| 2/10/2009 9:33:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Airport development group awards fencing, ditch bid
by Jennifer Denevan
Mail Staff Writer
A $53,000 fencing and ditch relocation project bid was awarded to Waterford Corporation Monday by Airport Development Group for work at Harriet Alexander Field near Salida.
Bob Christiansen, Chaffee County director of general administration, said the development group is on a yearly contract with the county.
It handles the technical side of operating the airport. Focus on planning and design and meeting regulatory elements, he said.
Dana Hartshorn, of the development group, said it anticipates the project beginning in March. Duration will depend on size of the crew and other variables.
About 4,500 feet of fence will be replaced, he said. The group and airport officials thought about moving the fence, but decided it was impractical because it would leave the airport open and animals could get in.
Moving the irrigation ditch, Hartshorn said, will allow the ditch owner continued access without disruption of airport activity.
Harriet Alexander Field receives local, state and federal money. Federal money through the Airport Improvement Program, Hartshorn said, provides the majority of funding for airports.
Fencing project financing will be about 80 percent from the Colorado Department of Transportation and 20 percent from local government, Hartshorn said.
Taxes on fuel and passenger tickets pay for the improvement program, he explained. Taxes are similar to vehicle fuel taxes which pay for road construction.
Typically the airport receives $150,000 per year from the Federal Aviation Administration through its improvement program, Hartshorn said. It has been paid in four-year increments, meaning an airport receives the same amount annually for that duration.
Sometimes, he said, small airports in Colorado and Wyoming - like Harriet-Alexander Field - pool their money to accomplish bigger projects.
They rotate, he said, and one airport gets all the money one year and the following year a different airport gets the money.
However, he said airports aren't able or aren't willing to do that now because of the economy. Money isn't guaranteed the way it used to be so everyone is being more careful.
Carryover is no longer guaranteed, he said, meaning airport officials aren't saving money because they may not get more and it's best to spend it or lose it.
Hartshorn said it's more difficult to get larger projects completed because of the economic situation.
Harriet Alexander Field has completed smaller projects including construction of a snow removal building, purchasing a snow plow and installing an automated weather system.
Hartshorn said the development group and airport officials want to do larger projects such as runway reconstruction and work on the apron, but those are expensive projects.
The group submitted paperwork applying for stimulus money, he said. If they get that money, the runway and apron work will receive the focus.
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
