The effort to convert the former Chennault Air Force Base — which had closed in 1963 — into a new and diversified economic airpark for the area began in earnest in 1986.

In 1973, after a series of deed changes between the federal government and Calcasieu Parish, the government decided to give the base — or what it referred to as “surplus property” — to qualified local agencies on the condition the land be used for educational or recreational non-profit activities for a period of 30 years.

There were other restrictions, but the non-profit clause is considered the main reason why the runway and aircraft aprons were left virtually unused for a decade.

On Jan. 21, 1986, then-Gov. Edwin Edwards announced that the state would provide $2.5 million to buy out the federal government’s interest in the air base if the city of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish School Board and Calcasieu Police Jury turned their interest in Chennault land over to a single entity.

On the same day, U.S. Rep. John Breaux introduced a bill to lift the deed restrictions preventing commercial operations on the land.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education became the first of the four Chennault property holders to officially commit to the consolidation efforts. The City Council and Calcasieu Police Jury followed two weeks later and the Calcasieu Parish School Board made it unanimous a month later.

The city had obtained its property through the Department of Interior. The other three groups got their deeds from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. McNeese State University had previously owned land at the base, as well, but had sold its stake in 1979 and used the proceeds to construct an engineering building on their campus.

On April 22, 1986, Breaux’s bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives; it passed the U.S. Senate on May 2.

On May 14, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill clearing the way for industrial development on the land.

Within three weeks Edwards had signed another bill — co-sponsored by Lake Charles Sen. William McLeod and Cameron Rep. Conway LeBleu — that created the Chennault International Industrial Airpark.

It didn’t take long before their efforts paid off.

On June 19, 1986, Boeing Military Airplane Co. announced it was interested in locating to Chennault with Lake Charles being in direct competition with Jacksonville, Fla., and Oklahoma City, for its newest facility, which would serve U.S. Air Force KC-135 tankers.

The contract with the Air Force called for Boeing to re-engine the KC-125 with CFM56 engines, which would give the aircraft increased aerial refueling capabilities to significantly lower fuel consumption and lower community noise levels.

At the time, the re-engining of up to 300 KC-135s was expected to save $1.1 billion over 15 years of operation.

On July 18, Boeing’s deal with Lake Charles was sealed.

“The ‘Sleeping Giant’ that has snoozed between intermittent flurries of activity since birth 45 years ago as a World War II air base is once again expecting to hear the roar of engines from large aircraft,” proclaimed the July 20, 1986, American Press in a 68-page special section welcoming Boeing to the area.

At the time, Chennault’s assets covered more than 800 acres but it’s “crown jewel” — as the newspaper called it — was its 11,465-foot- by-200-foot concrete runway strip that was 17 inches thick and had been used by the Strategic Air Command when the field was a SAC base in the 1950s.

“Besides the runway-taxiway system are two concrete aprons totaling about 250 acres (also 17 inches thick) which could be used for construction of a large plant,” the newspaper reported.

When the Boeing announcement was made, Sowela Technical Institute kicked into high gear to train the 1,000 prospective employees that would be needed. The $1.4 million appropriated for Sowela by the state Legislature allowed the school to purchase 20 labs along with materials, tools and equipment to train students for aviation-related jobs. It also allowed the school’s 40-instructor staff to add 30-90 specialized instructors to the faculty roster.

Director Earl Hammett said the majority of Boeing’s workforce for its KC-135 facility would be trained at Sowela.

“The citizens of Lake Charles deserve every congratulation on attracting a company of the international stature of Boeing to their city,” Edwards said. “There is no doubt in my mind that it was the enthusiasm of the people of Lake Charles and the determination and skill of your civic, business and labor leaders and the faculty of McNeese that were the crucial factors in bringing about a happy conclusion to all of our labors. Without that support and determination, we would not have been successful.”

Boeing eventually closed its operations at Chennault in December 1991, citing declining business.

“With no foreseeable extension of the business base, it is our unpleasant task to tell you today that we are forced to implement a plan to shut down Boeing Louisiana activities at the end of 1991,” Boeing spokesman Dick Ziegler said.