Gardner City airport moves forward on partial perimeter fence, obstruction study and environmental review

Gardner City airport officials directed staff and consultant Gale Associates to proceed with environmental review and further design work for a partial perimeter fence and for obstruction/approach-surface work that would clear trees affecting Runways 18 and 36.

The move follows a consultant presentation that summarized closing steps on a recent runway reconstruction closeout and then focused on a proposed fence line, a wildlife hazard site visit report, and an obstruction study that lays out options to qualify for visual and nonprecision instrument approaches. The commission and consultant discussed wetland impacts, the need for abrogation (airspace/navigation) easements from neighboring landowners, and likely federal and state funding shares.

The environmental review will use a categorical exclusion (Categorial Exclusion / CaddEx) process to evaluate a preferred fence alignment that avoids a mapped priority habitat and minimizes wetland impacts. Trisha, a Gale Associates consultant, said the firm’s recommendation is to “construct as much perimeter fencing as we possibly can while avoiding those areas.” The commission agreed to move forward with that option for the CaddEx documentation.

Why it matters: the consultant and commissioners framed the work as safety-driven and tied to federal grant assurances the city accepted when it received FAA funds. Leaving approach surfaces obstructed by trees could force a displaced threshold or other operational limits; the environmental and easement work would…