Airport Authority voted 6-0 on Tuesday to change the name of the facility to Grand Junction Regional Airport. Board members also agreed to change the name of their group to the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority.
The airport had been named in 1942 for Walter Walker, former publisher of The Daily Sentinel newspaper from 1911 to 1956.
Supporters of the proposal said changing the name was smart, especially at a time the facility is undergoing a renovation worth $20 million—$700,000 of which was to pay for new signage.
“When they (travelers) fly here, they are not flying to Walker Field. They are flying to Grand Junction,” said board member Roger Little, shortly before the vote.
Not everyone, including Grand Junction resident Ken Sublett, was so convinced.
“We don’t have much to hang out hats on historically,” he said. “Let’s keep something in this town that has a little bit of history.”
The name change took effect immediately.
