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Commission approves $1.3 million FAA entitlement transfer; airport directors outline terminal progress and ARFF upgrade
Summary
The commission agreed to transfer $1.3 million in FAA entitlements to Sheridan County Airport; airport officials reported the new Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport terminal is nearing completion, secured $2.54 million in state matching funds and added a newer firefighting truck converted to PFAS-free foam.
The Sweetwater County commissioners voted unanimously on June 3 to transfer $1.3 million in Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program entitlements from Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport to Sheridan County Airport, an administrative transfer that county and airport officials said helps balance FAA regional funding formulas.
"For us, that's $1,300,000," airport director Devin Brubaker said of the airport’s annual FAA apportionment. Brubaker explained the transfer is an administrative step: the airport received extra entitlements in prior years from other Wyoming airports and will return $1.3 million this year to Sheridan to keep regional carryover numbers balanced.
Commissioner Richards moved to approve the transfer and Commissioner Jones seconded the motion. The commission approved the transfer by unanimous voice vote.
Brubaker and airport staff gave a full operational update after the transfer vote. The terminal project remains on track with a reported total project cost of $43,327,450; the airport’s local share remains $1,250,000, Brubaker said. Contractual substantial completion is scheduled for August with final completion in October, and airport staff expect to move into the new terminal in August.
Brubaker also reported the airport secured a $2,540,000 IDJA state grant to match federal funds and said the airport passed an FAA inspection with zero discrepancies. He highlighted a notable upgrade to aircraft-rescue-and-firefighting (ARFF) capability: the airport acquired a used truck from Jackson Hole that the airport paid $100,000 to transfer and that already had been converted to the newer, lower-PFAS firefighting foams. Brubaker said the newer truck increases firefighting capacity and reduces conversion costs for the airport.
Other operational notes included robust fuel sales (the airport expects to exceed half a million gallons of jet fuel this fiscal year), finalizing a new rental-car agreement and bringing a new cell tower to the field to improve coverage. Brubaker also encouraged commissioners to volunteer for the Air Race Classic event at the airport June 18–20 and said the airport is continuing outreach to airlines and potential new users.
The vote to transfer entitlements was procedural; Brubaker said the transfers improve the FAA’s regional formulas and allowed the airport to avoid requesting additional local taxpayer dollars for the terminal project.
