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WINTERSVILLE -- The Jefferson County Regional Airport Authority's Board of Trustees approved its 10-year Airport Capital Improvement Plan for submission to the Federal Aviation Administration and Ohio Department of Transportation Monday.
Among projects listed on the plan, which extends from fiscal years 2025 to 2034, are the construction of the Geary A. Bates Jefferson County Airpark's long-awaited wildlife fence, set for 2024, and the construction of parallel taxiways and lighting extensions at the runway's 14 and 32 ends, set for 2026 and 2030 respectively.
"Nothing's guaranteed, of course, but at least we have these on paper now," said Lance Wanamaker of the airport's engineering firm, Michael Baker International, who prepared the ACIP.
Gary Folden, the board's secretary and treasurer, explained that the ACIP -- which must be submitted yearly -- acts as a forecast for projects the airport hopes to complete over the coming years, providing cost breakdowns for each year. Target years for individual projects are flexible and can be amended or canceled by the FAA or the airport at any time.
Folden said projects' target dates were decided based on available funding at the time, taking into account discretionary funds and entitlement funds, through which every Ohio airport receives $150,000 in federal funding each year, with funds rolling over for three years. Under Ohio law, those funds must be encumbered through purchase orders by the three year period's end.
The ACIP has two roles: planning for the allocation of funds and providing the FAA with alternative spending options in case other airports return any funds. Folden said the FAA will know about the airport's project through the ACIP and possibly decide to shift the funds to those projects.
Of the airpark's own planned projects, the wildlife fence is currently in the design stage, for which the airport received a $100,000 planning grant from the FAA in July. The board plans to hold a planning meeting for the fence in the coming weeks, understanding that once design work is done, the board will need to apply for construction grant funds.
Also, the airpark is discussing options for the extension of its parallel taxiway on both ends to match the length of the runway, extended to 5,000 feet in 2014 to accommodate larger jets. The extended parallel taxiway would allow aircraft to taxi toward the runway on the ground safely while other aircraft land simultaneously -- currently, aircraft need to taxi on the runway itself to take off.
In addition to the ACIP, the board approved submitting to the FAA the airport's quarterly report, a pre-application for Airport Infrastructure Grant funds for taxiway extension design and fencing construction, a pre-application for the fence construction grant and annual forms.
In other business:
• Folden told the board that the airport from now on will utilize the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners' Unique Entity Identifier for its SAM.gov award management system -- an action required due to previous "bureaucratic confusions."
• The board approved requesting the commissioners to advertise for full-time, part-time and seasonal help, with compensation dependent on qualifications, following a notification of retirement by a current employee.
• The board gave airport manager Brian Thaxton permission to purchase extra colored LED lights for the runway for $904. The extra lights will be kept in storage for if any currently used lights become inoperative, as repairs are time-consuming.
• At the suggestion of board member Geary Bates, the board discussed the possibility of renovating three of the airport's T-hangars to make them more attractive to possible tenants. Board President Brandon Reese expressed concern that the demand is not high enough to justify more expenses, though Bates said the unoccupied hangar problem will only linger if the board does not take action.
• The board approved airport hangar tenant Bill Pree and board member Rich Stenzel to use an inflatable painting booth to safely paint an experimental aircraft they are building in Pree's hangar. Reese went on record to say this case is special -- irrelevant to Stenzel's membership on the board -- and it should not be used as an example for others to also paint in their hangars.
Bates added that the concession for Pree and Stenzel was made, provided that they leave space between the soon-to-be-painted aircraft and other tenants' property and that the painting job is only for the singular aircraft and no others following regularly. The motion was approved unanimously, with Stenzel abstaining.