Lake County commissioners heard an airport update Wednesday that highlighted stalled hangar leasing, unexpected fuel-farm upgrade costs and plans to pursue state grant funding and market development to attract more jet traffic.

Airport presenter Josh told commissioners the county reissued a request for proposals for ground leases aimed at getting private parties to build hangars, but “we put out the RFP for a second time and got no bids again.” He said some prospective renters declined because they did not want to pay for engineered drawings required to respond to the RFP.

The lack of lease responses has pushed the county’s timetable: staff now expects construction start in 2026 rather than 2025, and said this winter will be used to prepare shovel-ready documents and negotiate with interested parties outside the formal RFP process.

Commissioners and staff also discussed upgrades to the airport’s fuel farm. Josh said the county had budgeted roughly $65,000 for safety and efficiency work but received two summer bids for about $113,000 and $157,000. He described the upgrades as measures to improve fuel filtration, add water separation and replace corroding piping with stainless steel to support more jet traffic and higher fuel-quality standards.

Explaining operational impacts, Josh said the airport currently fills its 3,000-gallon fuel truck using the tank’s pump, a process that takes about "2 hours and 27 minutes to do," which he said could become untenable if jet traffic increases. He added the airport’s main jet fuel tank is about 12,000 gallons and that the most water removed from the tank in a single event was “like, 5 gallons.” He emphasized current fuel operations are safe and that staff performs daily checks and sump draining.

On funding, Josh said Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Aeronautics had been receptive to fuel-farm projects and that the airport will seek money through the county’s Capital Improvement Plan and state grant programs; he cited the Walden Airport as an example of substantial state funding for airport projects. He said a capital request could yield funding in a later year (he mentioned a 2027 time frame as possible).

Deicing capability drew sustained discussion as a potential revenue driver. Josh said the airport wants to acquire deicing equipment (trailer- or truck-based systems were discussed) but that a budgeting error had left a previously approved capital request out of the current budget. He proposed first looking at the county’s existing deicer unit to determine whether it can be refurbished this winter to collect operational data before deciding on a purchase of newer equipment, which he said could cost much more if a truck-based unit were chosen.

Josh and commissioners discussed regulatory and environmental questions connected with deicing. Josh said federal rules require glycol collection only if an operator sprays over roughly 100,000 gallons a year; he also noted glycol is UV-sensitive and breaks down under sunlight, reducing some collection concerns at the county’s sunny site.

Commissioners asked several operational questions about runway length, septic provisions for hangars and the practical limits on expanding the runway because of nearby terrain, rail infrastructure and highways. Josh said parts of both runway ends face constraints: the south end drops off toward a rail corridor and may involve eminent-domain or conservation-easement complications; the north end is constrained by a highway.

On market development, Josh said there is existing activity at the airport: a local flying club and flight instruction operate now, and he reported demand from corporate and fractional-ownership jet operators for deicing and hangar space. He said the airport’s in‑fence revenue varies year to year and that off‑airport economic impacts — such as visitor spending — are not fully captured in airport revenue figures. He noted an economic-impact study done every five years showed increased local economic contribution compared with the prior study.

Other operational details announced at the session included a recent $12,000 acquisition of a large snow‑removal unit (Josh said he obtained it from Denver International Airport surplus with substantial state subsidy), two courtesy vans for passenger transport, a long‑term vehicle parking program (about eight cars at roughly $450 per year each), and efforts to reduce maintenance costs by performing some repairs in-house.

No formal motions or votes were taken on airport projects during the work session. Staff said next steps include preparing funding requests to CDOT Aeronautics and the county’s CIP, evaluating the existing deicer for short‑term use, and developing a targeted outreach and negotiation approach for prospective hangar lessees.

"If people are interested, they come in and we kind of set up negotiations," Josh said when describing a proposed shift from strict RFP reliance to more direct discussions to secure development partners.

Commissioners thanked Josh for the update and indicated interest in further briefings as grant requests and procurement decisions progress.