Town council approves purchase of 5,000 gallons of avgas after faster-than-expected sales

The Stevensville Town Council voted during its Aug. 7 special meeting to proceed with a 5,000-gallon purchase of aviation gasoline (avgas) for the Stevensville Airport after staff reported faster-than-expected sales from a previous purchase.

Brian, who the council called to present the item, said the town purchased 4,000 gallons of avgas in May and began selling from that tank on July 1. Through the Tuesday before the meeting, he said, the airport had sold 3,217 gallons. He asked the council to approve a 5,000-gallon “split load” (5,000 gallons to Stevensville; the other 5,000 gallons of the 10,000-gallon tanker go to another airport to lower trucking costs). He said the price as of the previous evening was $4.51 per gallon and estimated the purchase would cost in the neighborhood of $22,005.50, acknowledging the price…