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Atoka approves Lochner agreement, accepts FAA grant to study replacement airport
Summary
Atoka council approved a $380,400 planning agreement with H.W. Lochner Inc. and formally accepted an FAA grant to fund an airport layout plan and environmental assessment, including new FAA-requested noise analysis and public meetings.
The Atoka City Council on Monday approved an agreement with H.W. Lochner Inc. for airport planning services and adopted a resolution accepting a Federal Aviation Administration grant to fund an airport layout plan and environmental assessment.
The planning agreement for $380,400 will cover an environmental assessment and an airport layout plan for a proposed replacement airport. Ken Lochner, a consultant with H.W. Lochner Inc., told the council the FAA asked the city to add a noise analysis and two public meetings to the project scope, which increased the fee from an earlier estimate. “The FAA did want to add two elements to this that increase the scope a little bit and increase the fee just marginally,” Lochner said.
The added work will include generating noise contours and holding one kickoff meeting for staff and a second open meeting to present preliminary environmental-assessment findings. Lochner said the previous contract amount was about $360,000 and that the revised scope raised the cost to roughly $384,000; the city’s local match requirement is a 2.5% share, which Lochner said would amount to about $9,600 out of pocket for the city.
Council members voted by roll call to approve the agreement and then to adopt Resolution No. 2025-13, which accepts the FAA grant offer and attaches the federal project numbers identified in the resolution. The resolution references FAA project number 3-40-0088-017-2025 and AIP project number 3-40-0124-18-2025.
Council members discussed that the FAA-driven additions were largely procedural to ensure compliance with federal review. Council members also noted the airport authority trust would record the city’s actions in its bookkeeping even though the trust itself will not fund the contract.
The environmental assessment and related public meetings are intended to identify potential environmental impacts and to show a concept airport layout. No construction or final site decision was made at the meeting; action taken was limited to approving the planning contract and accepting the federal grant.
The council’s approvals mean the city will proceed with the study and the public engagement steps required by the FAA.
The FAA grant and planning agreement were presented during the regular City Council meeting and later acknowledged at the Atoka City Airport Authority Trust meeting so the trust’s records reflect the city’s action.
