Citrus County airport staff told the Aviation Advisory Board that several capital and planning projects are moving forward, including the environmental assessment for the Crystal River runway extension, FDOT-funded surveys, fuel-tank replacement bidding and grant-funded equipment swaps.

The update matters because the projects affect airport capacity, safety and planned business-park development tied to taxiway Phase 2. Several items depend on outside approvals, grants and future Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) actions.

Todd (airport staff) said a purchase order for the Crystal River runway extension environmental assessment (EA) has been issued and a kickoff meeting with consultants ICE and ESA is expected before Feb. 1, after which the county and consultants will proceed on the formal EA. He said a physical groundbreaking for construction would not occur for “a couple more years.”

On fuel infrastructure, staff said the invitation to bid (ITB) for Crystal River fuel-tank replacement was issued Jan. 4, with a pre-bid meeting Jan. 14 and a questions deadline of Jan. 24. Bids will be publicly opened Feb. 6, with an anticipated BOCC approval agenda item March 11. Staff characterized the procurement timeline as on track.

Staff reported that FDOT grants are in hand for several surveys and equipment replacements but are under legal review. The county’s aviation attorney is reviewing an AGIS (airport geographic information system) survey grant and an AWOS/AWAS replacement grant; if the attorney has no objections, the grants will be forwarded to the BOCC for approval.

Work on the Inverness Business Park Phase 2 — which includes a taxiway from Taxiway Alpha into the business park, mill-and-pave of Airport Road and a noise wall east of the park — is advancing. Staff said the project needed several remaining edits and some environmental/permit clearances before heavy work could begin. A Stormwater (SFWMD) permit extension was reported; staff said the county expects to resod swales and await the agency’s inspection before making the detention/retention area operational.

Board members asked timing questions and were told several items are grant- or consultant-dependent and cannot be advertised for construction until final approvals and site readiness are confirmed. Staff estimated the aviation-side construction tied to Phase 2 would not be complete until around the end of 2027.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes of the previous meeting — motion and second; outcome: approved (no individual mover/second named in the record).
- Motion to adjourn — motion and second; outcome: approved (record: “Aye”).

Ending

Board members and staff set the next advisory board meeting for Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in the same room and instructed staff to continue grant and procurement steps; no BOCC-level approvals were recorded during this meeting.