Commissioners asked to fund $350,000 land purchase to site automated weather station at county airport

Williams County Commissioners were presented with a plan to acquire a roughly 35-acre parcel and a navigation easement to install an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at Williams County Airport, airport consultant Steve, of the Delta Airport Authority, told the board during the meeting. Steve said the county currently relies on weather data from Defiance Airport and that on-site weather reporting would improve safety and airport marketability.

Steve, the Delta Airport Authority consultant, said an AWOS provides “current weather at the airport” and can detect rain, snow, wind events and pavement temperature. He told the commissioners the airport’s ADS-B receiver recorded roughly 4,092 aircraft operations in a recent 12-month snapshot and that a material share of those flights are larger business aircraft that rely on accurate, local weather information. “If the AWOS does not put out the right information for them at Defiance Airport, they cannot come and land at your airport,” he said.

The consultant outlined a proposed land transaction: an option to…