Airport board declines request to pay one-third of loader tire replacement

The Park County Airport Board considered a request that the county contribute one-third of the cost to replace tires on a loader used for airport maintenance. Matt Whitman, representing maintenance interests, said the tires are a standard wear item for equipment the county uses and described the loader as necessary to keep the airport operational during winter: “This is just, one of those wear items on the equipment, that gets used,” he said, adding that the county was not charging for operator time or depreciation in the request.

Board members questioned how many hours the loader runs and whether the tires were actually due for replacement. One board member told the meeting he believed the tires still had “probably 35% tread left on them” and argued the expense was not prudent given county budget constraints. Another board member described the loader as valuable to the airport’s operations but said the timing did not justify the expense.

Chair Steve moved to approve covering one-third of the replacement cost; another board member seconded. The board took a voice vote. The chair called for those in favor to say “aye,” then for those opposed; the motion failed and the board did not allocate funds for the tire replacement at this meeting.